Australian Mountain Bike – August 01, 2019

100 - AMB

In a time when 12-speed group sets are

becoming the norm on mountain bikes from an

intermediate level upwards, a 9-speed group

set seems to stand out like a sore thumb. But

Microshift are adamant that their 1x9 Advent

group set proves that less can be more.

Comprising of a clutched derailleur, a shifter

and a 11-42 cassette, Advent isn’t quite a whole

group set – it is quite a way off actually. But the

parts are highly compatible. The cassette needs

a HyperGlide (HG) freehub body, the shifter is a

normal bar clamp style (and therefore has no

options for a Match Maker or iSpec mount) and

the rear derailleur is a standard fitting with just

one cage length.

Microshift don’t make their own chain for

Advent, but any SRAM, Shimano, KMC or other

9-speed chain will work. I actually set this up

with a slightly used Shimano 11-speed chain

with no dramas at all. Similarly, Advent needs a

1x specific chain ring, and I used a 10/11 speed

compatible Praxis ring and had no dropped

chains. By working with the HG freehub body

and just about any 1x ring, The Advent group

presents the perfect option for upgrading older

bikes to a dedicated 1x system for a fair price.

But the reality is it works great on modern

higher end bikes as well.

A CLOSER LOOK

The three parts are not designed to go into

battle with top tier group sets. Instead, they

are aimed at riders who might prefer to invest

somewhere else in their ride. If you can save

about $500 or more on the drivetrain, you can

end up with some much nicer suspension or

wheels, or even just keep on top of chain, brake

pad and tyre wear for a year of shredding.

As such, it’s not like the parts are coming

in at light weights. The rear mech sits at 384g

on my scales, while the shifter (with cable) is

a light 131g and the cassette is 529g, which

will put any weight weenie off right away. But

that’s ok, racers and weight freaks aren’t who

Microshift made Advent for. There is a cassette

option with an alloy 42t sprocket which is said to

save about 79g.

Setup was easy, and the (BYO) outer even

runs into the rear derailleur on a nice line

so there isn’t a long loop. I had to adjust the

B-tension and limits, and wind up some cable

tension via the barrel adjuster on the shifter,

but that’s about it.

The 11-42 cassette does look quite small

compared to a Shimano 51t or SRAM 50t dinner

plate. But if we go back a few years it’s about

what was normal for a low gear.

WORDS: MIKE BLEWITT PHOTOS: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH

Microshift

Advent 1x9

shift kit