Classified - the innovative Belgium drivetrain brand renowned for its two-speed integrated rear hub - is finally ready to release it's own groupset.
The 'Vistar Powershift' groupset is a collaboration between the hub gear box company and Taiwanese component manufacturer TRP (Tektro Racing Products). The one-by groupset was first spotted in testing at Unbound last year and promised better chainlines and sequential shifting across a 12 or 13 speed cassette.
We recently got our hands on the production ready groupset at the Riva Del Garda Bike Festival, where former cyclo cross World Champion, Mike Kluge, demonstrated the system in person and let us have a play with it ourselves.
The TRP partnership means Classified will produce two groupsets, a 1x16 and a 1x15 aimed at road and gravel respectively. Both have wireless electronic shifting, a 11-40 cassette and a gear range greater than a compact chainset.
Classified released their hub-based shifting system a number of years ago. It received widespread acclaim and got significant backing. It impressed us when we reviewed it in 2022 due to its market-leading 'front mech' shift performance, and last year it was available on bikes from Enve and wheelsets from Parcours. The UK based wheel brand developed specific products for the hub.
But without buy-in from the big groupset manufacturers Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo, the Classified hub has not broken into the mainstream. By collaborating with TRP, who are better known for their mountain bike components, Classified is aiming to get their Vistar Groupset specced on more bikes rather than just being an upgrade option. Ridley will be the first bike brand to offer the 1 x 15 and 1 x 16 set up to customers.
The Vistar groupset's USP is the 'Quantum-Shift' technology, that gives riders a genuine 'synchro-shift' style system without the need to move the chain over the front chainrings and rear sprockets simultaneously, to access their preferred gear ratios.
Having used it this weekend I can report that the 15 shifts available on the road system were extremely smooth, and the shifting chain, moving up and down the centre of the block when needed, doesn't feel any different to a normal shift.
A traditional 2X groupset offers 24 speeds with a 12spd cassette but it might only have 14-16 individual gear combinations due to crossover of the ratios creating duplication of gears. In this sequential 1 x shift set up, it selects the next nearest ratio for you, delivering 15 individual ratios in road format, and 16 in the gravel set up.
The near silent, and somewhat ghostly operations happening in the Powershift rear hub, give you the impression you've just accessed the next sprocket on your cassette, when in fact the chain has moved up a sprocket not down to find your next gear. It does this as it's giving you the next logical, closest ratio, rather than just defaulting to the next sprocket, as you would expect in a normal shift.
Aside from the obvious technological difference of this shifting system, it was good to get a look at the groupset in the metal too. TRP have done a good job when it comes to design of the Vistar groupset which looks like the love child of a SRAM and Shimano system at the lever, and a SRAM system that's been on a diet at the rear.
The cranks and chainrings are good looking too, similar to the SRAM approach in terms of design, with a premium feel to them. The cassettes are really lovely components, with premium looking finishes and a similarly high quality look and feel to them, not unlike some of the upgrade aftermarket solutions we've seen over the years.
The benefits of the system, Classified and TRP claim, is that riders can experience a more aero, and more durable groupset, without having to forfeit the number of gear ratios like with a traditional 1x groupset. The pair also claim that the ability to ride with one large chainring can reduce the load on the chain, cassette and bearings, improving the lifetime of each component.
I'm less interested in the system for those benefits, pleasant and beneficial though they are , instead, I'm intrigued by the system's ability to deliver sequential shifting across 16 ratios. If successful this will close the gaps that we feel in our pedalling with larger spread cassettes.
This will benefit gravel racers, and give road riders genuinely sequential gearing with minimal change in gear size with each shift. This could be of particular benefit to athletes in endurance events, keeping a close eye on their cadence and or power output.
Many good ideas hit the cycling market, but stay niche due to difficulties with integrating the tech into existing systems. The benefit doesn't always outweigh the extra fuss, or expense, in the minds eye of the customer. Classified, despite it's success, is a stand out example of that issue in action, but with a groupset partner on board, if they can deliver a competitive and reliable shifting experience together, Classified and TRP can deliver a genuine 1 x 16 sequential system, and for many that could complete the puzzle for the consumers who previously were reluctant to make the move.
Having only tested it in the stand, it's too early to say if the lofty promises I'm hypothesising here could be delivered, but it seems possible. I am certainly extremely excited to get hold of a system for testing soon and delve more deeply into it.
We were told it's 'on the way', and that the groupset will be available for customers to buy in late May. Exact pricing to be confirmed.
