Introducing the New microSHIFT Sword Wide-Range Mechanical Group

The latest sensibly priced, buzzworthy release from microSHIFT is the all-new Sword gravel group, which comes in wide-range 1x and 2x configurations and is aimed squarely at bikepackers and gravel riders. “Designed for reality,” as they say, Sword has an emphasis on simplicity and serviceability. It uses good old-fashioned cables and a 10-speed rear cassette, bucking the current trend of ever more speeds, wireless everything, and transmissions.

As microSHIFT positioned the new group in their mini manifesto online, “Our competitors are pushing top-of-the-line road products, and we think that’s cool. Electronic, wireless, hydraulic — that stuff is all neat. However. We believe the world still needs a really good cable-actuated group. That’s where Sword comes in. It has modern ergonomics, wider cassette range for big climbs, and a fully mechanical design that’s easy to service and adjust. It’s a new school, fully featured gravel group that’s easy to own.” We can get behind that.

The group includes all-new brake/shift levers, including a left dropper remote in the 1x version; 1x and 2x clutch rear derailleurs; a 2x front derailleur; 1x narrow-wide crankset with 40 or 42 teeth; 2x cranksets with 48/31 or 46/29 rings; and new 11-38 cassettes for 2x. The 1x configuration repurposes the brand’s existing 11-48 ADVENT X cassettes. The cranksets are offered in 165 to 175mm lengths and the cassettes are offered with or without spiders.

Sword is all mechanical, meaning it’s straightforward to set up and adjust in the field, and they’ve incorporated several clever touches. The rear derailleur features an industry-first orbital barrel adjuster with 15 degrees of rotation in any direction, allowing the cable housing to find the path of least friction. It also boasts a redesigned silent clutch with instant engagement, and the cage is fully replaceable, too. On the 2x configuration, you can change the front derailleur’s cable tension using an Allen wrench without having to remove and reposition the cable. Lever reach adjustment is made easier through separate shift and brake levers, both of which can be adjusted independently by rolling the hoods back.

The range is quite impressive, especially considering it’s only a 10-speed group, with a maximum 436% range in 1x and 547% in 2x. Compared to standard 50/34 compact doubles, Sword’s low gear is 17% lower with a 40-tooth chainring, and the 2x version has a 24% lower gear. The lowest gear ratio is 0.76 for 2x and 0.83, both of which are more forgiving for cranking up hills than much of what’s still specced on bikes marketed for gravel riding and bikepacking today.

Although microSHIFT’s products aren’t cheap, they certainly offer a more approachable entry point to modern components than most of the newest offerings from Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo. A set of cranks will set you back $115, front derailleurs come in under $30, rear derailleurs are around $80, brake/shift levers average around $170 (depending on configuration), and cassettes cost $70 or $45, with or without spider, respectively. The weights aren’t too bad either. Find a non-exhaustive list of both below:

In terms of its overall finish and feel, Sword’s stealthy matte grey styling and lines are pretty damn good looking, especially at its price. The hoods have internal cable routing, a rounded outer curve, a grippy-looking texture, and a raised pivot point for increased leverage. They’re compatible with ADVENT X rear derailleurs as well, so there’s no need to rush out and buy a new RD if you’re already running microSHIFT’s 10-speed group and want to switch over to drop bars. The derailleurs have tough appearance and don’t aesthetically stray too far from what you might expect from other modern offerings from the larger brands. I wouldn’t say the cranks are beautiful, but they’re also far from offensive (looking at you, Ekar).

We have a complete group on the way, so stay tuned for our in-depth review in the months to come. In the meantime, you can head over to microSHIFT.com to find more details about Sword.

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