Shimano Changes A Longstanding Standard

That ubiquitous free hub spline pattern may be a thing of the past now that the new XTR is here.

Yesterday the big news in MTB circles was the release of the new XTR group by Shimano. It went to 12 speeds, a major focus on 1X, and introduced new derailleurs, cassettes, and hubs, none of which are backward compatible with anything we have now. See the particulars in this excellent Cyclingtips post HERE.

But the biggest news, to my mind, and a sea change moment in cycling, was the "Micro Spline" cassette body. This small part will radicalize cycling for years to come, just like Shimano's cassette body standard did in 1988.

When Shimano moved the free coasting mechanism from the cog set to the hub, it made every wheel set in existence in 1987 and before obsolete. Cassette technology overwhelmed the cycling industry so quickly that by 1990 free wheels were dead.

This may not happen so quickly with wheels today. Shimano has made this technology a "closed system", meaning that it would have to be licensed from Shimano for others to use it. Shimano has allowed DT Swiss to use the design for its free hub bodies though, so an aftermarket choice will exist there. This does two things- First it controls who gets to use Micro Spline, and secondly, it keeps Shimano's current free hub design relevant for the short term. Shimano doesn't necessarily want the current free hub design to be tossed aside like free wheels were in the late 80's, since it would be a huge strain on the company, not to mention the bike industry, to just dump the old for the new today.

This stuff won't hit the market till the Fall, so effectively not until next season, but I look for it change our wheels entirely within the next five to ten years. How this affects smaller, "artisan" wheel brands like Industry 9 and others will be interesting to see. But make no mistake- wheels will never be the same again. 

Shimano Changes A Longstanding Standard

That ubiquitous free hub spline pattern may be a thing of the past now that the new XTR is here.

Yesterday the big news in MTB circles was the release of the new XTR group by Shimano. It went to 12 speeds, a major focus on 1X, and introduced new derailleurs, cassettes, and hubs, none of which are backward compatible with anything we have now. See the particulars in this excellent Cyclingtips post HERE.

But the biggest news, to my mind, and a sea change moment in cycling, was the "Micro Spline" cassette body. This small part will radicalize cycling for years to come, just like Shimano's cassette body standard did in 1988.

When Shimano moved the free coasting mechanism from the cog set to the hub, it made every wheel set in existence in 1987 and before obsolete. Cassette technology overwhelmed the cycling industry so quickly that by 1990 free wheels were dead.

This may not happen so quickly with wheels today. Shimano has made this technology a "closed system", meaning that it would have to be licensed from Shimano for others to use it. Shimano has allowed DT Swiss to use the design for its free hub bodies though, so an aftermarket choice will exist there. This does two things- First it controls who gets to use Micro Spline, and secondly, it keeps Shimano's current free hub design relevant for the short term. Shimano doesn't necessarily want the current free hub design to be tossed aside like free wheels were in the late 80's, since it would be a huge strain on the company, not to mention the bike industry, to just dump the old for the new today.

This stuff won't hit the market till the Fall, so effectively not until next season, but I look for it change our wheels entirely within the next five to ten years. How this affects smaller, "artisan" wheel brands like Industry 9 and others will be interesting to see. But make no mistake- wheels will never be the same again. 

A Nice Surprise

The surprise found under the 11 cogs

It's a well known fact amongst bike geeks and especially amongst the longer in the tooth mechanics and shop rats, (like myself), that bicycle companies like to scrimp, save, and "cheap out" wherever you are not going to be looking. You know.....places like your bottom bracket, head set, and spokes. Places like that.

They like to do this because then the product managers get to keep their jobs because they spec'ed a seemingly awesome bike for less than you might expect. You know those bikes that seem like such a great deal new, (current model year, of course), that "blow the competition out of the water", or say "compare at twice the price"? Yeah....they have hidden parts that suck. Put your ears up to them, and you can hear the air being sucked into the black hole of cheapness. (Well......not really, but it sounds fun! Kind of like listening to sea shells........but I digress.)

Anywho........as a bicycle mechanic you get kind of jaded by this after a while of pulling off wheels with spokes not worthy of a dung cart, or dealing with freewheels that say "Shimano" on them but wobble when spun like a drunken college boy leaving a frat party. Then every once in a while you get surprised.

I pulled the cassette of my new Raleigh Tamland Two, fully expecting a cheesy, heavy steel free hub body, and ..........well lookee here! It has an aluminum free hub body with a steel reinforced spline to help prevent that dreaded "digging in" of the individual cassette cogs. That's not the kind of feature you usually see on a mass produced rig, if anywhere. Of course, it's an idea I first saw on an American Classic hub, and maybe it isn't as well done, (note that the individual cogs dug in a little bit anyway), but still............

So, faith restored until I have to double check another 7.2FX!

A Nice Surprise

The surprise found under the 11 cogs

It's a well known fact amongst bike geeks and especially amongst the longer in the tooth mechanics and shop rats, (like myself), that bicycle companies like to scrimp, save, and "cheap out" wherever you are not going to be looking. You know.....places like your bottom bracket, head set, and spokes. Places like that.

They like to do this because then the product managers get to keep their jobs because they spec'ed a seemingly awesome bike for less than you might expect. You know those bikes that seem like such a great deal new, (current model year, of course), that "blow the competition out of the water", or say "compare at twice the price"? Yeah....they have hidden parts that suck. Put your ears up to them, and you can hear the air being sucked into the black hole of cheapness. (Well......not really, but it sounds fun! Kind of like listening to sea shells........but I digress.)

Anywho........as a bicycle mechanic you get kind of jaded by this after a while of pulling off wheels with spokes not worthy of a dung cart, or dealing with freewheels that say "Shimano" on them but wobble when spun like a drunken college boy leaving a frat party. Then every once in a while you get surprised.

I pulled the cassette of my new Raleigh Tamland Two, fully expecting a cheesy, heavy steel free hub body, and ..........well lookee here! It has an aluminum free hub body with a steel reinforced spline to help prevent that dreaded "digging in" of the individual cassette cogs. That's not the kind of feature you usually see on a mass produced rig, if anywhere. Of course, it's an idea I first saw on an American Classic hub, and maybe it isn't as well done, (note that the individual cogs dug in a little bit anyway), but still............

So, faith restored until I have to double check another 7.2FX!

Where Do The Old Components Go?

NOS 6 speed Shimano 600 Freewheel

One of the most baffling things to my mind is how perfectly decent designs made for cycling go by the wayside, never to be manufactured again. Instead, an inferior design is manufactured as a replacement part and what is worse, most of the time the replacement parts are more than just inferior. Many times the replacement parts really are bad parts. It is such a shame.

Take for instance the following: A customer brought in an old freewheel he wanted replaced on a perfectly good 27" wheel with a Wolber rim, (decent dual wall extrusion, eyeletted, and anodized), and Sun Tour hub. He produced an old Shimano box and inside was a NOS Shimano 600 freewheel. Now I have seen my fair share of Regina and Sun Tour 6 speed free wheels, but never one like this Shimano unit.

It spun so freely, with a quiet snicking of the free hub pawls that would make any mechanic smile. The finish was jewel-like, and the cogs featured beveled teeth which were slightly canted for better shifting. Compared to a new replacement 6 speed freewheel, there is no way I could honestly say the replacement is anywhere in the same ballpark in terms of quality. So, why can't we just keep making that Shimano 600 freewheel forever? Wouldn't that be nice? Couldn't that be done at a reasonable price?

Then there are things like the original 110BCD Shimano XTR square taper interface crank. Those were some of the most beautiful, functional cranks ever made. Hey- they still make decent cartridge bottom brackets, so at least we have that part! But that crank was so well made and so versatile, it just seems a bit odd that it isn't still made yet. I mean.....why not? Given the option to buy that crank or a.....I don't know,  a Velo Orange crank, just to pull something out of thin air..... Well, I know which one I'd rather get for an old bike, or heck.....a new gravel grinder!

While it is true that some real clunker parts were made in the past as well, it just seems a waste to have had something that was so perfectly functional and beautifully made go by the wayside when we really could still use those same parts today.

Where Do The Old Components Go?

NOS 6 speed Shimano 600 Freewheel

One of the most baffling things to my mind is how perfectly decent designs made for cycling go by the wayside, never to be manufactured again. Instead, an inferior design is manufactured as a replacement part and what is worse, most of the time the replacement parts are more than just inferior. Many times the replacement parts really are bad parts. It is such a shame.

Take for instance the following: A customer brought in an old freewheel he wanted replaced on a perfectly good 27" wheel with a Wolber rim, (decent dual wall extrusion, eyeletted, and anodized), and Sun Tour hub. He produced an old Shimano box and inside was a NOS Shimano 600 freewheel. Now I have seen my fair share of Regina and Sun Tour 6 speed free wheels, but never one like this Shimano unit.

It spun so freely, with a quiet snicking of the free hub pawls that would make any mechanic smile. The finish was jewel-like, and the cogs featured beveled teeth which were slightly canted for better shifting. Compared to a new replacement 6 speed freewheel, there is no way I could honestly say the replacement is anywhere in the same ballpark in terms of quality. So, why can't we just keep making that Shimano 600 freewheel forever? Wouldn't that be nice? Couldn't that be done at a reasonable price?

Then there are things like the original 110BCD Shimano XTR square taper interface crank. Those were some of the most beautiful, functional cranks ever made. Hey- they still make decent cartridge bottom brackets, so at least we have that part! But that crank was so well made and so versatile, it just seems a bit odd that it isn't still made yet. I mean.....why not? Given the option to buy that crank or a.....I don't know,  a Velo Orange crank, just to pull something out of thin air..... Well, I know which one I'd rather get for an old bike, or heck.....a new gravel grinder!

While it is true that some real clunker parts were made in the past as well, it just seems a waste to have had something that was so perfectly functional and beautifully made go by the wayside when we really could still use those same parts today.