Rose’s affordable carbon gravel bike gets that wild internally-geared rear hub 1x 22-speed electronic drivetrain in a new Backroad X Classified complete build. The German consumer-direct bike company is one of the first outside of Classified’s Belgian home base to integrate the alternative shifting system, and so far looks to be the lowest cost complete bike setup, while paired with Shimano GRX Di2 for the full electronic shifting experience.
Rose Backroad X Classified gravel bike with electronic 1×22
Rose says they’re the first German bike manufacturer to integrate Classified Cycling’s new shifting tech into one of their bikes, building it into the latest carbon Backroad gravel bike that we got an exclusive preview of last spring.
The Rose Backroad X Classified results in a clean overall look for the popular bike and claimed reduction in maintenance, while retaining the full 451% range & gear spacing that was otherwise only offered with 2x builds.
Tech details – All the best of a 1x, with 2x gearing
We’ve covered the details of the internally-geared hub Classified Powershift virtual front derailleur system since its launch last summer. It essentially puts a set of planetary gears inside a rear hub to double your 11-speed gear range, giving you 2x road double gear ratios without a front derailleur. Shifting is wireless and super-fast, pairing perfectly with Di2 shifters and a regular rear derailleur.
Until now, the Classified system has been limited to complete Belgian bikes like the 6300€ build of the carbon Ridley Kanzo Fast or several custom-built steel bikes from Jaegher, starting at 6500€ and climbing to over 12,500€. Classified did announce a separate carbon wheelset offering at the end of last year, but even that will be limited to a small number of partner shops upgrading bikes they deem compatible, and will still cost you at least 2400€.
Rose Backroad X Classified – Pricing & availability
The Rose Backroad X Classified is set to lower the bar on the cost-of-entry to the Classified Powershift system quite a bit, with a retail price of 5300€. For that, you will get the Classified 11-34T x2 system laced into a set of Rose-branded alloy Newmen rims, and a complete bike build with Shimano GRX Di2 rear derailleur & shifters, Rotor Aldhu 46T alloy cranks, Rose’s D-shaped carbon seatpost, and alloy Ritchey WCS Butano bar. Rose claims a weight of 8.6kg for the complete bike (57cm).
The one trick to it all… is that you’ll have to wait. Rose offers the Backroad X Classified in six sizes (50-62cm) and either Evil Pepper green or Deepest purple. But all of the complete Classified builds seem to be available to pre-order now, but not expected to ship until the last week of July 2021.
