Oversized Pulley Wheels for SUPER RECORD EPS V3

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leej88
Posts: 354
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:22 am

by leej88

I think it was about 4 or 5 years ago that the oversized pulley wheel trend exploded onto the market with claims of it being able to save watts due to slacker chain angles.

The claims were true and can be backed up by studies made by John Hopkins and Shimano: http://www.ihpva.org/HParchive/PDF/hp50-2000.pdf

On top of that, rear cages with less pulley tensions were also marketed as being able to reduce overall drivetrain friction.
Source: 2013 June 13 Article by Bike Radar: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/friction-facts-bigger-pulleys-really-are-more-efficient-37615/
Image

However, I'm curious as to why they haven't caught on with groupset manufacturers such as SRAM, Shimano or Campagnolo. It seems like a marketable idea. I mean, if SuperRecord being a good $600 more than Record for a paltry 100grams or so of weight savings is compelling enough for end users like me to pick SR over R, I'm pretty such oversize pulley cages with better bearings could have the same effect.

My research led me through various sites and forums and it seems that they haven't really gained proper foot hold in the aftermarket segment as the cost/performance benefit is all but paltry. A minor savings of 1-5 watt came with a $300 price tag (or sometimes even more).

Unsurprisingly, most of the offerings available to end consumers were meant for the SRAM/SHIMANO market and me being a staunch Campagnolo kinda guy found it really difficult to look for what I wanted.

I did however, manage to come across two brands that made such solutions for Campagnolo.

They are:

RALtech (A british company that offered Oversized Pulley Cages that were also Aerodynamic)
Berner (German company that were supposed to be the first company that did them. Their cages made it to the TDF back in 2010)


Has any of you Campagnolo users tried these on your Mech/Electric groupsets? If so, how did they fair and did it affect shifting performance in any way?

by Weenie


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Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

leej88 wrote:curious as to why they haven't caught on




They have caught on in a massive way - I have an Alivio rear dearailleur from 2009 that comes standard with 13t pulleys on my commuter/rain/trainstation bike!

Can you imagine the Megawatts being saved every day by millions of city bikers?


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:welcome:

Timujin
Posts: 347
Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2013 5:43 pm

by Timujin

ceramicspeed will release the Oversized Pulley for campag at some point...

Hexsense
Posts: 3270
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 12:41 am
Location: USA

by Hexsense

perhaps watt saving (1-2 watts from your graph) doesn't worth aero penalty and weight?
bigger footprint caught in the wind,
bigger and heavier cage and pulley also need longer chain so it weight more.

i don't think any of the test there have taken aero into consideration. or it is?

beev
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2017 6:12 pm

by beev

is this digirit worth a punt (i too am a die hard campagnolo rider, and frustrated at finding mainly shim/sram offerings)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172441289039

leej88
Posts: 354
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:22 am

by leej88

Managed to find this: http://www.carbondryjapan.com/bpk/index_en.html

Seems much easier to acquire compared to the Berner Speed Cage

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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6283
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

Don't know if it works for EPS, but there are versions for Campa
http://www.rideabikes.com/pro_road_pulleywheel.html
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

by Weenie


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mrgray
Posts: 775
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:56 am

by mrgray

@wheelsONfire that stuff looks great. can't find prices.

there was also a guy on this forum talking about his proposed big wheel RD viewtopic.php?t=141966

i put $300 down for it (i'm insane) but then never ever heard from him again (pm, email, forum etc). so i pulled out and got a refund.

seems to me like it's going to take off soon.

i agree with a previous poster, i'll pay for all sorts of shit on my bike. give me a campy product that shifts good and i will be all over it.
Bobo S&S Steel Bike - 7.5 kg
Oltre XR2- 6.6 kg
Look 585 - 6.8 kg
Look 695 SR :D

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