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Bicycles

Tiso unveils wireless electronic gear-shifting for road bikes

By Ben Coxworth
December 18, 2012
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The Tiso system's control unit and front derailleur
The Tiso system's titanium cassette
The Tiso system's control unit and front derailleur
The Tiso system's front derailleur
The Tiso system's rear derailleur
The Tiso system incorporates rocker-switch style brake lever-mounted shifters
The Tiso bicycle components company has an unveiled a wireless electronic gear-shifting system
View gallery - 6 images

As many bike nerds already know, electronic gear-shifting systems are currently being made by components manufacturers Shimano and Campagnolo. Last Wednesday, however, lesser-known Italian firm Tiso joined the fray by announcing the availability of its own 12-speed electronic system for road bikes. Unlike the other companies’ offerings, Tiso’s is wireless – partly.

Apparently just called the Wireless 12-Speed Groupset, the system consists of brake levers with integrated rocker-style shifter switches, micromotor-equipped front and rear derailleurs, a cassette with 12 titanium sprockets ranging from 11 to 29 teeth, and a downtube-mounted AAA-battery-powered receiver/control unit.

Shift signals are transmitted from the shifters to the control unit via Bluetooth and/or another unspecified type of radio protocol – Shimano and Campagnolo’s systems, by contrast, use electrical wiring. Commands are then carried from that unit to the derailleurs by wires. Interestingly, users can forgo the brake lever shifters and instead change gears using a wireless key fob-like remote. This is perhaps intended as a way of letting riders change gears when riding with their hands on top of the bars or in the drops.

The Tiso bicycle components company has an unveiled a wireless electronic gear-shifting system

If users don’t want to spring for the whole system, its wireless components can reportedly be integrated into existing 10- and 11-speed drivetrains from SRAM, Campagnolo and Shimano. It’s not clear exactly which parts can be mixed and matched, however – for instance, could the Tiso shifters and control unit be used to move non-motorized Shimano derailleurs?

While the cassette weighs in at a reported 150 grams, a weight for the entire system hasn’t been released. The company likewise isn’t stating the price just yet, although it does claim that it “will be lower than all the other groups in electronic commerce, and will be easily assembled by anyone.”

Tiso will start accepting reservations from potential buyers beginning next month. The system can be seen in use in the video below.

Source: Tiso via BikeRadar

View gallery - 6 images

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BicyclesBluetoothWirelessCycling
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Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.
8 comments
socalboomer
big question is going to be cost. . .
moreover
I'm glad to see outsiders move into this technology. The fewer cables on a bike, the better. This enables new frame designs and makes things easier for recumbents, tandems etc.
worf2
another step into more waste on this planet. a battery a day. thank you.
DaveWesely
@worf2 Who says you have to use alkalines? A set of hybrid rechargables would probably last longer than the shifters. This system should have an option to punt on the bluetooth or wireless capabilities and just have an automatic shifter based on cadence. Your bluetooth device could be used strictly for data logging (display) and manual override.
bergamot69
While I agree with Moreover re certain unusual frame configurations, cables weigh very little, and these days don't stretch much (especially compared to those on basic 1980s bikes with Huret steel derailleurs and cheap cables that needed to be adjusted regularly to avoid overshooting).
Would love to hear comments from those who have used electronic shifts to see if they have any real world benefits.
Jimbo Jim
yes is no different than modern day cars, is all run by computers, when not working u wish its a volkswagen. for electronics it needs to be military grade or something more skookum, since it will be exposed to weather elements, shocks, jarring whenever u ride them. While I agree with Moreover re certain unusual frame configurations, cables weigh very little, and these days don't stretch much (especially compared to those on basic 1980s bikes with Huret steel derailleurs and cheap cables that needed to be adjusted regularly to avoid overshooting).
Would love to hear comments from those who have used electronic shifts to see if they have any real world benefits.
packoftwenty
And so the race to ever more expensive and pointless components for bikes continues, thus keeping the price of bicycles ridiculously high, and putting off people from using them. You can buy a decent secondhand CAR for the price of a 'quality' new bike, bikes are an absolute rip off if you pay anything more than £300 tops for one new. I bought a secondhand car for £500 two years ago, still running fine, look at what's in it, compared to a feeble bicycle. Look at all the engineering that went into the car, and all the materials in it. Look at the price of bicycle tyres compared to car tyres, it's ridiculous. A car tyre contains twenty times the material of a bicycle tyre, and better technology, yet a bicycle tyre can cost £20 for ONE, I can get a car tyre for only £40! Carbon fibre, aluminium, blah blah blah. "Shave seconds off your time" blah blah blah. More rubbish and hype from the bicycle industry, it's ridiculous.
TogetherinParis
Electronic shifting should be seamless, with just one switch up or down controlling both derailures, not one for front and one for the back. Moreover when more than one choice presents, duplicate gears should be chosen appropriately for safety and easy use, not a rider learned sequence. That is the reason for electronic control in the first place.
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