The ROTOR 1x13 Drivetrain Has Arrived

With the neverending arms race of drivetrains firmly entrenched, it was only a matter of time before someone brought a 13-speed drivetrain to the MTB world. Rotor have broken through the barrier, borrowing technology from their Uno road groupset, and porting it to the world of dirt. Read on after the break for a full rundown straight from Rotor themselves.

Modern mountain bikes need more range in ascent, downhill and on the flat. Reliability in the worst conditions and a lighter ride, regardless of discipline. ROTOR 1x13 Mountain offers this and much more.

The high technical requirement and the new resistance standards to which the current riders subject equipment, make even the smallest detail the difference between winning or losing, between reaching your goal or being frustrated observing from the sidelines. The new ROTOR 1x13 Mountain is designed and built to reinvent everything you thought you knew about the limits of a mountain bike groupset.

Gear range without limits

With a ROTOR 13-speed cassette you can always train and compete to your maximum. MTB races can often hide treacherous walls where if you have an extra gear will make the difference during the climb giving you less fatigue in your legs for the kilometres ahead. Even on the most technical of routes, there are always high-speed sections where rivals cannot follow your wheel at top speed because they are shorter on gear range. ROTOR 1x13 offers you a wider range with better sequencing. With our 10-52t cassette sizing spread over 13 gears, you have the widest gearing range on the market, perfect for all rhythms, cadences and speeds, with optimal sequencing and data driven tooth sizes from our True Cadence technology.

After massive data analysis of the needs of all types of mountain bikers, we have sequenced our thirteen gears to perfection so that at high speed you have a smooth progression of sprockets. In low speeds during tough ascents your optimal cadence range is wider so you can find your rhythm without having to shift from one sprocket to the next one so often.

The machining of our cassettes using FLOW RAMP technology is specifically optimized to be more efficient at low speed, for moments of maximum power delivery and cadence during ascents to the vertical limit. ROTOR cassettes make the difference with a more efficient chain step when shifting gear to gear or in multiple changes without the need to reduce the power delivery when you need maximum stability. 10-52t is a massive range but what about the intermediate sprockets? Thanks to the incorporation of 13 speeds in a single cassette, ROTOR offers the 11-tooth intermediate sprocket between 10t and 12t. With all other cassettes you jump directly from 10t to 12t, exactly the situation that requires more precision of cadence when your wheels are at high speed.

In addition, ROTOR is the only brand in the world that offers up to 4 cassettes with thirteen speeds, two maxi sized for XCO, Marathon, Trail, All Mountain, and Enduro (10-52t and 10-46t) together with two compact cassettes (10- 39t and 10-36t) perfect for training on the road or fast races with little elevation gain. With its lightness and high precision, you always find the best range for every situation in the hardest and highest mountains.

Gram by gram

Twenty grams here, four there ... for someone who does not know what it is to leave the skin between rocks, dust and roots, these gains may seem insignificant or marginal. However, for those who have endured brutal potholes for more than three hours, drinking hot water from a clay-stained bidon, under a suffocating heat, when cramps barely let you pedal and your arms almost do not hold on the handlebars, that's when you feel it. You know what nature can demand from you, and that is why with the new ROTOR 1x13 Mountain we have analysed every millimetre of all components, to offer maximum reliability without giving a single gram more to the scales.

The rear derailleur, cassette, hubs, hoses and even the mineral oil of our exclusive watertight hydraulic system, have all been perfected to the limit to find a masterful balance. With ROTOR 1x13 in both 13s and 12s versions, you will feel a considerable weight reduction on your mountain bike, adding unprecedented reliability for the toughest and most sophisticated groupset on the market.

Built for resistance

Preparation is key for demanding races and workouts. You diet properly, keep hydrated, watch your cadence, pulse, watts and stretch whenever you can. You maintain yourself physically and you expect your equipment to be ready to meet the same demands. ROTOR’s proven hydraulic technology means no changing cables or recharging batteries and the rear derailleur armoured box is totally sealed so water, mud and dust won’t impact your ride.

From the first moment you hit the trail mountain biking puts your gear shifting to the limit as you rip through mud or dust, when there are still many hours ahead. With a cable groupset, covers can get flooded with dirt causing an increase of friction when climbing sprockets and then blocks the cable when trying to shift down. The decision to develop the ROTOR Pulse Hydraulics system with hydraulic actuation was not to make us different. It's actually something that was in front of us for years with disc brakes, to the point that it has already become a mandatory system in all disciplines and is 100% reliable even in the most difficult conditions.

So why not use the hydraulic action system for shifting? We obtain the maximum precision, total control of the movement of the derailleur and a sealed system free from all external elements. It does not matter if there is mud, then sun, dust and then more mud. ROTOR 1x13 derailleur always acts with the same level of smoothness and precision that our optimized clutch system provides, giving silent durability in the most rugged terrains. We discovered that the key is not to add more and more tension to the derailleur, because it is something that generates a lot of loss of watts. The ROTOR 1x13 Mountain derailleur shifting is released from tension, once it has finished, the movement stabilizes in that position firmly, but without generating excessive chain tension that steals even one of your precious watts.

The entire ROTOR group is designed to endure, to maintain the maximum level whatever the conditions of use. For this reason, our range of cassettes is expertly machined from 2 solid blocks with generous spacing for mud and water drainage making it both light and functional so nothing clogs the teeth of the cassette and the chain always finds traction. There is a greater depth in the transition between the sprockets the cassette never forces you to stop to clear it. The most characteristic feature of the derailleur is its Armoured Box that protects the integrated synchronized indexing, lowers the weight and it gives it its own identity, character and durability from possible impacts that no other derailleur on the market can match.

1X13 Mountain Performance

For competitive riders who want an elite power meter to track their performance with great climbing capacity and a lightweight cassette with an extra sprocket. Includes Rear derailleur, shifter, 2INpower MTB crankset, 13 speed cassette, 13 speed hub, 1x Chainring, 12s Chain.

1X13 Mountain Superlight

For high performance riders who want a super light ride for high-speed, technical descents and an extra sprocket for climbing. Includes Rear derailleur, shifter, KAPIC Carbon, 13 speed cassette, 13 speed hub, 1x Chainring, 12s Chain.

1X13 Ready (12s)

For cyclists who want to upgrade their current transmission with a lightweight, reliable hydraulic system. Includes Rear derailleur, shifter, KAPIC crankset, 12 speed cassette, 1x Chainring, 12s Chain.

1x13 Mountain Performance - €2,549 / £2,399 / $2,599
1x13 Mountain Super Light - €1,799 / £1,699 / $1,799
1x13 Mountain Ready - €1,399 / £1,299 / $1,399

Available: October 2019