FSA WE(wireless electric) groupset- Pics and info

[sales guy]

Last year at NAHBS FSA asked to have one of our frames for their booth. They used it to showcase their FSA WE- wireless electric groupset. This year, they gave us a kit to put on a frame for our booth. Same frame, just switching the booth.

Last year, we got some backstage info on the kit. I personally, LOVED IT!!! I loved some of the things they designed into it. I loved the shifting. Loved the looks of it too. And it's stupid easy to set up.

So since I got the kit in today, I figured I would take a bunch of pictures, post them and answer any questions people have. Make sure to check out the kit in our booth or at the FSA booth. Which, funny enough is caddy-corner to ours!

The parts are not new(except the bb and chain), so there are some scratches and dings. But i'm pretty excited to see have fast the install goes and the full set-up goes. Playing with it set-up already VS you doing it is very different and makes a big difference in recommending it. But so far, I really like what I see.

Ok, going to add notes to things. I will put weights up tomorrow.
Everything is their K-Force highest end parts. So the bar, stem, seatpost, cranks. All those in a K-Force are essentially part of this level of kit. I didn't put up pics of the post, stem and bar cause many of you have seen them or used them. So no need to put them up.

Crankset: not sure how many of you use them so i posted it. It's a shred carbon fiber crank. Available in tons of length and ring options. Uses a 30mm alloy spindle. It has a bit of an aero shape to the arms. I don't mind the looks but I wouldn't be surprised if they do a new one. Lighter and more svelte. The rings are highly machined. Ramps and channels everywhere for the chain. This crankset I have is used. FSA said they are sending me another cause they didn't realize all the marks it had on it. It's very well made. No odd fitting or anything. Pretty nice. Just not as sexy as a Campagnolo crankset.

Bottom Bracket: Pretty simple. Same as the others offered but you get it stock in ceramic bearings. It's an outboard English threaded with 30mm bearings since the spindle is 30mm. Spins really nicely.

Rear Derailleur: It's all composite for the body and the cages. All stainless steel, titanium or alloy hardware. No rusting. The pivot bolt is alloy as to not kill the dropout. I think they did a really nice job on it. No protrusions. Not really bulky. The wire hides well. And it looks pretty waterproofed. And it's pretty lightweight.

Front Derailleur: I don't know what the cage is. I'll take a magnet to it tomorrow. But it's quite nice looking. I like the graphic on it. Looks like brushed or bead blasted. The rest of it(the motor body) is all composite. All the hardware is again either stainless steel, titanium or alloy. I think they really hit the mark there. No steel. No rusting. It's built to last. The front derailleur is the brains for everything. So the motor body is bigger, bulkier. But it runs everything. There are buttons and lights on the top the body. It takes about 5 minutes to set it up. So very simple. This kit is used but the pivots are snug and it still looks really good given this is a show/demo kit. Even the inside of the cage looks great.

Brake Caliper: I like these. They are similar to EE Brakes looks wise I think. It's really light- highly machined. The pad holders are machined a bunch. Even the alloy pivot nut and alloy spacer between the fork/frame and the brake is really machined out. All the hardware is stainless steel, titanium or alloy. No steel. The main pivot bolt that holds the brake to the fork/frame, it's titanium. AND it flips over! They designed the brakes to work for short or long reach bike designs. I think they really went all out for the brakes. Tried hard to make something for everyone. And they did an excellent job. The black bulge on top is a brake release to open the brakes to get the wheels out. I think it's a pretty clean brake. And they are smooth and strong. Very nice brakes. The graphics are minimal. And actually, easily removed. So these could be all blacked out and stealth.

Chain: FSA contracted with a company who makes industrial chains. Things that have serious torque. So it's strong. It's machined well, chamfered well and when on the bikes, very quiet. It shifts great. I'd put it up against anyone else. And it comes with a master link. Hollow pins and machined out inner plates. So it's not horribly heavy.

Brake/Shift Lever: These are super nice. The bodies have a great shape. Very comfortable. The hoods, the rubber is soft but not too soft so they should last. A bit grippy. So without gloves in wet weather, I bet they stick well. The body knobs, a nice rounded smooth finish. Comfortable for the palms of your hands.

The lever blades, they have a nice smooth finish. Good shape. Two size options for smaller and larger hands. I think that's a huge plus. The electrics, it's run by a CR-2032 battery. Simple to switch out. The hardware is the same as everything else- stainless steel, titanium and alloy. The paddle shifters, they are replaceable. Only takes a couple minutes. They have a nice feel on your fingers. And pretty easy to work. They are very smooth. Very fast.

Front and Rear Wheels: I'm lumping these together and I am going to post from the VisionTech website. It'll be easier.
---The Vision Trimax 35 offers a lightweight combination alloy rim. With a cutting 35mm depth, and a bump softening width of 17mm, this wheelset is a true winner. Add in the fully adjustable P.R.A. hub and aero bladed spokes to these hand built wheels and you are in for a smooth ride no matter if you are on the flats or in the hills, or anywhere in between.
---Alloy 35mm deep clincher rim
Interspoke milling R06 system
Extra light PRA hubs for DP spokes
Rims P.E.O. hard coating
6 sealed cartridge bearings (2F + 4R) mounted on 17mm axle diameter
Aero bladed spokes
Artisanal built, entirely by hand
Includes QR and rim tape
Front and Rear hubs – black anodized
Spokes – black

I will say I love the looks of these. The finish is nice. But I wished it had different rim graphics. Like brushed or bead blasted would look sweet on these VS the decals. The decals look like an afterthought. I actually think they are wider than 22mm. I will measure in the morning. And the cassette body being alloy, it needs the steel stiffeners to stop cog tooth bit but it doesn't have them. So big nocks on that part. The QR's are nice looking. Clean. But heavy. They need ti rods. The ones on it are steel. But the wheels are only $730 retail and weight out at 1530 grams. So not super heavy for a 35mm deep alloy wheelset. And the price is good. They should look good on the bikes especially since its a smaller womens frame.

Cassette: It's an all steel cassette VS the steel/titanium or steel/alloy of others. They shaved weight by using carbon for the carriers. It's not super heavy. It's definitely heavier to the feel than a SRAM cassette. They did machine a bunch of material away on the steel cogs. I showed that. Almost like channels. And it's where it's not needed so great idea to do. The cassette shifts very cleanly. No noticeable noise or anything. Not sure on price but it should be less than DA and RED cassettes. A little heavier but probably $50 to $100 less.

[bmeryman]

Will you (or they) have a bicycle in a stand so we can play with it?

[pasadena]

nice! just some questions I've had

-how does that rocker switch shifting feel? Does it feel flimsy or is it a nice solid piece?

- how do you rate the ergonomics?

-how do you rate to Di2? I'm running Di2 and love the Shimano's quick, seamless feel.

-It seems it's been a while since the protoypes (I even saw a test ride video on GCN last year)
Why is it not for sale to the general public?

[sales guy]

Originally Posted by bmeryman

Will you (or they) have a bicycle in a stand so we can play with it?

Yes. They will have a couple bikes in the booth to play with. Ours will be in our booth. Last year our Enigma Elle frame was in their booth. They had 5 total in a 10x20 booth last year. This year they have a 20x20. So more room to play with things.

[sales guy]

Originally Posted by pasadena

nice! just some questions I've had

-how does that rocker switch shifting feel? Does it feel flimsy or is it a nice solid piece?

- how do you rate the ergonomics?

-how do you rate to Di2? I'm running Di2 and love the Shimano's quick, seamless feel.

-It seems it's been a while since the protoypes (I even saw a test ride video on GCN last year)
Why is it not for sale to the general public?

nice! just some questions I've had

-how does that rocker switch shifting feel? Does it feel flimsy or is it a nice solid piece? The rocker switch is very nice. Nice feel. Easy to use. Good feel on the fingers. Also, the switch is available as a small part if something ever happened. And it's like a 5 minute job to switch it. So super fast and can be done at home.

- how do you rate the ergonomics? The ergonomics are excellent. Better than everyone else. The shape is slightly smaller than the other electrics out there. Fits my hand well. Also, they are offering a small and large lever size. So more options for small or larger people. The lever blade shape is great. Nice feel. Doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. The Rotor lever blade felt thin. Like flimsy thin. The blade shape itself was thick and bulky. But i think it was to make up for trying to make it light. The FSA lever blade doesn't feel that way.

-how do you rate to Di2? I'm running Di2 and love the Shimano's quick, seamless feel. I would put it up there with everyone else. The shifting was super crisp, clean and fast. And you can adjust the speed of it. You can flip it to make it Euro/Moto style.

-It seems it's been a while since the protoypes (I even saw a test ride video on GCN last year)
Why is it not for sale to the general public? They want to make it perfect. So user friendly that it can't get screwed up. It's supposed to come out this year. I'm looking forward to when it becomes available. I think people will like the offerings it has.

[cmbicycles]

The coloring of the cranks almost makes me think they are made of granite.

[Jeff N.]

They (Campy, Shimano) will all have a wireless group out before long.

[bmeryman]

I haven't done a ton of research on this group, so forgive me, but how's the setup process compared to Di2 or Red? I imagine it's fairly similar. FSA has got a seattube battery and the RD both wired to the FD, correct? And the shifters are completely wireless?

[Lanternrouge]

Has FSA provided any information that can be shared about when the group will actually be for sale or at least out in the "wild"?

[FlashUNC]

Its like FSA's core mission and mandate is to make the ugliest parts possible.

[sales guy]

Originally Posted by cmbicycles

The coloring of the cranks almost makes me think they are made of granite.

It's really wild to see how they make them. If you check out How It's Made and when they made carbon/ceramic brake rotors, it's actually the same way. It's literally shredded carbon.

Originally Posted by Jeff N.

They (Campy, Shimano) will all have a wireless group out before long.

Not sure. Haven't heard anything or seen any patents come thru.

Originally Posted by bmeryman

I haven't done a ton of research on this group, so forgive me, but how's the setup process compared to Di2 or Red? I imagine it's fairly similar. FSA has got a seattube battery and the RD both wired to the FD, correct? And the shifters are completely wireless?

The shifters are wireless, correct. The system uses a seattube battery and wires the front and rear derailleur. The front derailleur controls the whole system. The shifters use simple CR-2032 batteries. Again, easily replaced and cheap. No special chargers or batteries.

The setup process is easier and faster so far compared to Di2. Only 2 wires. No control box. Less to mess with. For Etap, obviously there are wires, only 2 tho. And yeah, you have to put the battery in the seattube/Seatpost. But it's pretty simple.

Originally Posted by Lanternrouge

Has FSA provided any information that can be shared about when the group will actually be for sale or at least out in the "wild"?

Yeah. They have it and will announce it at NAHBS. It's supposedly coming out this summer. Let me look at everything and I post the pricing.

[sales guy]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Its like FSA's core mission and mandate is to make the ugliest parts possible.

See, I like the rear derailleur. I think it's quite slim. It's not bulky. The front derailleur, it's like everyone else. Levers, like them. The brakes, look like EE Brakes. Cranks, I'll give you that one. Not the prettiest. But I wouldn't be surprised if those change.

The wheels, SOOOO NICE! Those are super nice. I do wish they did a bead blasted graphic and not a decal. But I just opened them up and haven't told them this yet. I will on Monday.

The cassette, super nice. Light. Clean shifting and pretty quiet. The chain is made by someone who makes industrial chains for things like garage doors, cars, trucks and other things that need serious strength. And it's really quiet.

The brakes, tons to say about these. You can do a short or long reach on one brake caliper. Everything is stainless steel, titanium or aluminum. So no rusting!!!!! HUGE thing there. And thats the same on the derailleurs also. Small parts will be available so these won't be a throw away item. I love that about their kit.

[Clancy]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Its like FSA's core mission and mandate is to make the ugliest parts possible.

I will agree that the brakes are not pleasing to my eye, but the rest of the group is very nice looking. The quality and machining of the cassette is spectacular.

[54ny77]

what material is the rear derailleur made out of? plastic? or painted metal?

why do crank designers from all brands look like they all came out of the transformers school of industrial design, where it's more than meets the eye?

shape of levers looks nice. and the brakes are sharp looking as well.

too many logos everywhere, just like the rest of the brands although i think sram takes the garish cake on that subject.

[sales guy]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

what material is the rear derailleur made out of? plastic? or painted metal?

I answered the derailleur question above. It's all composite- shred carbon. All the hardware is stainless steel, titanium or alloy. Just depends on the part/use.

why do crank designers from all brands look like they all came out of the transformers school of industrial design, where it's more than meets the eye?

Can't answer this one. But I wouldn't be surprised if they come out with a new one that looks nicer.

shape of levers looks nice. and the brakes are sharp looking as well.

The lever blade and lever body shape is excellent. Really nice feel. The brake calipers, I don't mind them at all.

too many logos everywhere, just like the rest of the brands although i think sram takes the garish cake on that subject.

Yeah, too many logos. But I think part of that is due to team sponsorship. They need to keep the name out there. And it's easier now to jut give teams off the shelf stuff.

.