The new FSA K-Force WE 11-speed electronic groupset
Recently, FSA announced its entry into the electronic groupset field with the "hybrid wireless" FSA K-Force WE.
Recently, FSA announced its entry into the electronic groupset field with the FSA K-Force WE. The company says its group is “hybrid wireless.” The front and rear derailleurs are wired into the battery. The 7.4-volt li-ion cell sits in the seatpost. The wires run through the seat tube to the front mech and into the chainstay to connect the power to the rear mech. FSA says this setup means you’ll have lots of juice to keep shifting for longer. The wireless part of the system is at the rider’s hands. The levers transmit signals to the derailleurs via the ANT protocol.
FSA K-Force WE app
Like Campagnolo’s MyCampy, FSA has an app for managing the electronic shifting system. It allows you to assign a shifter to a derailleur. Also, you can customize how each of the two button on each lever behaves, whether the button moves the chain inward or outward. The app keeps track of shifts, allows you to set multiple shifts, and keeps track of and manages battery life. In fact, the shift tracking allows the app to calculate battery life. If you are a frequent shifter, the system will know and let you know how much usable power you have.
FSA K-Force WEÂ levers
You have two lever options with the FSA K-Force WE set: standard and compact. The compact models are 6 mm shorter than the standard ones. For each, you can adjust the reach, the distance of the levers to the handlebars. The hoods house CR2032 “coin” batteries, which power the wireless functions.
FSA K-Force WEÂ crankset
The gruppo has a crankset with hollow carbon crankarms to keep the weight down. You can get crankarms in one of six lengths: 165, 170, 172.5, 175, 177.5 and 180 mm. The chainrings are made of 7075 aluminum. Ring combinations include 53/39-tooth, 52/36-tooth and 50/34-tooth. A BB386EVO spindle connects the drive side with the non-drive side.
FSA K-Force WEÂ front derailleur
The front derailleur relys on a rack-and-pinion system to move the chain from chainring to chainring. FSA says this system keeps things precise, fast and quiet. You turn on or off the system via a button on top of the derailleur box. If you’ve stored your bike or are travelling with it, you can turn off the system so you’re not needlessly draining power.
FSA K-Force WE cassette
The 11 cogs on the cassette are made of titanium and heat-treated carbon steel. The cog ranges are good for those who like to spin. The smallest range is 11-25 tooth. The mid-range is 11-28 tooth. If you know you’ll be facing Vuelta-like climbs, FSA says a 11-32 tooth cassette is in the works.
FSA K-Force WE rear derailleur
With a cassette that has a 32-tooth granny gear, FSA made sure the rear derailleur could handle such a range. The rear mech’s pulleys are composite as well as the cage. Inside, a gearbox is responsible for moving the chain along the cassette.
FSA K-Force WE brakes
The FSA K-Force WE brakes work on a dual-pivot design. They can handle with wheel-rim widths ranging from 18 to 28 mm.
