Took A Plunge: An Electronic Drivetrain
No Shimano or SRAM product would fit my needs: 11-speed, HG freehub, long cage derailleur (SGS) to fit my 11-51T (or similar) wide range cassette.
Until a person on a WhatsApp cycling gear group told me: Check the WHEELTOP EDS OX2.0-93 mm derailleur + MTB shifter.
www.wheeltop.com I looked at the product specs and went silent for a long while:
- Configure anything between 3 and 14 gears from a smartphone app
- The derailleur has the capacity to handle up to a 10-52T cassette
- Mounted on a regular derailleur hanger
- A rechargeable battery in the derailleur
- The shifter has a regular 22.2 mm flat handlebar mount
- ANT+ compatible, will display the chosen gear number on a Garmin, Wahoo or Karoo.
I got the recommendation from a man who owns a 11-speed HG, and had bought three spare cassettes and five spare chains. So he wouldn't like to lose his investment. As his bike has drop handlebars, he chose the same system but with a drop-bar shifter/brake combo (it is a different model though just because of the shifter type; the derailleur is the same), He said he was extremely happy with the WheelTop; then another user came in an said the same.
It is 400 Euro. Not cheap, not crazily expensive. After the conversion, I will have the same freehub and the existing 11-51T 11-speed cassette. The guy says that even slightly bent derailleur hanger can be taken into account when calibrating the derailleur!
The shipment comes from China and the usual delivery time is 8 days (to my place in Poland). As soon as Jacek and I configure the drivetrain and it proves itself, we will remove the derailleur cable from the frame. Potentially making space for a dropper seat-post cable
I will keep you informed. (It is just improbable what the Chinese can invent!)