The Classified PowerShift hub is a really interesting bit of tech that has the power to change road bike design for good. It’s a front derailleur-killing design that I think is going to really shake things up, particularly in the aero bike world, by allowing you to run what is effectively a 2x setup while reaping the benefits of 1x. And with more wheel brands on board, things are going to get even better.
What we have here is a single-chainring setup (1x) with all of the benefits of a double (2x) setup, and none of the drawbacks of either.
Inside the rear hub is a two-speed gear system that gives you 100 per cent of whatever chainring you have fitted, and then a reduction gear of around 70 per cent of that chainring, essentially doing the job of your ‘missing’ smaller chainring. So it’s like having your front derailleur hidden away in your rear hub.
That has a range of mechanical benefits, not least the fact that you’ll never have to index a front derailleur again. All of the important bits are also housed out of the way of rain and corrosive road spray, so you won’t be needing to clean anything. And because this is a planetary gear system, the shifting between the two ratios is unbelievably fast.
Performance
Let’s talk about performance for a moment, though there really isn’t much to say. Press the small shift button and the system changes in 0.15 seconds. It’ll do it under power, at any cadence, and it is yet to miss a beat. Classified does say that the system can’t be shifted when you’re pushing out over 1,000 watts, but I’m not sure that would be sensible anyway.
Shifting this thing is addictive for the first few rides, and I spent the majority of the testing period seeing if I could make it go wrong. I couldn’t.
Rattling over trails and gravel paths also caused no issues, and during a summer cyclocross race I was able to bail out into the ‘little ring’ reduction gear in a place that may well have sent my chain bouncing off onto the bottom bracket had I been using a conventional derailleur system.
Shift button integration
If you’re using Shimano Di2, the system gets even better. The small shift button is replaced by the system integrating into the existing left-hand Shimano Di2 lever. I don’t have it on this Canyon Inflite test bike, but I have ridden it and found this way of doing things the best.
My SRAM-equipped bike requires the small shifter button to be poked through the bar tape or, ideally, you can punch a hole in the shifter hood. Seeing as this isn’t my bike, I had the shifter button poking through the bar tape.
I don’t like the SRAM setup half as much and, quite frankly SRAM, if you’re reading this, you need to get on board with the system and offer your customers proper integration. Top marks to Shimano for allowing – or not preventing – the integration.
Cassette & ratios
The cassette is a very nice bit of machining with a hollow body that really needs to be seen up close to be admired. Gear changes across the cassette were also smooth, and I didn’t notice any extra drivetrain noise.
Our test system came with an 11-30T cassette, but it’s available in four sizes: 11-27, 11-30, 11-32, and 11-34. My bike also had a 42-tooth chainring, and Classified recommends a minimum size of 40T.
> Beginner’s Guide: Understanding bike gears
The main benefits for road and gravel bikes is that you don’t need to run a massive cassette with big gaps to get a normal range of gears. So on the road, you can run a normal 52 or 53T chainring with a standard 11-30 cassette and have all of the gears that you’d usually have with a 2x system.
The wheels use 12×100 and 12x142mm thru-axles, the rear being the one that receives the shift signal and then actuates the shift. The axle houses a 1-watt motor, which is rather tiny, but uses the wheel’s movement to actually change gear.
You will need to charge the rear axle occasionally, but I’m three months into testing and my occasional riding is yet to drain the battery.
Gamechanger?
So, why am I so confident that this is a nailed-on gamechanger for aero road bikes? (Though I think it’ll also change the gravel and mountain bike worlds.) Well, we need to consider what riders and teams are prepared to do to their current bikes and the clothing that they will wear to save even a few watts.
Look at any road race, even down at my pitiful level, and you’ll see a lot of aero socks, speedsuits, aero helmets, deep wheels, oversized pulley wheel cage systems and stupidly narrow handlebars. All of these measures save just a few watts each, and we’ve already seen 1x bike designers promoting the potential aero savings from removing the front derailleur. And then a quick look around the car park at a local time trial will tell you that when it comes to cheating the wind, the front derailleur isn’t welcome.
> Is the front mech dying? Is there a future for the front derailleur on modern road bikes?
Weight might seem like one potential issue, but the hub, at about 475g, is compensated for slightly by the removal of the front derailleur, its mount, the inner chainring and the fact that the cassette is superlight at just 190g. A Dura-Ace R9200 front derailleur, for example, weighs 93g and Classified says that overall bike weight won’t be negatively affected if you’re currently using a 2X Di2 setup with something like a DT Swiss 350 hub.
I, personally, would be taking that with a pinch of salt as it’ll largely depend on the rear hub that you’re replacing. If it was a superlight design then the Powershift might make your bike weigh a bit more.
The wheels that I had installed were the Classified gravel model. They’re fine, with smooth bearings and a decent rim shape, but they’re nothing exciting. The good news is that Classified has recently announced partnerships with a range of wheelset brands, including DT Swiss, Mavic, Fast Forward, Enve, Reynolds, Boyd Cycling, and Spinergy.
That’s a brilliant move on Classified’s part, because it can go about focusing on making the integration with shifting systems better and dropping the weight of the hubs, while leaving the rim and wheel building stuff to the brands that already do a great job.
In fact, the only reason that I couldn’t give Classified a glowing 5-star review was because of the slightly dull wheels. So if you’re going to be buying the system in a different wheelset and putting it in a Di2 groupset then you can consider this a perfect review.
Value
The final thing we need to cover is price. For any of the current Classified wheelsets, which come with everything that you need for the system, you’re looking at £2,300. That is a significant amount for a front derailleur replacement, but for a carbon wheelset it isn’t ridiculous.
Prices are yet to be confirmed for the third-party wheels, but Classified has confirmed that it will soon be offering the system as a standalone product to be built onto a rim of your choice. That might be the cheapest way to get it.
Conclusion
I’m dead impressed by the Classified Powershift system. I think it’s about to really shake up the road and gravel bike markets, and with a mountain bike version coming too, this is one to seriously consider.
Verdict
An excellent system – better shifting than a standard front derailleur, with many more benefits
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Classified Powershift Hub
Size tested: 11-30T
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
From Classified:
“POWERSHIFT TECHNOLOGY is a wireless shifting technology that allows you to shift gears instantly and under full load. Its first application is the Powershift hub, which replaces the front derailleur. The Powershift hub offers unrivalled shift quality, high gearing range and small steps in between gears combining the benefits of both 1x and 2x.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
The system included:
A shift button
Bar-end communicator
System-specific thru-axle
Cassette
Rear hub
This would be a 10 but for the wheels.
Wheels aside, it’s exceptional.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
This shifts instantly under loads of power and at low cadences. It’s so much better than a front derailleur.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The shifting is mesmerisingly good.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The wheelset isn’t amazing.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
Nothing else like this on the market.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
If I was scoring this on just the hub system it would be a 10. This is a brilliant idea that has been delivered well. The shifting is insanely good. While the wheels are okay, the cost for the wheelset system is high – but with other brands coming in and the system soon to be available for building into existing wheels, this is going to be less of an issue.
About the tester
Age: 27 Height: 177cm Weight: 62kg
I usually ride: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 My best bike is:
I’ve been riding for: Under 5 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, general fitness riding, I specialise in the Cafe Ride!
47 thoughts on “Classified Powershift Kit & Wheelset”
Also available in 3 speed and
Also available in 3 speed and only for £119.99!
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hubs-internal-hub-gear-brake/sturmey-archer-rf3-3spd-cassette-hub-36h/
Of course, a good point, and
Of course, a good point, and I am surprised that SunRace haven’t adapted the Sturmey Archer 3 speed system to work on a 142 axle and integrate with a cable change. The problem on 3 speed was it is always a nightmare to get that cable just right for second gear (whatever the manual says!) daughter’s Brompton 6 speed (2×3) was never right on setting the shoulder just peeping out – a 2 speed would be super-easy to set up.
No luck. I have had my
No luck. I have had my Brompton 6 speed for nigh on 20 years & no problem with the hub gearing. Yes you need to set the cable tension but its never been an issue for me.
Google SRAM Dual Drive.
Google SRAM Dual Drive.
Which leads onto Sheldon
Which leads onto Sheldon Brown and all his messing around including Sturmey Archer mods. Can’t help feeling that Classified have a problem – if their product takes off, they open the market to the hub manufacturers who have lots of existing patents and the hybrid system is pre-existing. Wireless gearing is also a pre-existing concept. All it needs is Shimano or SRAM to stick a receiver on the hub, Garmin speed sensor style, battery could be fitted in a compartment accessible through the spokes and rechargeable and motorise the change. Not beyond the wit of man.
I was going to point out the
I was going to point out the same thing. With disc hub too!
Is the cassette system
Is the cassette system-specific, and if so what’s the cost of a replacement?
Very much my question.
Very much my question.
And the long term availability of replacements?
It very much is system
It very much is system-specific, and a quick Google search shows them to be north of £150.
It’s pretty piss poor that the review doesn’t even mention this. Par for the course on here though…
https://www.classified
https://www.classified-cycling.cc/powershift-technology
gives a good view of why a special cassette is required.
Very clever and innovative
Very clever and innovative stuff, but very pricey.
(It would probably be even more expensive, if they included a rear brake rotor
)
Reilly are doing a Strada
Reilly are doing a Strada rear wheel with a powershift for 1199.
https://www.reillycycleworks.com/products/classified-powershift-hub?variant=39766630695001
That price is the ‘upgrade’
That price is the ‘upgrade’ price on top of the standard wheelset. They don’t appear to sell the entire wheel on it’s own.
Surely the advantage of never
Surely the advantage of never having to worry about having to index a front derailleur again is comparable to a motorist being delayed by a cyclist for a nanosecond or 2!
Bring back triples for the rest of us.
Bring back triples for the
Bring back triples for the rest of us
Or, alternatively, don’t bother. I have a couple of bike with triples, which are obsolete now with the advent of cheap and light (9 speeds, anyway) cassettes running up to 36T
For a roadie, the joy of the
For a roadie, the joy of the triple is the middle ring. I had a 3×10 Tiagra set up and the middle ring covered 90% of your needs. Never needed changed it from the 11-27 cassette. Then you have your crawler gear to let you spin up the worst and the big ring when you get accidentally mixed in with the bigger boys. Always having the right gear easily to hand is not to be under-rated. The other big advantage was only having about a 2 gear drop between chain ring shifts, so you don’t need really to worry about double shifting as is essential on a compact double where the drop is 3 gears or more and you can end up hunting around for the right gear after a front ring change.
Triples much under-rated for road cycling and also worked well on my MTB as you didn’t top out when riding on the road so you don’t trash top gear and eat a cassette with every chain.
IanMSpencer wrote:
I agree with this view entirely. Just include running the rear mech on friction shifting and you can have an excellent choice of gears, simple ride technique (middle ring most of time) and very, very simple technical set up (bye bye indexing). Also, you can dump all your gears in a single sweep of the lever. Beats mad clicking. I run Gevenalle Audax shifters which IMHO are fantastic. Maybe not for road racing, but hey 99% aren’t racers.
https://www.bikemonger.co.uk/gevenalle-audax-shifting-systems-10962-p.asp
1) What’s the drag in the
1) What’s the drag in the reduced gear?
2) Why not go the whole way and have all the gears in the hub?
AidanR wrote:
what you mean like a Rohloff?
There is always going to be a trade off between efficiency, weight and number of gears.
I rate mine.
I rate mine.
Though…
Shifting under load can be problematic and it will often bail into its “panic” gear if you don’t come off the power a bit.
And if you put any weight on the pedals when waiting at the lights it really resists shifting.
Back pedalling is your friend
Back pedalling is your friend. When I were a lad, terrorising the streets of Holbeach on my RSW Mk2…
Secret_squirrel wrote:
Yes, but that was designed decades ago for trekking.
AidanR wrote:
what you mean like a Rohloff?
— AidanR Yes, but that was designed decades ago for trekking.— Secret_squirrel
Firstly if it aint broke dont fix it.
Secondly
https://www.cyclemonkey.com/blog/tech-talk-retrofit-your-e-bike-rohloff-e-14-electronic-shifting
I have ridden, briefly, a
I have ridden, briefly, a bike with a powershift wheel. I loved it. Like the review says, the shift is extremely fast and reliable. There’s no obvious drag in the reduction gear. The cassette is proprietary because it’s machined quite hollow to provide space for the hub gear. That price is stinging but I’ll keep an eye on availability of this thing because I would definitely ride it.
Word on the street is that
Word on the street is that Classified have been working with Campagnolo this year. Could be interesting if true.
Am I being dense, or is that
Am I being dense, or is that bike lacking a major brake part?
Yes. So you can see the thing
Yes. So you can see the thing they’re trying to sell you. Latest news! Powershift Killer!! Simple device fitted on seat tube eliminates most of the cost.
Steve K wrote:
Didn’t notice but now you mention it, yes!
They’re new, magic,
They’re new, magic, disappearing brake rotors…
Just checking here. We’re
Just checking here. We’re talking about a £2,300 HUB to replace a £35chainring and am £40 derailleur? (Oh of course and a £2 cable…). The company, reviewer and anyone who indulges in this is certifiably insane.
Not really.. the high ticket
Not really.. the high ticket price is for a wheelset.. which includes the hub with the wizadry in.
I don’t think this is being aimed as as ‘cheaper’ alternative to a non existing problem (e.g. not for everyone), but for me.. as someone who looks at Rolhoff systems with lustful eyes.. this is a very interesting product indeed. Mostly interesting because it seemingly adds pro’s with little or no con’s (apart from cost).
I find myself thinking.. would getting this rear hub allow me the flexibility to run different sized front chainrings on my Mason Definition to go from club ride with a semi conpact to full on gravel/CX gearing, with the added bonus of just 1x to clean and maintain.
peted76 wrote:
The hub kit without the wheels to build your own sells for €1399, so still a pretty hefty whack even in the crazy numbers world of cycling.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Thats quite a markup given the price Reilly are selling it for with a rim.
Rendel Harris wrote:
It’s certainly not cheap but the €1400 does include a cassette and I suppose you ‘could’ further justify it with the fact you’d be replacing a £400 di2 front derailleur and front chainring… still expensive though.. it’d be far more palatable/plausible nearer the cost of a top end rear hub.. maybe £600/700.
I would expect this ‘system’ to show better value as a bike manufactuer build option.
I can run different size
I can run different size chainrings on my bikes now. Simply undo 5 bolts, swap ring, do up 5 bolts. Nope, no fancy hub needed at all. And is the hub chnageable? If you want that compact gearing, do you need a different hub? The article seems to indicate you get what you’re given.
Bigfoz wrote:
I usually wait for my Ultegra crank to snap and then buy a different size crank/chainring, but now I see that I could swap just the chainring. Boy, do I feel foolish.
People don’t realise this is
People don’t realise this is actually an example of an over-specified / engineered part. The crank was meant to come off each time you stop so you can take it with you as a security feature.
I usually wait for my Ultegra
I usually wait for my Ultegra crank to snap
That’s it. Never give up, HP!
No, they just have more
No, they just have more disposable income and other priorities than you do. As others have said, you get a very decent wheelset, the hub and a high quality cassette for that price. Yes it’s still expensive, so don’t buy it if that’s the way you feel.
I jumped in and I confess, it was a huge gamble as the system was just on the market but 15 months down the line, if they offered me my cash back and a free reconfiguration of my bike I’d definitely refuse.
I have no need for it, I don
I have no need for it, I don’t have the funds, but I love the innovation.
I didnt need it either but I
I didnt need it either but I liked the tech and was building a new bike that needed a new set of wheels so I went for it.
All I can say is that it works brilliantly and you very quickly adjust your riding to maximise the benefit. The reliability has been fine – no issues at all. The set up is a bit tricky for road frames as you will be surprised how tight chain stay clearance is for +50t single chainrings, there is literally only a mm or two between frame and chainring on my Definition.
Reviewers claim that the Classified wheels are a bit basic but I cant tell the difference from the Hunt Wheels I was running prior. These come with Hope Hubs and they dont seem to flex at all and very happy so far.
As the system claims to be
As the system claims to be more tolerant of chainline I wonder if one option there would be some drive side spacers?
Yes I agree that in principle
Yes I agree that in principle you could fit a mm or 2 on the drive side, but it depends then how much space you then nick from the NDS. On my set up,the NDS axle pre load is almost backed fully off, so any increase in width by fitting spacers will just have an adverse effect on the other side. Just depends on the frame design I think.
This will be a gamechanger
This will be a gamechanger for those Sunday rides when you’re nattering and forget to change down at lights or a junction. I’ve lost track of how many times I have to set off hugely over geared.
It’s not that sweet in real
It’s not that sweet in real life. To have it work with Di2, you have to send the shifter to Classified and have it converted. Important: It can not be reverted. AND! It does not work with the new 12sp shifters. I am unsure why Road.cc’s testers don’t mention this?
When riding, there so much drag when freewheeling that the chain will drop from time to time, as there’s no tension on it.
Otherwise a nice system.
I have a Factor Ostro with
I have a Factor Ostro with Classified Powershift. I have now ridden it for 2 months and more than 1000 miles. I have SRAM Force rear derailleur and the Aero 50T single chainring with powermeter. The Powershift works flawlessly. No missed shifts. No dropped chains. Shifts in the blink of an eye. Sure, the gains are marginal versus the Red or Force AXS front derailleur, but when Factor makes a special bike without front mech mount and includes the Powershift system with Black Inc wheels using Classified hubs at the same price as a Factor Ostro with Force AXS, the advantages stand out without adding cost. With the Ostro, after riding 10 or 15 miles, the bike started to make squeaky frame noises only in the low hub gear. Part of it was the wheel end caps vibrating in the rear dropout only. I added some synthetic grease where the end caps touch the dropouts and that helped. But the system in many cases (Factor bikes) requires a torque arm for the hub to engage when you pedal. And that torque arm is designed to rest against one of the rear flat mount brake screws. The mount was vibrating. I could loosen the thru axle, move the torque arm to the brake bolt, and retighten the thru axle, but the squeak would come back in 10 miles. So I told Classified and they sent me a plastic insert for the torque arm. Now all the vibrations are gone. Bike rides silently. No hub noise when coasting. Instant engagement. Sure, with SRAM you have to use the separate handlebar button to change the rear hub from 1.0 to the 0.697 easy gear. But it has become second nature. As others note, it is just so much fun to show my cycling buddies how the shifting works. When cost comes down, this will be a game changer, and when more wheel manufactures start using the hub, too. SRAM doesn’t make it easy for Classified. Some day they might let the handlebar bluetooth module integrate into the blip ports. That’s what I am hoping for, but it’s not a big problem in the real world. Before I bought the bike, I was able to communicate with folks at Factor and Classified directly to make sure my questions were answered and the size and fit were correct. Hope more manufacturers will communicate this well. Felt used to do it. Gerard Vroomen at 3T and OPEN also is happy to give advice and info. I asked him why OPEN doesn’t build a Classified Powershift bike. He said the first hubs 8 years ago were not so flawless, and that one can buy an OPEN or 3T frame and have a shop install the Powershift system.
I’ve owned one for 15 months
I’ve owned one for 15 months now. The first generation had an issue with lateral play that developed on the rear wheel after a while. They fixed it for free -normal- and since then it’s been solid as a rock, I use the bike for my 35 km/day commute and for gravel riding in the weekends, irrespective of the weather.
Really, the only drawbacks I can see are the price and the fact that until very recently you couldn’t get it built into your preferred set of rims. Other than that it’s brilliant. I wouldn’t want to switch back. If you’re a gravel rider who needs range but gets annoyed by the spacing between gears, this is for you.
I read what MarioJ writes below but have never experienced drag, let alone chain drops when coasting. There must be something wrong with his setup.
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