16 gears with no front derailleur - Classified and TRP launch 1x16 Vistar // Powershift groupset
Classified and TRP have teamed up to deliver the Classified hub tech in a complete groupset package
Just under a year ago, we reported that Belgian brand Classified had officially entered the groupset market. The company, in partnership with TRP, a predominantly brake and component manufacturer, had developed the Vistar Powershift groupset, described as a complete 1x15 (or even 1x16, depending on setup) groupset.
The groupset was announced last year, shown at Eurobike, and even won an award, but until now, it hasn’t been available to purchase on the open market. In short, we knew about it, but it hadn't been officially released.
We spotted it being raced at Unbound last month by Arno Van den Broeck and included it in our Unbound tech gallery. Fast forward a few weeks, and the groupset has now been officially released to the public.
It will reportedly cost €2800 in Europe and $2900 in North America.
The tech is the same, but we now have more interesting details regarding compatibility and specs. This equipment should provide another nice option alongside the road bike groupsets from the big three manufacturers.
The Classified Powershift tech itself has been here for several years and has been reported on for a while. Who remembers Victor Campaenaerts' attention-grabbing Classified-equipped Ridley bike setup back in 2023? Pro riders like Fillipo Ganna have also used a disc wheel with a Classified hub to provide a wider gear range and maintain an efficient chainline when paired with a 1x aero front TT chainring.
This new groupset represents a more complete overall system that essentially marries TRP’s groupset componentry with Classified's clever Powershift hub system. While the Classified system can be used with other manufacturers' groupsets, the TRP collaboration is more wholesale and integrated.
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A 1x16 is the headline here, but to be clear, externally you will see a 1x12 setup. In combination with the Powershift planetary hub gear, 16 'unique gear combinations' are provided depending on the cassette and chosen chainring sizes.
The system is built around a single front chainring, a 12-speed proprietary steel monoblock cassette which interfaces with the Classified freehub body and a KMC X12 chain. Cassettes will all have an 11T small sprocket and range from 30T up to 40T max sprocket sizes, with a total of five options altogether.
A range of chainring options is also on offer, including the aero crankset from Classified available in 46 or 52T sizes, alongside TRP rings in 44, 48, 50 and 52T sizes.
As mentioned, this system uses a 12-speed cassette, but the Classified Powershift rear hub gear changes from 1:1 to a 0.7 ratio (emulating typical 2x chainset ratios) to essentially provide 15 or 16 unique ratios. A key argument for this system is that it eliminates some of the very similar ratio combinations that can be found on a more standard 2x system, with every gear being usable, thus widening the range to 530%.
TRP’s Vistar gear levers and rear derailleur, which uses a removable battery said to be good for 10,000 shifts and charged within an hour, are paired with a Classified Powershift hub. There are road and gravel-specific rear derailleurs, with a 34 and 40T max cassette capacity, respectively.
A CMD ‘command system’ wireless protocol controls everything and provides a way of ensuring smooth communication between all of the groupset components, which are all paired using the TRP CMD app.
A calling card for the groupset seems to be the ability to choose between QuantumShift and Manual shift modes, which can be done using the mobile app. The ability to shift at any time, under load, with zero effort or finesse needed is also promised, which could be a particular effort saver off-road or in competition.
QuantumShift controls shifting and shifts the rear derailleur and Powershift hub gear at the same time to ensure smooth sequential gear shifting and optimal cadence. Riders can control this using just two buttons to shift up and down the range within 150ms (milliseconds).
Riders can also use Manual mode and operate the derailleur and Powershift hub separately themselves and override QuantumShift whenever they like.
“With Vistar // Powershift, we’re ushering in a new era of shifting: intuitive, wireless, and limitless, explains TRP's Yannick Mayer. "Our QuantumShift technology takes the guesswork out of gear changes – riders simply shift up or down, and the system intelligently handles the rest."
QuantumShift tech is at least along the same lines as the new Shimano Q'AUTO system that launched this week. Could this kind of hub gear, auto shift tech, be the future for performance bikes as well?
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
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