Shifting - without Shimano or Sram

Are there alternatives to Shimano or Sram? Yes, there are, for example with Rohloff or Pinion. But when it comes to shifting systems with cassettes, the two "Big S" stand alone. But not for much longer: BMX specialist Box Components has brought its mountain bike gear system to series maturity and the components look like they could compete with Shimano and Sram.

Change, lever, cassette, crank: Box rebuilds the gears

Box Components? Probably never heard of it, but the BMX experts will make themselves heard in the future. The rear derailleur is a real treat: The derailleur can take 11-speed or 10-speed and has a maximum capacity of 44 teeth on the single shifting system. There's nothing to complain about in terms of weight either: 260 grams on the scales (a Shimano XT M800 with GS cage weighs around 272 grams). As you would expect, there is a return spring on board to prevent chain slap.

The gearshift is completely unique: this one-push-push component only has one gearshift, which can shift both up and down. The lever will be available in a 10-speed and 11-speed version, for both left and right

Box also has a cassette in its quiver. This is available for 10-speed in the 11-36 tooth size and for 11-speed in the 11-40 and 11-42 tooth sizes. To complete the drivetrain, Box is also sending a crank into the race. This is available with a single chainring with 28, 30, 32, 34 and 36 teeth, in lengths of 170, 172.5 and 175 millimetres. The material of choice for the crank is aluminum, which has a hollow space on the crank arm to save weight.

Also at the start: a dedicated disc brake

And Box is going all out: The in-house drive is not the end of the story, as there is a disc brake on top. This is filled with mineral oil, has four pistons (2x 14 millimetres and 2x 17 millimetres in diameter), an aluminum lever (which can be replaced if necessary or broken) and the lever width can be adjusted without tools.

Who sells it?

The parts are set to come onto the market in winter 2016. Anyone who wants these parts - and is definitely saying goodbye to Sram and Shimano - will have to make an effort. The distribution of Box components for Switzerland is currently unclear: there is no distributor of its own for Box Components in Switzerland; marketing is handled by the German BMX specialist La Finca Distribution GmbH. However, La Finca is currently not active as a supplier for retailers due to restructuring measures.

http://boxcomponents.com