Last year, MicroSHIFT debuted their 9-Speed Advent drivetrain. At $125 for a cassette, derailleur, and shifter, the drivetrain was affordable. It also was functional, durable, and dependable. Even with months of testing, it proved to be reliable and worry-free; it just didn't have the biggest range of gearing, with 42t being the largest cog.
Addressing the range while keeping all of the benefits of compatibility durability and low price was key for MicroSHIFT in developing the new wider range 10-speed system that they have now rolled out, Advent-X...a 10-speed 11-48 range drivetrain that sells for $167, as tested.
Advent X Details• 10-speed 11-48 range
• Dual-carrier aluminum cassette
• Compatible with any 10-speed chain/chainrings
• HG Driver compatible
• 857g total weight
• Clutch derailleur
• MSRP: $142-$167 USD depending on shifter and cassette
• Available now
•
microSHIFT.com Design and DetailsAdvent worked exactly how it should for what it was, it just wasn't quite competitive enough with the wider range systems that SRAM and Shimano both offer. Even at that, Advent won a lot of business both aftermarket and OE with brands like Giant, Specialized, Cannondale, and Marin choosing to spec it on more affordable builds.
Advent X adds a larger gear along with some refinement to the entire line, making it MicroSHIFT's top-tier group, so let's look at each of the elements on their own:
10-speed cassette: The new 10-speed cassette sports a wider 11-48 tooth range, a big step up from the original 42 teeth. With this range, the team at MicroSHIFT believes that riders have enough gearing to get over just about anything, and I have to agree. While the older 42t worked well, it still lacked just a little bit of low-end range, especially in steeper terrain or on longer rides when that bail-out gear can mean the difference between pushing on foot or climbing on the bike.
With the cassette being one of the most critical areas to cut weight, MicroSHIFT decided to make their higher-end cassette a little different. It still fits on a standard HG freehub body, but it uses a dual-stage aluminum carrier - two pieces with several cogs on them, and then the final four gears stack on individually, just as many other HG style cassettes do.
The cassette, as I have here with an aluminum carrier tips the scale at 424g. That's respectable for a budget system and less than Shimano's XT, which weighs about 470g, while SRAM's GX is 448g. There is an option to purchase the wide-range cassette with a steel carrier which knocks a further $20 off of the price but adds a weight penalty.
Steps between the gears are very similar to the original Advent drivetrain, with the addition of a larger ring. While they could have added more gears, that would have made it very difficult to deliver within the weight or price that they wanted, so ten it was. The dual aluminum spider cassette sells for $64.99 USD. and the steel carrier option sells for $44.99 USD.
Shifter: The shifter for Advent X is totally new, just like the cassette. There are two tiers for the shifter, the basic Trail version, without a traction pad, sells for $24.99 and the Trail Pro with a traction pad is $29.99 USD.
Compared to the original Advent shifter, the thumb paddle has updated ergonomics and the "Pro" version has a fancy silicone pad on it. The position of the paddle is not adjustable, but does fall into a pretty neutral spot. Riders can shift up multiple gears at once and then down one gear at a time.
Derailleur: The new Advent X derailleur is quite similar to the previous Adven. with a clutch system that can be disengaged for removing the wheel via a switch on the body of the derailleur.
It uses a ratchet and pawl system, just like most hubs, but it's different from other major clutch systems that use a friction sleeve. The tension of the Advent's clutch is managed by a friction washer stack that is tightened by a single Torx bolt. It's quick to adjust and it's also simple to take apart if it ever needs to be cleaned or repaired.
First ImpressionsI’ve had a few rides on the drivetrain thus far and have been very impressed with how it performs. Shifting from the original Advent has been improved, and the wider range of gearing works totally fine. In addition, setting up/dialing in the drivetrain is a piece of cake.
Everything feels smooth and the interface with the shifter is comfortable, although I would like to see a Matchmaker-style option to help with bar clutter and open up more positons for placement as it is, some riders may find it a tad limiting, depending on where they like to run their brakes and shifter.
Over the coming months, I'll continue to put in miles on the drivetrain to see how it fares long-term.
1X drivetrains are vastly more user friendly than 2X, and as you say, hopefully this new Microshift one will make 1X viable for budget bikes.
it doesn’t really matter, but this will probably still offer more range.
I know Deore can actually clear a 46T cassette without any problems, but this is probably good for 50T, and from what I have read, may offer crisper shifting. Idk.
I run a 26t x 11-51 12sp Shimano XT, but I'm sure I could get by with three fewer teeth on my big cog.
You can actually hack together a wide range system really easy out of Shimano parts. 10, 11 and 12 speed all use the same amount of cable pull so you can throw an older 10 or 11 speed shifter, with a 12 speed slx derailleur so that it is low cost( or a M7000, M8000 Der if you don't need super range) and then a cassette that has the number of gears the shifter has. Rumor has it, SRAM 11 and 12 speed will shift Shimano 10, 11 and 12 speed derailleurs just fine as well. Then I know BOX shifters were able to be swapped with Shimano when BOX 1 came out so I bet all their stuff is compatible as well.
It is pretty awesome that there is actually a moment of cross compatibility again.
This setup is a win to me. My old Kona that my son rides will be getting this. I put the wide range sun race cassette along with XT shifters on my wifes bike when I converted it to single speed. It has been nothing but noise. I WILL NOT dial in and it either rubs on the low gears or the tall gears. If it works well on the Kona, I can see a trial of the cassette at least...
The real win here is for non-technical riders... Pretty awesome that you can now walk into a bike shop, and have an affordable, reliable wide range system installed, with a warranty.
I think you are talking about cassettes specifically. I'm saying you can get an old XT 10 speed shifter to shift a 12 speed derailleur,(SRAM or Shimano) and use this or other wide range 10 speed cassettes.
The problem it sounds like you are describing might be due to the range of the derailleur not being big enough for the range of the cassette. The 11 speed XT and SLX derailleurs will barely handle an 11x46, the 10 speeds even less. But you could slap a 12 spd slx derailleur on that set up and it should shift a lot better.
I agree 100% the Microshift setup looks like a great off the shelf option. I actually regret buying a 12 speed SLX set up for my wife's bike when this Microshift groupset is available. She is a novice rider and definitely wouldn't mind the slightly larger jumps between gears.
I just really like that the tinkering option actually exists. I am currently running a very slightly hacked together set up on my gravel bike and am tempted to go a little further with it. I currently shift an 11 speed XT rear derailleur with a 105 shifter through a Tanpan. My current gearing is a 46-30 front and an 11-42 rear. Tempted to keep the 105 shifter and put a 12 speed rear derailleur, go 1x with a 36 or 38 up front and a 9or10-50 11speed cassette. Then I can get all the gears. For my gravel bike it goes up really steep logging roads but is also used on paved commutes so having a really wide range is pretty nice.
After fighting with the wife's XT/Sunrace 11-46 too many times, I ordered up the group set here.
Setup was a snap. Adjusted the low limit screw and that was it. Upper limit was correct out of the box as well as lower cog clearance.
Shifting is CRISP and precise. Each click does exactly what it is supposed to. No less, no more.
If you are on the fence due to the brand or being uncertain, forget about it. This is the best way to go for those looking to upgrade or replace worn wide range kit. My only complaint is that they don't have an XD compatible set! I could replace my entire drive train for less than the cost of a GX cassette!
SRAM eliminated their front derailleur to address this for people who don't know how to adjust their drivetrain properly while Shimano kept this around (thank you!!!). So, to resolve this for downhillers who want a bigger gear, SRAM comes up with a frickin XD for the 10T ring - pretty silly if you ask me. The big chainring on a 2x system didn't have this issue at all. I use the big ring on the front if I go downhill or if I need speed on flats and rolling sections. Otherwise, it's mostly the granny ring for all climbs and technical sections where I need to torque through the rough stuff. Just a perfect system.
The big deal for active riders is weight too. This comes in just under a GX group set:
Advent x 857g (1.8lb)
SRAM GX 869g (1.9lb)
Shimano XT 860g (1.8lb)
And the mother in law, NX group set, a whopping 1,063g. That is 2.3 pounds!
I run SRAM GX and I love it. For anyone who got shafted with an NX group set on their new bike or anyone with an older Shimano drive train who wants to go wider range, this is a no brainer.
It was an old 10 speed 11-42 XT and I upgraded the derailleur to 11 speed and added the sunrace. Kept the old 10 speed shifter.
Seems like a nice drivetrain BTW. Would love to try one soon.
A Shimano 10 speed shifter will shift a 10, 11, or 12 speed Shimano derailleur and hit all the cogs just fine.
It looks similar on this. Can anyone confirm? Does the cable on this derailleur directly go into the clamp without any kind of pulley/etc to maintain its angle?
The original Avent wasn't robust enoguh for mountain bikes. Gravel bikes, cruiser, but not mountain bikes. Why? WEAK AS HELL. I bent maybe 3 derailleurs in 3 months. I've bent 3 derailleurs in 10 years prior, maybe longer.
I literally seated climbing destroyed the cassette by bending the 42t...I'm relatively strong but again...not that strong.
So, unless they strengthened things up...I would remain skeptical.
Gus! Thanks for the response! I honestly didn't contact you guys because I didn't want to swap any more derailleurs, and the cassette was the nail in the coffin for me. It wasn't the money that mattered, it was the "set it and forget it" I was looking for and didn't achieve.
Have improvements been made from a strength standpoint? Or am I just an unlucky/fat hack?
I hope your luck is better this year! Sounds like the guys at microSHIFT are doing right by you.
The amount of shit I will receive will be unmatched...but this time I can prove them wrong!
Do the kids still say that?
As little as my wife rides, we aren't going spend a lot of money on her mountain bike. But this looks perfect as way to upgrade a low end bike pretty quick. On a fat bike, the problem that the cash goes into frame and wheels/tires and often the bikes end up with low end (SX/NX) shifting setups have shown some issues with typical snow situations. A 10 speed setup that a) works and b) isn't heavy and c) isn't going to cause heart palpitations if you trash a derailer on a hidden snow covered trail adjacent rock sounds good.
I'd have no hesitation buying this. My 10 speed Shimano stuff +both XT and XTR outperforms both my 11 speed and 12 speed stuff. Just stronger and more reliable but always a battle to get bigger rear cogs to work (one up rad cages, wolf tooth host links, syntace cassettes). This solves all those problems at a price that's unbelievable. Good work microshift. I'd buy it today if I could figure out how on the website.
Shimano Deore M6000 10spd is about 3 years old now, and due for a replacement- maybe next year? It will be interesting to see if it moves from 10 to 11 speeds, and what sort of range it will have. I’m sure Shimano is tired of seeing NX and SX eat up all the low end performance bikes.
I predict M6100 will become a true “1x first” drivetrain, but stay with the classic HG driver to keep costs low.
Or- Maybe I’m wrong, and we will see Shimano go all in on Microspline. Maybe they will even jump to 12 speeds to counter SX, though that’s not really Shimano’s style. No matter what, the next Deore will be one to watch.
I have too many bikes!
Anyway as 99% of us consumers are enthusiast riders rather than semi pro / pro I really think 10 speed was the best, unless you have an insane range like 9 - 50 something teeth the ratios are pointlessly close.
So that means alloy castings instead of plastic for the top and AND bottom body/pivots, which is a huge win over Sram's over-priced plastic crap.
Outer link on the parallelogram is cast alloy, and to my eye, (based on their product photography) the inner link is stamped metal of some sort, probably steel. Cage must be stamped alloy to reach these weight numbers.
Its sad, it would sound perfect for me !
I searched for an advent gravel build but I was impossible to find the group here... :-/
Same with MRP, X-Fusion, RST and all the other "affordable suspension" brands. Might be different in the Amerocas though...
Complete bikes are probably more important in the grand scheme, and that’s where Advent will come out ahead of Shimano. SLX and Advent may be similar prices to buy aftermarket, but the wholesale costs of Advent will be drastically lower, allowing it to appear on much lower priced complete bikes. There’s a reason SRAM NX/SX is on every single cheap bike- SRAM is clearly able to offer it much cheaper at wholesale than SLX.
If Shimano is smart, they will counter with a true wide-range Deore M6100, and destroy everyone.
I'll go back to 10sp just for the sake of having chains with a quick link which is actually QUICK and can be opened with human hands. 11 and 12speed systems made the name "quick link" a pathetic oxymoron.
(i've seen cases where half a dozen riders with about a century's worth of combined experience hunching over a bike trying to pry open one of those links like chimps with makeshift tools )
Awesome! this was my first throught as well. I've been looking for something to expand the range of my Apex 1 road bike- Not very many affordable options in the wide range 1x drop bar market.
Thanks a bunch!
@danielsapp what chain are you running on your test mule?
Can we mix and match any of these components with other brands shifters/deraileurs? Lots of us have old parts around, and would love to try a 10 speed wide range drivetrain. And even though $167 for the whole thing is cheap, its even cheaper without having to buy a shifter/deraileur .
IE, I'd love to try the cassette with my SRAM 11 speed NX Deraileur, and 10 speed XT Shifter. I'd gain range, lose weight, all for the price of only a cassette.
Is something like that likely to work, or am I taking crazy pills for even daydreaming about it?
Gah, I knew it! (the crazy pills).
I figured I'd ask either way, in the off chance that you guys had tested it with other configurations.
Thanks for giving us more options .
I ride the 1x 9 on my kona process and I like it
MTB can get away with ~16% difference IMO. Fewer cogs saves weight, and makes the whole drivetrain less finicky. More cogs does not equal better.
But the system itself looks great for the majority who don't need or want 12s, want something cheap, and don't want to mix and match parts to get the range and components they are looking for.
This human does not prefer a 9 or 10 tooth cog thank you.
OTOH, it could just be more complicated things that break.
Sorry, I'll show myself out . . .
Might be interesting if Box slid under the bottom rope with a steel chair though, just to see what happens.
Just saying........
Noob mechanic here, serious question, please don't laugh at me.
F
Questions?
That said, the real win is how much cheaper this will be for OEMs, with the potential to actually displace SX and NX domination on the low end.
I was hoping to see 12 speed SLX filling that role, as the part prices seem comparable to NX and XS over the counter, but clearly SRAM is able to offer their parts at a much lower unit cost. (and quality...) SLX complete builds are substantially more expensive than low-end SRAM, other spec being equal.