L-Twoo GRT Reveiw

The spirit of Grav-lo-cross. No but seriously, cyclocross and gravel go here!

Moderator: Moderator Team

Post Reply
timmerrr
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:09 pm

by timmerrr

So, I figured there might be some interest in this here, as most of the reviews floating around on the interwebs are from people getting free stuff, or well known internet reviewers who may be getting special treatment. I paid for this out of my own pocket and certianly don't have a huge following or reputation (wouldn't mind changing that :noidea: ) so this should be the same groupset that anyone ordering on ali would get.

The good:
-Ease of setup: I built the whole bike up in less than 3 hours in my basement with nothing other than simple tools and a torque wrench. The whole bike, not just the groupset install.
-Brakes: Easy to bleed, good feel, pads are quiet, no long lever throw like reported by some. Lines calipers and shifters come pre-bled, like shimano (this saved me big time).
-Shifting: Spot on, indexed it once and haven't touched it since
-Shifter Ergonomics: The hoods have a great shape, they are smaller than AXS hydro hood. More upright than shimano Di2 hoods (just different, not good or bad).
-Shifting from the drops: The thumb shifter is awesome from the drops.
-Derailleur Clutch: I hit some monster pot holes at 30mph and the chain stayed on and barely touched the chainstay. Ill take that as a win.

The not so great:
-No manual
-Shifting "resistance": Initially the shifters were really tight. Had I not seen Trace Velo's video on how to loosen an allen screw under the shifter to loosen this up, the shifting action would have been very stiff
-Shifting from the tops: The thumb shifter is a bit of a pain from the tops. You have to move your whole hand backwards to shift.
-Squeeking: when excercising the brake levers, they squeek. Fixed with a bit of oil
-Adjustment to shifting paddle: There is a set screw for where the shift paddle sits. With it backed out, it sits on the brake lever, it can occasionaly not return to home, causing issues when shifting the other direction. If the set screw is moved too far in to move it off the brake lever, the shifter paddle doesn't function quite right.
-Brake adaptors: They work, just would be nice to have a standard shimano or sram setup.

Details/other notes:
-bleed kit required is a shimano MTB or 6800 generation top reservior, and a sram style syringe, that screws into the caliper.
-Dumping gears campy style is fun
-Haven't played with the brake lever reach yet
-Works well with the ali express 11-46 12 speed cassette I bought. No idea what the spacing is like compared to shimano or sram.
-Derailleur has a large "sweet spot" It is not super picky about indexing. I have swapped wheels that are different manufacturers and the indexing is fine even if I have to adjust the upper and lower limit screws.
-On install, all I did for bleeding the brakes was a shimano "lever bleed". Your results may vary, you might also need a longer front hose if you have a 61cm frame.

I am almost done editing a review for Youtube and will post it in this thread when it is done!
State Bicycle Co. Undefeated: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=171358

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



timmerrr
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:09 pm

by timmerrr

Here is the bike in question, a State Bicycle Co. Black Lable 6160 Allroad.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P6ExfL ... sp=sharing


What is everyone using to host images now? Looks like the attachement option no longer exists?
State Bicycle Co. Undefeated: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=171358

User avatar
jcrr
Posts: 246
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2011 4:36 am
Location: PNW USA

by jcrr

Just heard about this from Pinkbike at the Taipei show. Super interesting if their $600 electronic grouppo can compete with sh!tmano and fkingSRAM.

Props to you for being a pioneer with your own $$. Also, cool Allroad.


https://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-a-6 ... -2023.html
"If it ain't broken, it could be lighter"

timmerrr
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:09 pm

by timmerrr

And here's the video.



Don't feel obligated to subscribe, but I certainly wouldn't complain. Hopefully this written review and video help some people out with making a decision about the gruppo. I'm enjoying the groupset quite a lot and will update occasionally as I put more miles on it.
State Bicycle Co. Undefeated: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=171358

phonydrink
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2023 8:44 am

by phonydrink

Overall, I think this is still a product worth buying. slope game

timmerrr
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:09 pm

by timmerrr

Thanks! The bike and groupset are still going strong! Not a ton of gravel riding for me right now, as it is the middle of crit season, but come late august i should be able to really start to put miles on this groupset. I will also likely be purchasing the ERX road version shortly,
State Bicycle Co. Undefeated: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=171358

liam7020
Posts: 1263
Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2010 10:04 am

by liam7020

Excellent review! I've just discovered L-Twoo and I'm very tempted to try their 12x gravel groupset.

To the OP - where would you say your GRT lies in terms of comparison to Shimano? Would you say it's comparable to Ultegra/GRX810 or perhaps 105/GRX610? Cheers.
Tarmac SL6 & Campag Record EPS https://weightweenies.starbike.com/foru ... 0&t=153968

"Sometimes you don't need a plan. You just need big balls." Tom Boonen

timmerrr
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:09 pm

by timmerrr

Quality is on par with shimano. The rubber hoods fit the shifters very well, probably better than shimano mechanical shift/Hydro brake levers. There aren't any sharp edges or hot spots on the levers either. Not quite sure where the weight falls in comparison to Shimano but i think with this kind of groupset it is mostly down to cassette choice. I run a boat anchor of an Ali express 11-46 12 speed cassette. Shift performance is good, havent dropped a chain in 3k miles of riding including 3 cross races this fall.
State Bicycle Co. Undefeated: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=171358

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

timmerrr wrote:
Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:10 pm
I will also likely be purchasing the ERX road version shortly,
With all the deals, I paid less for Force AXS D1. It is great that Shimano and Sram are getting some competition.

timmerrr
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:09 pm

by timmerrr

AJS914 wrote:
Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:35 am
timmerrr wrote:
Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:10 pm
I will also likely be purchasing the ERX road version shortly,
With all the deals, I paid less for Force AXS D1. It is great that Shimano and Sram are getting some competition.
If the Sram ergonomics works for you and you are good at getting their FD to work, there certianly are great deals out there. I've done about 2k miles on ERx including a week on Mallorca. It has been flawless running a PYC chain, TA specialties 54/38 chainrings and a shimano cassette. Rear shifts just as well as 12 speed Di2 and the front is on par with 11s Di2 even with the non standard rings. I can not get along with the Sram shifters, even the new Rival style ones. The L-Twoo ones are much more similar to shimano in how small they are.
State Bicycle Co. Undefeated: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=171358

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Post Reply