The team at Retroshift is very passionate about cyclocross. From day one, they have not been shy about saying so. Their product lineup to this point, while it has many possible uses, was designed specifically for ‘cross racing. We reviewed the original release of their CX 2 shifters and loved them. Thanks to good innovation and passion, Retroshift has grown significantly as a company since its inception. With that growth has come the need to re-brand, thus the name change to Gevenalle. The new name is derived from two Dutch words and means “Give All.” Very fitting given that one has to give all during a ‘cross race.
With the new name, comes new products. The Gevenalle catalogue now includes hydraulic shift levers and a pretty neat cassette adapter called the HOUP (Halo of Ultimate Protection).
Hop the barrier to see our exclusive first look at the new product offerings from Gevenalle…
Gevenalle will maintain production of their already existing CX1 and CX2 levers for those running mechanical brakes. With a major industry push to discs, the introduction of their CX1 and CX2 Hydraulic Shifters is a welcome one. The CX Hydraulic Shifters start off life as a TRP Hylex hydraulic lever and caliper set. Once at Gevenalle’s workshop, the levers are disassembled and the blades are sent out for laser engraving. Then they’re drilled to accept the CNC adapter, and set up with shift levers custom made for Gevenalle by Microshift. The CX1 Hydraulic’s are perfect for that 1 x 9/10/11 setup, and retail for $399. For those of us with front gears too, the CX2 Hydraulic set runs $449. Need a crash replacement? Gevenalle will rebuild the levers for $75 a piece.
The CX1 and CX2 hydraulic levers work with any Shimano compatible road drive train with 9, 10, or 11 speed setups. Either set ships with calipers and rotors (160/160 or 160/140). Weight for the CX1, with hoses and calipers is 800g. The CX2’ are only 850g.
Last season, then Retroshift launched their house brand derailleur (BURD) with the hopes of saving drivetrains, or at least making them cheaper to replace and rebuild. Furthering that idea lead to the innovation that is the HOUP. This product consists of a CNC lock ring and spacer that allow you to remove the 11t or 12t ring from your cassette to move the cassette body further away from the wheel and spokes.
The idea here is that most of us never use the little cog in the rear during ‘cross, so removing it allows you to gain substantially more clearance between your rear derailleur and the spokes. This will reduce the potential for catastrophic failure of the rear derailleur during very muddy cyclocross events. The HOUP can be had in either 10 speed or 11 speed version for $20.
The 10 speed version of the HOUP is compatible with Shimano 5700 and 6700 cassettes. The 11 speed version is compatible with Shimano 6800 cassettes, but is not yet tested with 5800 cassettes.
If you like the idea of the HOUP, and you love to save the grams, take a look at Gevenalle’s titanium spider. This partial cassette consists of a CNC aluminum center section with three titanium cogs (21-24-27). Combine the HOUP with this cog cluster and it’ll run you $85 for the set.
Curious how much weight you’ll save? Here’s a handy list:
- 5700 standard cassette 11-28 = 250g
- 6700 standard cassette 11-28 = 234g
- 5700 with HOUP = 237g
- 6700 with HOUP = 229g
- 5700 with HOUP Ti = 195g
- 6700 with HOUP Ti = 192g
For reference, a Dura Ace 7900 10 Speed cassette is 188g. The 105 cassette plus HOUP Ti is just 7g off, far more affordable and will keep your derailleur safer!
The original mechanical brake shifter hardware’s base platform can also be had in colors. Even purple. At launch, the CX1 and CX2 Hydraulic levers will have the option of black or red. The ti cassette cluster’s spider comes in blue or red.
Colors here shown on standard CX mechanical brake levers.
