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Leonardi Throttles the General Lee up to 11 with new 9-42t Cassette

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Leonardi General Lee 9 42 t cassette 11 speed (3)

First making their mark on the world of cassettes with the General Lee adapter, Leonardi is back at it. This time though they aren’t adapting an existing cassete. Instead, Leonardi is changing gears into a full blown wide range cassette. Where the General Lee was made to make a standard 10 speed cassette into a wide range set of gears, the General Lee 11S takes advantage of existing 11 speed  componentry but with a new spread of gears that claims to result in better cadences for existing 1×11 drivetrains…

Leonardi General Lee 9 42 t cassette 11 speed (1)

Relying on the SRAM XD freehub body design (no Shimano spline available), Leonardi was able to cram an even smaller 9t cog on the cassette while the low gears top out at 42t. Compared to the SRAM spread of 10 – 12 – 14 – 16 – 18 – 21 – 24 – 28 – 32 – 36 – 42, the General Lee 11s offers an even wider spread of gears with a 9 – 11 – 13 – 15 – 17 – 20 – 23 – 27 – 31 – 36 – 42.

Constructed using a combination of CNC machined cogs, the largest three cogs are made from 7075-T6 aluminum where the smaller 8 are machined from stainless steel. The two halve are then assembled with 12 pins.

Leonardi General Lee 9 42 t cassette 11 speed (2)Leonardi General Lee 9 42 t cassette 11 speed (4)

With a claimed weight of 315g, the General Lee 11S is comparable with the SRAM XG-1180 (X1) cassette. Available now, the cassette is priced at €359 (~$401). Riders in Spain and Italy can purchase the General Lee 11S through official stores, while the rest of the world can order on through sales@leonardifactory.es.

leonardifactory.es

 

 

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tuye
tuye
8 years ago

I guess there really is no mechanical solution for existing shimano splines =(

Dad
Dad
8 years ago

Didn’t SRAM choose not to use a 9t lowest cog due to chain wrap issues?

Chader
Chader
8 years ago

Correct, they think it’s a bad idea.

That issue and the price difference compared to an X1 cassette ($313 MSRP, about $250 street price) and I don’t think 1 tooth is worth it.

iperov
iperov
8 years ago

why add weight to wheel instead of front 3x gears?

Roy
Roy
8 years ago

me thinks the chain wrap argument of SRAMs is over thought,as very very few will put out same torque in high gear as any of the progressively lower gears. Unless one is on pavement like conditioins and the group is really pouring it on- the highest gear will be more for keeping legs busy than actually going full gas. I was a big triple fan then went double now singles on all dirt bikes in garage, really did not believe in 1x until I put several hours on it. Now it just works, and I don’t see a reason to go back.

Jack
Jack
8 years ago

I also read about significant cog wear issues on 10T cassettes/sprockets, I’m sure it would be worse with 9T. As you get to super small cog sizes, each tooth is used more frequently. This makes sense, if you think about each spin of the cranks with ~100 links. A 40T sprocket will grab each tooth on a 40T cog 2-3 times, but grab each tooth on a 10T 10 times and a 9T 11 times.

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
8 years ago

@iperov: A cassette adds very little to a wheel’s moment of inertia since the radius of the cassette is so small.

Collin
Collin
8 years ago

The other issue with going with such small gears is the chain wrap on that small of a gear adds considerable amount of drag on the drivetrain. Talk to any single speeder and ask them what gear feels easier, 36×18 or a 32×16. Both are 2:1 but the more chain wrap on the smaller size cogs adds a ton of extra resistance that is noticeable. I can only imagine what a 9T would feel like.

'Merika
'Merika
8 years ago

Word of the day: “claims”

You can get away with so much BS by throwing that into your product description.

gee
gee
8 years ago

Whatever about 9t versus 10t, two extra aluminium cogs is a really bad idea.

That Guy
That Guy
8 years ago

Every BikeRumor commenter EVER, summed up:

“Progress! Change!! I hate it!! Let me tell you how I would do it.”

Will
Will
8 years ago

Why can’t someone make a CVT that bolts onto a standard cassette? I remember years ago in a magazine a university student designed one but can’t seem to find any info on the design now..

Eric
Eric
8 years ago

$401? Might as well get XX1 @ that point.

Padrote
Padrote
8 years ago

@collin I have serious doubts that you or any other single speeder would be able to tell the difference between 36×18 or a 32×16 in a blind test.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
8 years ago

Padrote…you’re right. I bet you could tell the difference from a 36×18 and a 24×12 but who the hell would run that?

Collin
Collin
8 years ago

Padrote, I’ve ridden single speed exclusively for 8 years and have competed in everything from nationals to NUE. It is extremely noticeable when you go with a “lighter” setup by using the smaller equivalent. In addition to having the chain have a smaller radius, you have to run slightly higher tension which adds to drag. And if you don’t believe me, take Gerry Pflug’s advice. He’s one of the best endurance Single speeder out there. He actually dropped the lead group (all geared) at Mohican 100 a few years back and won the thing. At the time it was the first time any SS had won overall on an NUE race. Read his argument towards the bottom (below where you see the skewer on the drive side.)

http://salsacycles.com/culture/singlespeeding_pflugs_way

anonymous
anonymous
8 years ago

Those two 11t pulleys on my RD must be causing exponential drag to make my bike nigh unridable.

Collin
Collin
8 years ago
Morecore
Morecore
8 years ago

A chain undergoes too much chordal action on a nine tooth cog or even a 10 tooth. Leads to chain vibration and accelerated articulation wear.

Same reason to run big rings on single speeds like 44×23.

John
John
8 years ago

Like @gee said, a 31T in aluminum is not such a good idea.

anonymous
anonymous
8 years ago

@Collin
Oh no, a quarter of a watt, wattever will I snark about.

Independent Mind
Independent Mind
8 years ago

Well believe it or not 9 vs 10 makes a lots of difference when you mount a 32 chainring…
I wouldn’t worry about Sram not willing to do it….Leonardi has his 10 speed cassette on the market (9.42) for over a year with no issues on the 9 cog. Their products are all cnc machined in Italy and have a superb quality….check on their OPI Stems for instance…..They also have a replacement on the last 3 aluminum cog for 110$ if you eventually need to replace it…The real US$ price is 359$…..and you get something unique…. Think out of the box…

fergus
fergus
8 years ago

BMX riders run as low as 8, main issue is braking chains due to higher load on fewer links. That’s on a 20inch wheel would imagine load would be even higher on a larger wheel.

craigsj
craigsj
8 years ago

“It is extremely noticeable when you go with a “lighter” setup by using the smaller equivalent.”

If by “extremely noticeable” you mean below the threshold of perception, then yes.

“In addition to having the chain have a smaller radius, you have to run slightly higher tension which adds to drag.”

Higher chain tension lowers drag.

“He actually dropped the lead group (all geared) at Mohican 100 a few years back and won the thing.”

Not because of anything you’ve said.

“Read his argument towards the bottom”

His argument is qualitative and does not support your claims.

Here’s a far more useful link on the subject: http://djconnel.blogspot.com/2010/01/drivetrain-losses-introduction.html

You should read it, Collin.

As for idler pulleys…from the article you linked to, Collin:

“Comparing the 15-tooth pulleys to the 11-tooth ones more commonly used in modern derailleurs, the difference drops to 0.25 watts.”

Wow, Collin, you sure have a great point to make…

Morecore
Morecore
8 years ago

@fergus
Also BMX guys use pintle chains on small drivers, they are not multi-speed compatible.

@Collin
Higher tension actually increases efficiency (Spicer 2013).
http://appliedmechanics.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/Mobile/article.aspx?articleid=1661193

Recommended reading
Choi and Johnson 1992
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/4170

benzo
benzo
8 years ago

They had a complete 942 for 10 speed out for more than a year. This is just the 11 speed version.

Cowtown Cyclist
Cowtown Cyclist
8 years ago

Do they not expect people ride enough to wear out cassettes anymore or are there really enough people in the world who would actually shell out $400 a season for a cassette?

mark m
mark m
8 years ago

with this price, ill just upgrade to WT or 1up 44T cog.

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