ROTOR is best known for their distinctive Q-rings and machined aluminum cranks, but now they have added a hydraulic component group to their offerings and it looks sharp. The group is called UNO and should be available by Spring of 2016.
According to ROTOR they have been working on this for 5 years now, and initially it was meant to be a cable actuated group, but when hydraulic disc brakes entered the road market ROTOR decided to push for a hydraulic solution. At the 2015 Eurobike show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, ROTOR is showing very late stage prototypes and folks will have the opportunity to touch and feel the action of the derailleurs and brakes. The brakes come from the German Magura brand, well known for their hydraulic expertise in bicycles and motorcycles.
"Our initial idea was to improve upon existing shifting systems; we knew that our system was a small step forward with its increased precision compared with other cable-actuated systems but we still suffered the same disadvantages of those systems, like friction, devolving inconsistent force over time, and other inconveniences," said Pablo Carrasco, co-founder and chief innovation officer for ROTOR. "We knew that disc brakes for road were about to become a reality and we challenged ourselves to further the concept and apply hydraulics to actuate shifting as well."
The hydraulic fluid is pushed through a 3mm hydraulic line to the derailleurs and actuates them, and the size of that line is such that it fits through ports on bike frames meant for Shimano Di2 wires.
Pablo Carrasco holds two Uno cassettes in his hands; he is very proud of the work the small Spanish company has put into this project.
The rear derailleur is a piece of art crafted from aluminum and carbon. The bleed port is on the backside.
The lever on top of the derailleur allows the user to disengage the derailleur to simplify a flat tire change.
The new ROTOR UNO lever shifts up with a long push and down with a short one. How many gears it shifts up can be set via a bolt on the back of rear derailleur - from 1 to 4 cogs.
The front derailleur is clean and simple, and the bleed port is in plain sight.
The hydraulic Magura rim brakes are familiar to those who ride Cervelo P5 bikes, but other brands are offering them too.
Magura also provides the disc brake solution for the ROTOR UNO group.
2 groups are set up for trade show visitors to get up close and personal with UNO.
The brand is also proud of UNO's low maintenance requirements.
"There is no friction, there is no maintenance, and there is no cable stretching," said David Martinez, ROTOR's engineering manager. "I have been riding different versions of these brakes for 2 years now on a variety of bikes."
