Lake District-based Ratio Technology has introduced its latest drivetrain innovation; a derailleur cage upgrade and 12s shifter ratchet replacement for SRAM 1 x 11 drivetrains, making them compatible with SRAM Eagle 12 speed cassettes. The creators of this neat solution are of the opinion that standard gravel bike gearing is simply not fit for purpose, so they sought to find a way to allow riders to exploit SRAM’s wide-range 12 Speed cassettes with a minimum of new parts, and no batteries.
Retiring a 1 x 11 Speed Derailleur that is in perfect working order is wasteful, but the temptation to give in to a complete drivetrain overhaul is going to be strong if you’re a gravel rider in the English Lake District (or anywhere very hilly) who knows only too well how much they stand to benefit from wider range 1 x 12 speed gearing. Ratio’s new Derailleur Cage upgrade and Ratchet Kit offers a cost-effective way of upgrading to 1 x 12 speed gearing, without the need to retire old parts.
Ratio 1 x 12 Speed SRAM Derailleur Cage and Shifter Ratchet
Ratio Technology is making its way in the world with some very interesting and economical drivetrain solutions, one of which has seen numerous 2 x 11 Road Groups upgraded to 2 x 12 Groups for just £99.50 (plus the cost of the cassette), a hell of a lot cheaper than investing in a brand new shifter and derailleur. Now, they’re making headlines again with a derailleur cage and shifter ratchet for SRAM 1 x 11 Groups, upgrading them to be compatible with SRAM’s 52T-sporting 12s cassettes.
“Mechanical gravel gearing from the big manufacturers is, frankly, a bit rubbish – particularly if you ride somewhere hilly, and there are those of us without the cash or desire to replace perfectly good kit and switch to electronics. On the other hand, MTB drivetrains are awesome. All we had to do was find a way to make the two play nicely.” – Tom Simpson, co-founder of Ratio Technology.
The Ratio Cage upgrade announced today is for SRAM only. It is a direct replacement for the cage on your SRAM 1 x 11 Speed Derailleur, allowing it work nicely with any SRAM Eagle 12 Speed cassette with a 52T sprocket. It essentially replicates the same step that SRAM took when designing their own Eagle derailleurs. Ratio say the end result is a 1 x 12 drivetrain with up to 520% range and OEM-quality shifting from your road levers and derailleur.
For the gravel contingent, Ratio’s 12s Wide Ratchet is for upgrading SRAM 11 speed road shifters (see Ratio’s guide for shifter compatibility), with spacing specifically designed for SRAM Eagle cassettes. You’ll need a right-hand 11 Speed shifter from any of the following groupsets to make this work:
- SRAM Red
- SRAM Force
- SRAM Rival
- SRAM Apex
An alternate way to switch your gravel bike from SRAM 1 x 11 to SRAM 1 x 12 is to swap out your 1 x 11 Road Derailleur for a SRAM 1 x 12 MTB Derailleur, and pair that with a ratchet-adapted SRAM 11 Speed Road Shifter. That’s only going to be economical if you already have an unused SRAM 1 x 12 MTB Derailleur lying around. To make it work, you’ll also need to purchase Ratio’s Cable Fin, which is only compatible with SRAM GX Derailleurs and above (no NX or SX).
For the MTB contingent, the Ratio Cage works for SRAM 11 speed MTB derailleurs, too, but there is no MTB shifter upgrade offered by Ratio that goes along with it. So, you’d need to buy a SRAM 1 x 12 Speed MTB shifter to make it worth your while, or adapt a SRAM 11 Speed MTB Shifter with the e+Thirteen TRS+ 12 Speed Upgrade Kit.
Pricing & Availability
The Ratio 1 x 12 Wide Ratchet and Derailleur Cage Kit) retails at £139.50 inc. VAT (USD $123.00 / EUR 129.00 € / AUD $192.00). The Ratio Derailleur Cage can also be purchased alone for £89.50 inc. VAT (USD $78.90 / EUR 82.50 € / AUD $123.00). All non-GBP prices exclude taxes. International shipping is available from £11.
