Don’t get me wrong, the bike looks great, has all the markers of an aero gravel bike (is that a thing now?). Top-end spec is a bit pricey, but I’d guess that the funky Classified rear-hub, is likely to be a driver in that. Why we need an electronic rear hub that simulates the effect of a 2x setup on a 1x bike is beyond me. Frankly, it seems like a complicated way to workaround a problem Ridley intentionally created, and shouldn’t need solving.
You get the drive train inefficiency of a 1x setup, with the complexity of needing to charge your wheel. Oh, and you can never buy an off-the-shelf wheelset. And, if you do opt for another wheelset that supports the Classified hub, you have to swap in the business end of the hub, or buy another one… Which again, seems like a massive amount of effort to get the benefit of a 2x setup + bonus headaches. Why not just run a 2x setup in the first place? It’s flexible, efficient, and just works.
The Kanzo Fast is ostensibly compatible only with single-chainring drivetrains since there are no provisions whatsoever for a front derailleur, and indeed, three of the four available build kits (SRAM Rival 1, Shimano GRX 800 mechanical, and Shimano GRX Di2) feature conventional 1×11 setups.
