https://youtu.be/zmVIfmXbZ5A
At the moment it's little more than a "soft launch", a sort of "here's what will be phased in over the next few years..."
Seems to be the same pull ratios, same sprocket spacing across everything so you can use any rear mech so long as the shifter moving it has the right number of clicks (for example). Same chain for all speeds so that's a huge improvement in terms of manufacturing efficiency and stock control. In theory, it would seem to greatly improve cross compatibility which would be a big help for bike shops everywhere!
Same for the hubs - using sealed bearings makes it much easier to have hubs interchangeable with theu-axle and QR.
It will but probably not for another year or so and even then it'll only slowly be replacing Claris, Tiagra etc. Phase in seems to be over at least one product cycle (4 years) which should mean a gradual move to Cues rather than yet another groupset and parts list for shops to have to deal with.
It'll come in on new city/hybrid bikes first, then when a drop bar range is launched, that'll start to appear on entry level road bikes from, I'm guessing, 2025 bikes (so maybe appearing in shops late 2024).
Linkglide is an evolution from e-bikes so the cassette and chain are designed to be far more durable.
36H hubs are a hangover from the days where you only had narrow aluminium rims and could only fit max 35c tyres into most touring frames. With modern wider, stronger rims, you can build up perfectly strong touring wheels on 28 or 32 hole and even most road bikes can take 30c tyres; touring/gravel bikes will take 700x50c easily now. Even my e-cargo bike has 32H hubs so the idea that a touring bike "needs" 36H for strength is wildly outdated.interestedcp wrote: ↑3 Mar 2023, 11:56am I guess this is also the final farewell to shining silver parts, and probably 36H hubs as well, at least in the sense that these things will become marginalized to an extreme degree.