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TECH NEWS
Ingrid Components briftersA radical new take on road bike shifters or an "ergonomic disaster"? Ingrid road 'brifters' cause a stir as groupset nears production
Ingrid Components, an innovative Italian company that manufactures high performance bicycle parts, has showcased something its been working on for a little while at the recent Bespoked show. That is, their new road 'brifters' which allow users to shift both up and down the cassette with one 'shifter' in a unique way as well as braking.
Alongside this, the company has also teased a new groupset in conjunction with Formula brakes. Here's what we know so far...
"The cybertruck of bike shifters"
Okay, so if you have a look at some of the social media commentary on this topic, it's noooot exactly been 100% favourable towards Ingrid so far. We know us roadies aren't really the quickest adopters of new products, because we usually like to leave it to the mountain bikers to test things out and establish them before we take them on; but brifters - quite literally meaning brake and shift levers all in one - are already in use in the road bikes.
What is so different about these from Ingrid Components is the way that the user interacts with the shifters. Typically, you'll push the lever or button in one direction, regardless of whether you're shifting up or down the cassette. With these, you pull the shifter from left to right to change one direction, and push to shift into the other direction. On top of that is the brake lever, which adds further 'complexity' to the design.
A radical design?
But what appears to be causing such a stir online is the way the levers look. Sure, they're er...industrial, but they also don't look entirely ergonomic. Sharp edges and tired hands do not a comfortable user experience make.
Add in the fact it looks like you need to use your full palm to shift, how practical will this be for those who ride in the drops? And, what's the plan with the full groupset?
We asked Ingrid Components for a comment and all they could tell us was that the full groupset is planned for release around October next year (although that is TBD) and the price is suggested to be around €1,000.
We do know that Formula will be supplying the brakes, which evidently means disc brakes are on the cards. There are also suspicions it will be either a 12 or 13-speed drivetrain, but we can't confirm that just yet.
When asked about the design, the brand compared the design to SRAM's double tap gear shifting system, and said about the negative commenters, "there are still people that hate double tap, but they've never used it."
We look forward to seeing more on this next year, and perhaps having a go if Ingrid will let us. After all, even if the design looks a bit bizarre compared to what's already out there, at least it's different and pushing some boundaries.
Rebecca has been writing about bikes for four years, after a typically ill-timed career change pre-pandemic. She's been riding bikes since she can remember, and fell back in love with them after realising it was faster, cheaper, and more fun than getting the bus to work. Nowadays she enjoys all kinds of bikes, from road to eMTB and is training her border collie pup to become a trail dog.
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37 comments
"The cyber truck of brifters" so a vanity project designed by an idiot for sycophants
Take a deep breath and try reading something that isnt the guardian
You hardly need to be a Guardian reader to see that the cyber truck is one of the ugliest vehicles ever produced. And that's before you get into the numerous faults it has.
I like the way that it can collect water in the wrong places and so putting it through a car wash invalidates the warranty.
How are you supposed to clean it? Do you have to use those "liberal tears" those right-wing twats are so fond of talking about?
Although the article does not make this clear, the Cybertruck reference is not made by Ingrid, but just some person stating their opinion on the brifters, like here now. So it's not like Ingrid is claiming that the Cybertruck has been some inspiration or anything else which they've tried to match here.
Well, yeah. I can imagine that linking your product in any way to the Cybertruck, the most ridiculed product in recent history, isn't a PR victory, is it?
Ridiculed or is it just jealousy?
The form over function customer base is growing in cycling, and company is apparently exploiting that to the fullest.
Yup, thought so.
That made me laugh!
I'm not a fan of them - looks like 1980s car design to me.
I like the aesthetic though in my opinion the 'spirit of cycling' whatever that is, evokes organic, sinewy lines, like an extension of the body. These look cold and appliance-like. Might go well with an angular canyon aeroad, if you like that sort of thing.
It's odd as I like Brutalist architecture, so in theory I should like the angular design, but these just remind me of a cheap interior dashboard from decades ago.
Popped over to their website to see what else they had to offer, it doesn't get any better…can anyone really imagine bolting this monstrosity to their beloved steed (unless they live in Legoland)?
Well, I don't live in Legoland, but do like Legos so perhaps that's why I do like the aesthetics here as well. I think this model is a deliberate nod towards Paul's old derailleurs. Those, like this version, can in my opinion look good in certain steel framed bikes especially.
Yep, it brought the Paul's mechs to my mind too. Could look cracking on a 90's resto MTB project. Klein or Pace frame maybe 🤔.
Yes! 100% a Pace!
Did I mention that it costs £580?
Yeah, not sure how to react to that. I know that's something that I can never afford and the same functionality can be had for a tenth of the price - so it that sense the price is outrageous. And if this was a review of a Sram Transmission rd, I'd join the critique without hesitation. But especially in the case of Ingrid's rd and to some extent the brifters, I think we are leaning towards aesthetics and art. How much would you be willing to pay for Cattelan's Comedian?
Agree - no, I'd never pay for one, and functionality may not be Shimano level, but I like the aesthetic. First became aware of the brand on these lovely customs which use some of their cranks and chainrings: https://www.fern-fahrraeder.de/ . Come to think of it, their cranks might be more functional than Shimano...
I think we'll need to get some scaremongering going in the pro peloton with fears about these razor sharp edges in close cycling. Ideally throw in some images of a cut-up shoe and maybe illustrate with a frankfurter being sliced up as it passes the brifter.
Don't think we're going to see these in the peleton any time. In fact, showing how it can also be used to slice your frankfurter is probably more apt for their real market of dangle-mug bikepackers.
I really don't get from the text or the pic how the shifting mechanism is supposed to work - what exactly is being pushed and pulled? What is used with the palm? Thanks for anybody willing to clarify.
The whole brake lever is used to operate the gears in both directions, so (I assume, the article doesn't make it clear) to move up the cassette from smaller to bigger you push the lever inwards, just as with a standard Shimano lever, but to drop back down into a higher gear you have to pull the lever outwards. I think that's what the article means by using the palm, as you would have to reach right round the lever to curl your fingers round the inside of it to pull it outwards. Solution looking for a problem!
Ok, thanks for this. Indeed the operation is extremely cumbersome if it indeed is how you described it. I thought the little black thingy on the top part of the brake lever had something to do with the shifting but perhaps not.
or use a thumb? But it's not a normal direction for applying force, unlike the Campy thumb buttons.
InGrid - ridInG, I see what you did there.
There is a reason road levers are push not pull though, because to pull, i.e. move the lever from inside outward, isn't easy. To move it from outside inwards is easy. Hence every road groupset pushes.
Changing up at speed by pulling the right lever outwards does sound like a facial reconstruction opportunity
I believe that this shape must be the result of the same reason Cybetruck is shaped like that. Easy to make with a stamping press.
Good to see KOM hubs on the adjacent stand at the show- I would like to have a good reason to have one built into a wheel because the design is so impressive. However, even the cheap hubs that came with the gravel bike are still good- presumably because I never power wash. I just wait for the muck to come off in the persistent Lancashire rain.
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