I think SRAM & Shimano should be keeping an eye on the competition
A bit of intro: If you’ve been following my channel for a little while, you know that I got a Marin Gestalt X10 gravel bike in 2023, and I absolutely love that bike. The major flaw with the bike, in my opinion, is the brakes. The bike came stock with a Microshift Advent X setup and the shifting has been great, but the mechanical Tektro calipers combined with the leverage pull on the Advent X hoods is just not enough stopping power when you’re in some rowdier sections. It does appear that Microshift are attempting to remedy this, but I just want to get away from mechanical disc brakes on my gravel rig altogether.
So, I’m taking a chance on a company you might not have ever heard of called L-TWOO. I purchased this kit on AliExpress. It’s a 1×12 setup and came with two levers, a rear derailleur, and a front and rear hydraulic brake caliper with enough hose to reach both locations.
Shift Levers
Since this is a 1x setup, the left lever is only going to be used for braking. The right lever will shift the rear derailleur up and down as well as apply brakes. On the groupset I purchased, the levers are made of carbon but you can also get an aluminum version. The hoods seem to be nice and tall, which I think will give me a little more confidence when riding in that hand position. The shift cable it came with has a lubricated coating to make it slide better in the cable housing.
Rear Derailleur
This is a 12-speed derailleur with an adjustable clutch. The cage on this is carbon fiber to help us save a little more weight. I’m loving the black and gold accents on this groupset.
Brake Calipers
I think these calipers look great. They are continuing the pattern of gloss black with gold accents, and as I mentioned before the hoses are already installed. The “egg roll” brake pads that come installed on these calipers are L-TWOO branded and the rolled fins are claimed to be better at dispersing heat that Shimano’s brake pads with fins.
So, What do I think?
These hoods and levers are really comfortable and ergonomic. The thumb shifter is positioned well and feels really intuitive. You can dump up to three gears at a time on the down shift. There is zero flex in these carbon shifters. They feel really stiff and I’m loving that.
The move from mechanical to hydraulic brakes in this system are giving me the exact outcome I was after. The amount of pulled required before the brakes start to engage is very minimal. I’m so glad I made this switch, especially for the money.
The rear derailleur has performed surprisingly well considering I paired it with a BG Sports cassette. I’ve not been a big fan of BG Sports cassettes in the past because they tend to not have the best shift timing, but with this specific set up it has seemed to work pretty well. The cassette will likely be my next upgrade… I’d like to try out an ultralight cassette from AliExpress. Shifting aside, I’ve really enjoyed having the built-in clutch that comes on this rear derailleur; It has made for a really quiet ride.
That’s it for now. I’m really excited to see how this group handles a full season of gravel riding adventures and see if it holds up. I paid way less for this than the equivalent Shimano or SRAM setup, and I’m really excited to see if it holds up or if it’s too good to be true. If you’d like to get your own, I’d really appreciate it if you use my link. It really helps my channel and you don’t pay any extra. Also, please check out the video at the top of this page, and if you’re not already a subscriber – hit the subscribe button if you think I’ve earned it. https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFp3Ql3&v=KrdFJUJG9ac
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