http://www.ambmag.com.au - 101TESTEDON THE TRAIL
When I first fitted the parts up and put a first
look on AMBmag.com.au all I really noticed
was changes at the lever, which is mostly
ergonomics. And with a couple of months of
use, that has been the same.
While the shift action does use a sealed
bearing for a smooth action, the lever throw
to get to an easier gear is a bit deeper than
some of the modern shifters at the higher end
of the spectrum. What’s really nice is that it’s
not a single click shifter though, push deeper
and you can get through up to three gears in
one lever throw. This is exactly what you want
on a 1x system. Without a front derailleur to
make a quick dump from a large chain ring to a
small one, being able to push through a range
of gears with one push is so useful when riding
trials, especially riding new trails or following
buddies on new lines where you’re already
reacting to changes in traction, speed and
everything else.
The upshift is a little different, as this isn’t a
thumb-thumb shifter, and you have to use your
forefinger to release the cable. It’s not a foreign
action, but a little different to newer shifters. I
found it was just another shift style to pull out
from learned actions from previous years.
When you pick up the 11-42 cassette, it’s
clear the jumps are big at the low end of the
cassette. The tooth count runs as 11-13-15-
18-21-24-28-34-42. The last 3 shifts go from
4, to 6 to 8 tooth jumps. So it is incrementally
larger and it all feels like a natural progression.
As such, I never felt like I was getting stuck
between gears and looking for a goldilocks
option. And that’s actually a benefit of 9-speed.
You shift once and that’s probably the gear you
need. There are less double shifts, or a triple
shift and back one. This is relevant to trail riding
more than racing. If you’re racing an endurance
event then there are clear benefits to having the
right gear size to optimise your cadence and
workload. On a trail ride, your requirements
lead more to shifts landing well and gear that
operates with minimal upkeep.
And that is where the Advent parts really
shine. After a bit of fine-tuning to start, I
never touched the shifter for cable tension
adjustments. I did open up the clutch once
to take a look, but compared to other clutch
designs it’s actually a lot easier to get along
with. It uses a ratchet and even looks a bit like
the inside of a hub if you open it up. Compared
to a friction sleeve which is used by other
brands, this design is more resilient to dust and
grime, and easier to service as well according
to Microshift.
I never had dropped chain, and I was ok with
the gear range. It was a smaller range than I
usually ride with, but it wasn’t terrible. I had
the 11-42 cassette paired with a 34t chain ring
on some older style Shimano SLX cranks and
had no complaints at all. While some people
might say it looked out of place on a Transition
Smuggler carbon, I disagree. A trail bike like
this is designed to be ridden, and there really
wasn’t any aspect of the Advent parts that held
me back on the Smuggler.
In this sense, I think trail bikes are one of the
best applications for the Microshift Advent 1x9
group set. If you want to charge descents and
make it up climbs, it has everything you need. If
you need the winning edge to make a difference
on climbs like in XC racing, it’s not for you.
Similarly, if you’re racing Enduro and need to
get through liaison stages with enough energy
to spare for the next race stage, it probably isn’t
for you either. However, if you love your Enduro
bike but you shuttle and don’t put a number
on your bars, you might love Advent. There’s
so little ongoing adjustment and maintenance,
a 9-speed chain will last a lot longer than a
narrower 11 or 12-speed chain, and if you
smash up a rear mech this one is a lot cheaper
to replace. Microshift have nailed it with this
great value mini group set that brings reliable
and consistent performance and gear range
down to a high value price point.HITS
Highvalue,widerangegroupset
Easy1xupgradeforolderbikes
Minimalongoing maintenanceMISSES
Still a smaller gear rangeFROM: KWTIMPORTS.COM.AU