Bikes Blog
Is FSA About to Launch a 13-Velocity Wi-fi KFX Drivetrain for Gravel or MTB?
Feb
Two lately revealed patents from Tien Hsin Industries, the father or mother firm of FSA, counsel {that a} 13-speed Wi-fi Digital Groupset might be on the best way quickly. Will it imply the primary FSA KFX mountain bike groupset?
The primary patent – US11529827 – depicts and describes a 13 Velocity Cassette with a reasonably large 10-48T sprocket association, whereas the second – US11560200 – describes a wi-fi digital rear derailleur with a clutch mechanism and the power for non-contact charging…
Is an FSA 13-Velocity Digital Drivetrain on the Horizon?
The ten-48T cassette proven in US11529827 would give this hypothetical FSA 13 Velocity drivetrain a 480% gear vary, wider than Campagnolo’s Ekar 13-speed 9-42T cassette that delivers a 467% vary, and wider than the extra area of interest Rotor 1×13 gravel 10-46T, however lower than their 10-52T MTB variant.
The FSA 13-speed sprocket breakdown is as follows: 10-12-14-16-18-20-22-25-28-32-37-42-48.
My eyes damage. That interprets to steps of 2-2-2-2-2-2-3-3-5-5-5-6… tighter spacing than you get on most fashionable wide-range cassettes due to that additional cog, a lot like Campy defined with Ekar.
Not solely is its vary wider than any of Campagnolo’s 13 Velocity Cassettes, it additionally gives a unique perspective on gear spacing (Ekar in grey, above). Presumably, with extra off-road focus, it will get larger steps percentage-wise between the 2 smallest (quickest) cogs, then a extra constant 10-15% gradient all through the remainder of the cassette (see that orange line above).
The unfold is extra similar to that seen on wide-range cassettes for MTB such because the 12s 10-52T Eagle from SRAM (in blue, above). However the FSA 13-speed answer delivers extra constant steps at slower speeds (large cogs) in comparison with SRAM’s ramp-up to bail-out gears method.
An exploded diagram exhibits that the sprockets of the cassette are manufactured in three separate blocks. These are mounted to at least one one other through a multi-faceted multi-stepped service, or sprocket base (orange), and a second adapter (purple) that itself threads onto a central area of the biggest block (inexperienced). Whereas that largest block is sleeved onto the freehub (seems to be to be XD/XDR), the central sprockets and outboard sprockets are coupled to it through the sprocket base and this second adapter that makes use of a urgent portion (320) and a friction member (crimson) in a kind of press-fit association.
A wi-fi FSA KFX 13 mountain bike derailleur?
As for the Wi-fi Digital Derailleur itself proven in US11560200, the precise variety of gears it will probably shift by means of is just not specified. The presence of a clutch mechanism (see beneath) does point out its intention to enterprise off-road onto unpredictable terrain the place there may be better scope for bumps, holes, and bigger options to present that decrease chainline a very good shaking. Paired with the abovementioned cassette which bottoms out at 48T, it appears it will be almost definitely to seek out its residence on some sort of racing-focused mountain bike or perhaps a brilliant adventurous drop-bar providing.
By way of bicycle derailleurs, what you and I’d usually consider because the clutch is definitely known as the “damping member” within the patent from Tien Hsin Industries – father or mother of FSA. The damping member is a one-way bearing (crimson, above) positioned concerning the rotation axis between the derailleur’s foremost physique and the cage meeting; i.e. on the P-Knuckle.
That’s vital as a result of the patent describes a second clutch mechanism built-in inside the shifting portion of the derailleur, the aim of which appears to be so as to add lateral stability to the shifting mechanism. It might mechanically and electronically disengage and have interaction as crucial, defending itself within the occasion of lateral impacts. The shift motor itself is situated on the outboard linkage of the derailleur’s parallelogram (52 in cyan, above) with pressure pushed by means of the meshed gears (orange) concerning the red-colored pivot in Fig. 2.
A second focal point on this potential new derailleur from FSA is its non-contact charging capability. In some embodiments, the derailleur options detachable rechargeable batteries (beneath P-knuckle, in Fig. 2), however in others the batteries are a lot smaller and will be charged by means of inductive charging.
Certainly, the patent doc describes a wi-fi charging perform housed inside an additional unit labelled as 12a in Fig. 28 (mild blue). The character of the particular wi-fi charging gadget isn’t described; it mentions solely the portion of the derailleur designed to hold out the inductive charging of its batteries. Contained in the wi-fi charging unit (proven in Fig. 25) is a wi-fi charging circuit (darkish blue), a coil (yellow), and the rechargeable batteries (pink). An alternate configuration, and alternate positioning, can be proven in Fig. 28.
The doc reads, “By using inductive charging expertise and by disposing the coil for inductive charging on the parts of the rear derailleur, the rechargeable batteries of the rear derailleur might be charged extra conveniently, with out the necessity to set a charging interface on the battery module, stopping the batteries from damaging because of the worn charging interface”.
It’s not the primary time we’ve seen a patent describing use of inductive charging for bicycle parts. We lately mentioned a patent from Shimano that proposed use of the expertise to cost a number of electronically-actuated bicycle parts. Shimano is even contemplating the usage of magnetic resonance to cost eBike parts.
About time?
Ever since we set eyes on Kevin Miquel’s FSA-sponsored Sunn Kern at EWS Zermatt in 2020, we now have puzzled when FSA would lastly make the leap with a devoted off-road drivetrain the staff had been teasing. The FSA-sponsored rider was then working their Afterburner wheelset with the SL-Ok crankset with a 36T chainring, however they have been paired with a SRAM cassette and SRAM derailleur. We have been instructed on the time {that a} 12-Velocity Digital Group from FSA was on its means. However. whereas we’ve since seen the Ok-Power 12 Velocity WE for street enter the market, there may be nonetheless no devoted off-road group from the Taiwanese producer.
That appears prone to change within the not-too-distant future. FSA KFX WE 13 might be simply across the nook…
There isn’t a remark from FSA presently.
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