Dutch bike maker Isaac is the first to truly bring Classified’s unique 2-speed internal hub gearing doubler to the road with their new Isaac Meson X Classified 1x carbon aero road bike. The concept of dropping the front derailleur to make aerodynamic road bikes more aero is certainly not new, but Isaac’s new 1x aero road bike does it without sacrificing gearing range or the small gear steps of a traditional 2x drivetrain thanks to the Classified Powershift hub…
Isaac Meson X Classified 1x aero road bike with 2×11 gearing
Having now seen the Ridley Kanzo aero gravel bike and super-premium, custom Jaeger steel gravel & road bikes, and then the Rose Backroad gravel bike built around the Classified 2-speed hub system, what was really missing was a proper 1x road racing bike. So, that’s where this new Isaac Meson X Classified fills that aero road gap, with a 1×22 electronic shift drivetrain.
Since it debuted last summer, Classified has been preaching the virtues of their Powershift hub shifting system. Promising lightning-fast shifts that leave front derailleurs in the dust, the wireless-shifting hub gives you straight 1:1 gearing off your big ring and common road cassette range, plus the 1:0.686 UnderDrive ratio that mimics a small front chainring to get you up steep climbs. The system will shift even under 1000W efforts, requires little maintenance, and the whole setup effectively weighs the same as a conventional 2x drivetrain would.
All without the hassle, waiting to shift, or extra drag of a front derailleur… just limited to Classified’s proprietary cassettes to fit over the enlarged hubshell.
Carbon disc brake aero road bike – Tech details
The Isaac Meson frameset itself is a pretty standard-looking aero carbon, disc brake road bike, with deeply-shaped downtube, tiny dropped seatstays, and a nearly horizontal toptube with hidden seatpost clamp for the proprietary aero post.
At 1120g claimed for the frame (55cm) & 480g for the fork, the Meson Disc which debuted in early 2019 is not exceptionally lightweight, but it does build in pretty much all of the latest aero road features – like completely internal cable routing around a tapered carbon steerer, flat mount disc brakes & 12mm thru-axles, PressFit BB86 bottom bracket, and room for at least 28mm tires on modern wide rims.
The Meson Disc does feature a removable front derailleur tab, but even when you take it off for the Classified setup, you’re still left with a couple of bolts and the recesses where the derailleur would fit.
Without opening up a new 1x-only carbon frame mold, it’d be nice to at least get a small shroud to smooth over the vestigial front derailleur pocket on the Isaac Meson X Classified edition (maybe someone will 3D-print something to retrofit?)
Isaac Meson X Classified – Pricing, options & availability
The Isaac Meson X Classified itself starts at a price of 4400€ with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8050 setup, shifting the hub with the regular Di2 shifters thanks to the Classified controller in the left bar end. While Isaac’s online configuration tool usually gives tons of options, the selection here is more limited.
And you are going to have to wait a bit longer. While the bike itself is available in-stock, complete builds are waiting a bit on the Classified wheelset & cassette before they can ship out. No official word on when it will ship out, so reach out to your local Isaac dealer to see how soon they can get you rolling on a 1×22 aero road setup.
