Cornelius Kapfinger is the brainiac behind the product line of sleek, industrial components from Intend. Based in Freiburg, Germany, Cornelius has designed, tested, and manufactured a clever array of parts primarily from aluminum, such as stems, locking headsets, and laser-cut steel rotors. Intend also has a range of front and rear suspension, including the
limited edition Bandit USD fork that incorporates half of an upper crown. Aside from the suspension, one of the standout components has to be the nifty Rocksteady Magic cranks that allow you to shift gears without pedaling, at least when the tires are rolling forwards.
Intend Rocksteady Magic DetailsSpecs: 170mm arm length, 167 Q-factor
Compatibility: 30mm spindle, Race Face Cinch mount
Weight: 700 grams w/ bearing & hardware (actual)
Colors: Black (raw is no longer offered)
Price: 749€ (incl VAT), inc. lock ring tool
More info: intend-bc.com By relocating the ratcheting mechanism to the crank arm, it replaces the need for a clutch in the rear hub. This means the chainring rotates around the crank spindle with a bearing and pawl system. A simple zip tie holds the cassette to the spokes and acts as an engineered fail-safe to keep your derailleur from exploding should something jam the constantly rotating drive. Weighing 700g in total with the necessary proprietary lock ring (included is the necessary tool), the crankset is targeted towards trail, enduro, and freeriding. The only required specifications are a bottom bracket to accommodate the 30mm spindle, noting that Intend insists on the use of an upper chain guide.
Construction and Features All of Intend's components have a raw, artisan vibe to them. Each pair of Rocksteady Magic cranks are cut to 170mm in length from 7075 aluminum once an order is made and do not use any steel thread inserts. From the outside, they look like a two-piece system, but the drive-side crank arm is mounted from the factory, while the non-drive side uses a preloading to draw the crank onto the 30mm spindle and is held by one sturdy looking pinch bolt. If you like a loud hub, the clutch mechanism in this crank arm will put Profile or Industry Nine hubs to shame - the ratcheting of the 47 points of engagement resonates through the frame.
The system is straightforward to install, but I had to manipulate the teeth of the supplied tool to get any bite on the lockring up to 20 Nm of torque.
Installation & Setup Intend is a boutique operation and Cornelius is very transparent in his craftsmanship, as he states on the
service section of the website, "With Intend it is important for me to play with open cards and let you know what you need to know before." He stands by his products, but isn't wasteful; some finishing imperfections are possible, but that doesn't warrant them unusable. He also reuses boxes from other vendors, so it was no surprise that the cranks arrived in minimalist, plastic-free packaging with clear instructions and its own lock-ring tool. As for the chainring, you'll need one specified to interface with Race Face's Cinch system.
All of the torque values are well stated and the install went fairly smoothly. The chainring did protrude inboard enough to keep the tool from perfectly matching the keyed slots of the lockring. I ran into the same problem with two different chainrings, which made it challenging to achieve the 20 Nm of torque. A quick modification with a punch allowed a firmer connection against the lockring's teeth. The rest of the bolts use standard equipment, like a cassette lockring tool and a 5mm hex key. A step-by-step instructional video for the Rocksteady Magic cranks and other products are listed on
Intend's YouTube channel.
You'll also have to resort to a thin zip tie to work with a Shimano cassette due to the gaps between cogs compared to a SRAM one. The small zip tie didn't last more than a couple rides at which point the drivetrain reverted to safe mode, letting the hub freewheel.
The bulge of the crank arm around the drive-side spindle interface hides the magic clutch bearing that does all of the freewheeling.
Ride ImpressionsSince the introduction of larger cogs and 29" rear wheels, shifting from the middle of the cassette to the top requires more rotation of the rear wheel and takes a longer amount of time. Gearbox bikes' most valuable selling point is the fact that you can shift without pedaling. The Rocksteady Magic cranks give you that same benefit on a traditional frame, thanks to the constantly rotating chain. Now, you can select a necessary gear well in advance of any inclines where obstacles may impede pedal strokes.
Quickly, this became an effective and intuitive way to shift. Vancouver's North Shore has abundant sharp changes in topography, even on primarily downhill trails, which is where this component was highly useful. For example, steep descents where you don't want to change your balance, but will need to pedal out, like a deep ditch crossing. Even while coming to a resting spot, the Rocksteady system is effective and becomes second nature, like downshifting a vehicle while approaching a stop light.
Shifts also take place in a shorter amount of time, since the chain moves in relation to the speed of the wheel. The chainring is often rotating rapidly, faster than you could turn over a full revolution of the cranks. Even though the chain is rolling through the drive quickly, the shifts also sounded quiet and calm. I can't say what kind of increased wear this would put on the chain without a substantial long term test with controlled variables, but it could be argued that a higher percentage of shifting is done with less load on the chain. When the cranks were stomped on, the engagement and sound reminded me of a Hope Pro 4 hub. There were never any hints of the clutch slipping or missing a beat.
Throughout the test, I tried the RockSteady Magic cranks on three bikes: a Norco Range, an Orbea Rallon, and a Canyon Spectral 29 CFR. Issues quickly presented themselves on the Range with its idler wheel to navigate the high-pivot suspension layout. The top of the chain routing became slack when the bike bounced down compressions on the trail, accompanied by a cacophony of noises as the chain struggled to stay engaged on the cassette. Thoughts of the wheel chewing the derailleur to bits played through my mind, but somehow it survived until I could remove the zip tie and allow the rear hub to freewheel.
I spoke to Cornelius regarding the dilemma and he explained that the system must use the second-generation SRAM derailleur that features increased shrouding around the lower pulley wheel from the cage. The derailleur spec checked out, B-tension position was spot on under sag, and all of the torques were revisited. Our best guesses were that the chain wrap around both the cassette and chainring were insufficient due to the high pivot design. Oddly enough, Alex at T.E.B.P had tried the Rocksteady Cranks on his
Kavenz VHP 16 without a hitch.
One other thought that might explain the chain skipping issue could be due to how close the chain rides to the rubber along the seatstay of the Norco Range. As the chain bounces against that material out on the trail, it might have enough friction to slow the feed to the chainring and cause it to become slack. That means that there could have been excessive tension put on the derailleur cage and portion of chain below the swingarm, causing it to skip off of the cassette.
With that theory fresh in my mind, I proceeded to install the Rocksteady Magic cranks on the Rallon, a frame built around a Horst-link suspension design. Unfortunately, the same skipping dilemma persisted, this time on a full Shimano-equipped drivetrain. The Rallon's rubber-coated chainstay also sits quite close to the chain, which could have caused a similar problem to the Range where the chain feed was delayed.
Update:After further discussion with Intend to debunk the chain feed issue, I installed the cranks on a brand new Canyon Spectral 29 CFR with a BSA bottom bracket and Shimano drivetrain components. The stock Race Face chainring (not pictured in the video above) was also transferred to the Magic cranks and all torques were diligently respected.
From the first rotation of the drivetrain in the work stand, it was immediately apparent that friction from the crank’s clutch or the chain and ring interface were not an issue here. This simply baffled me. On pavement, in dry conditions, the difference in timed trials with and without the Magic crank system proved to be indistinguishable.
No measurable drag or drivetrain problems were experienced during this test.Was it because this bike had a brand new BB? The Norco Range also received a new BB treatment when the Rocksteady Magic cranks were installed. That BB was also reinstalled after the first trail tangle to make sure all components were properly aligned. I can only report on what was experienced.
Switching back to a traditional drivetrain, I missed the functionality of the Rocksteady Magic cranks. The theory and craftsmanship behind these cranks put them in their own league, especially given the price and exclusivity. As for the chain feed issues, I would advise speaking to Intend first to inquire about which frames they have had success with. If you're looking for a new gadget that will change when and how you shift on the trail, then this component is certainly appealing.
Pros
+ The ability to shift without pedaling is addictive
+ Quick, solid engagement
Cons
- Loud clutch engagement may not be for everyone
- Unexplained chain feeding troubles arose on two of three test bikes
Pinkbike's Take![bigquotes](https://es.pinkbike.org/246/sprt/i/bigquotes-left.svg) | Intend's Rocksteady Magic cranks are a savvy solution for traditional drivetrain bikes to shift while coasting, like a gearbox, but without the constraints associated with those frames. If you ride in an area that has notoriously undulating, technical terrain, shifting without pedaling could be a game changer for you. However, I suggest consulting with Intend for the optimal frame compatibility first.— Matt Beer |
I definitely see the appeal of shifting while coasting. With all the quick ups and downs we have around here, I've often found myself scrambling to shift back up at the bottom of a descent, still in granny gear from the climb right before.
Minnaar in some podcast was reminiscing about the Honda days, and how much he loved that bike, but the one downside was that it didn't have a freehub. The racket was in the system (derailleur in a box gearbox). It allowed you to shift without pedaling, but the drag was "very noticeable", so bad that they experimented with having the whole thing in an oil bath. A traditional, external derailleur thats exposed to the elements would be even worse.
The drive where cranks drive one chain that is connected to sprocket that drive an other chain to the wheel, that is less efficient! Than direct chain from cranks to rear wheel
But would be better if both chains were sealed, to eliminate any contamination, but apparently you are not allowed to do that, as I tried patenting it back in 2007
But still better efficiency than most gear box bikes?
Maybe the solution is to stop relying on the chain to move *itself* to the next cog - the whole business of "ramps" and whatnot feels clunky to begin with. I've thought about trying to come up with a derailleur that pulls the chain off the cassette entirely, then plops it back on to the next cog, but that would probably come with its own set of problems.
hxr-components.com/nos-produits/464-pedalier-hxr-components-easy-shift-kit-3.html
The only product that needs to exist is basically a trials style freewheel, just with the teeth on a carrier to make it 32 or 34 teeth.
Then you just simply take any of the super strong trials crank/bb combos and run that.
Drag isn't an issue with crank freehubs. Or more accurately, drag solely depends on the diameter of the freehub outer ring - if the crank one is the same size the one in the hub, drag will be near identical. The driving torque to overcome the pawl friction comes from the rear wheel radius. Chain efficiency is pretty high. The only thing that matters then is the friction force radius, which is the size of the freehub.
But you are not allowed to do that!
As for efficiency I'd like to get some numbers with a gearbox past it's bed in period (pinion claim ~1000km, and mine did get noticably better over the first few months) vs a regular drivetrain in the same gear, that's to say with the chain line as it is in the 51 or 52 depending on the cassette with a 30 tooth chainring. Hell, throw in some grime and a 15 tooth idler to the regular drivetrain and surely the gearbox will look more interesting!
Especially if you have other bikes still in the shed with std. rise?????
At the time I had rapid rise on one bike and standard on the other. I rode the standard 75% of the time and rapid rise bike 25%. So every time on that bike I did a mental check list . Literally flipping a brain switch on. If I didn't remember to do it, the first time in anything techy and needing to shift and I would bugger it up.
As @blackthorne said.
Is the fail safe that the zip tie breaks before the spoke fails? I'm trying to follow this...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_freewheel
www.williamsracingproducts.com/shop/p/centrehub-pre-order
Can use your own cranks too. Also Mick is ace to deal with.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_freewheel
I went from a front freewheel setup to a rear freehub setup on my bike and the difference in drag was super noticeable. With the FFW system, it felt like my bike was always slowing me down, but as soon as I switched to a Hope it just kept rolling.
With this Intend setup 'only' having relatively limited engagement, if the springs aren't particularly strong I guess it might be that it doesn't generate as much drag as the trials setups I've used, but I still wouldn't really fancy it with the issues I've had with FFW setups in the past (similar to the post above). That was at low trials speeds, so having that happen ripping down a trail would massively suck.
My question for durability is, how do you know when it's ok to stomp on the pedals again? With a freehub and pedaling to shift, you can feel the chain tension change as it shifts and settles into a new gear. But with this you just have to hope it shifted cleanly because you won't get tension at all until the crank-freewheel engages. If you happen to shift late and/or are maybe going a little too slow for the shift to complete in the time you expected, you could unwittingly put a ton of force into a half-shifted system. Yes, of course this can happen to conventional systems as well, but there is less pedal feedback in this design to know when it might happen.
www.vojomag.com/test-pedalier-hxr-easy-shift-et-pourtant-il-tourne
*Unless those zip-ties are known to have a specific breakaway force in the orientation they are installed, and that force has been tested to ensure zero-to-minimal spoke, hub, cassette, or derailleur damage, it's not "an engineered fail-safe".
I wonder if this is due to the tensioning spring (in the mech) now being on the "wrong" side of the system. With a hub freewheel, the spring tension can pretty much directly free-wheel the cassette against the wheel rotation to keep tension on the top of the chain. But with a crank freewheel, the tension spring has to pull against all of the chain on bottom, which is bouncing around and changing length during the suspension movement, before it can free-wheel the chainring and apply tension to the top. Could be exacerbated by the high-pivots because they exhibit much more chain growth/shrink in the bottom chain segment.
I'll bet a crank freewheel would work great with some of those experimental systems of moving or splitting the mech up and placing the tension system on the crank end of the system.
So yeah, I’m basically just agreeing.
If the system was reliable enough to run with a fixed gear rear hub, it could reduce unsprung weight, reduce shift load on the chain, and allow for shifting anytime the bike is moving.
But……I suspect a rear derailleur with a fail safe design/fixed hub/crank would need to be developed as a complete drivetrain.
These crankarms themselves are also super basic-SLX crankarms are stronger/lighter.
I hope Intend (or the big S brands) develop the idea-I’d say the current product is more proof of concept than fully realized product at this point.
The name
The zip tie
The packaging
The install
The zip tie again
The high pivot
The drag
And after all that I’m still interested! At the end of the day, none of it is a deal breaker. Just record scratches.
One question: so is the clutch quiet? Because you describe noises. Or is is loud? Because if it makes noise, why use a draggy clutch instead of a ratchet?
Come to think of it, while I always want a silent hub, some ratchet noise would be a huge benefit on the crank! Then you could always tell how tall your gear is compared to your speed and develop an intuitive sense for when you need to shift before you even pedal. And when you do pedal how much speed vs force will be required. Eventually it would be like listening to the engine while driving a manual transmission.
But 29ers makes everyone magically go faster... that's not enough to keep the shifting speed appropriate?
And the bigger cogs have room for more shift ramps, so more opportunities for a clean shift per rotation... and that's not enough to make up for the extra ~25cm (approximated for 27.5 to 29) of wheel circumference? Which at 20 mph takes only 0.028 seconds to go by, 0.11 seconds at 5 mph...
Am I the only one who caught the irony in this statement? Because having an extra freewheel on your bike is literally dead weight when you're pedaling it uphill.
www.pinkbike.com/news/first-ever-geared-olympic-bmx-bike-uses-modified-zee-drivetrain.html
This might be the perfect application for this type of product, since bmx racers are always on the gas, shifting in the air of the first straightaway might be the only way that they can shift without a load. or possibly you can shift in a rythym section.
Alot of people have expressed concern with debris entering the constantly spinning drivetrain, or enhanced wear due to the system always spinning, thess things are less of a factor in a super short sprint race, where there is little to no debris on the track, and anything less than the perfect run is a disaster.
Maybe fourcross or slalom too, where tracks are nice.
Way more likely to get something chopped clean off by a disc rotor in a wheel that is still spinning after a crash than getting anything caught in the chain. Stuck in the chain might cause a slightly larger spread of less serious damage, and leave the area dirty, but a rotor is way more likely to just hack something off.
Used a solid flexible rod instead of a cable in the indexing mechanism was built into the rear derailleur.
Proprietary shifting rod and cable housing is very difficult to fine now. @justinfoil:
Rotating equipment and safety issues
Increased component wear
Zip tie bodge solution
Where is the upside again?
- yup, that’s a problem
Safety issues
- BS. This is how e-bikes work, and it’s not causing a major problem there.
Component wear
- BS again. Wear doesn’t happen just because movement occurs, there needs to be meaningful force to induce friction.
Zip tie
- yeah, not great
Upside
- It’s weird when people pretend to be dumb to make themselves look smart. You read all that and missed the headline and multiple paragraphs describing the benefits?
Ebikes don't work like this unless you zip tie the cassette to the spokes.
I'm talking about the $15 ZTTO bottom bracket tool,obviously.
Less load just means less wear,but it’s still there.
I’ve never considered shifting while coasting to be of great benefit,so obviously the downsides don’t outweigh the upsides for me.
Dangerholm: "No."
Anyway, rumor has it Mr Beer is a pretty quick rider.
But future of derailleurs, would work better, if sealed from mud?
Wait until they hear about rigid platforms paired with a throttle!
Less feel of chain growth like an ochain.