sensah installation

 Only a day or two after I'd ordered the Sensah Empire groupset, it arrived, which tell me that Sensah is making a point of having stock here in the US for quick delivery.

Instructions in Chinese (I think)...

... and English.

The goods. I popped for the 6-piece set, because I haven't had an 11-speed setup, and needed the cassette and chain, in addition to the controls and derailleurs.

You don't need to stick around for the whole post; I'm going into detail below for the bike nerds and my fellow volunteers at the New Brunswick Bike Exchange, one of whom asked for a how-to post (it will follow, Anna). Let's get the installation review out of the way right away:

The bad: The controls were difficult to install, because the clips that go around the bar were too small. I suspect that my 70's-era handlebar may be a little larger than the current specification, but I had to remove the clips from the controls, and drill out the mounting holes so they were wider, so I could get the clips around my bars and into position. I have not heard of anyone else having this problem, but it will be part of my product review when I post it (but I'll wait until I have more miles on the groupset to do that). Edit Sep 1 2020: I unwrapped the bar and got a diameter measurement. Standard drop bars are either 22.2 or 23.8mm diameter at the sections that don't go in the stem. My 80's-era Cinelli Campione del Mondo bars are almost 25mm diameter. For those of you who are using handlebars that are less than 40 years old, you should have no problem. For the rest of you, you can get these guys, chuck the nuts and bolts, replace the clampy bits that come with the Sensah set with the clampy bits you just got, and tighten 'em up. Even with the new parts, cost will only be just north of $200.

The good: First, I like the appearance and finish. I went for the all-aluminum set; there's a faux-carbon-fiber decal on the rear derailleur I could do without, but I like the techie look of the derailleur generally, and I like the brake/shifter controls. I had heard complaints about the quality of the hoods, but Sensah appears to have addressed that.

Second, this was the easiest install I've ever done. Once I'd set the high and low limit screws for the derailleurs, it went together like Legos, and the shifting worked the first time without the need for fussy adjustment (I ALWAYS have to adjust once I install the cables... but not this time). I had to pay attention to the B-screw, but that's expected: every bike is going to have a different clearance for the rear derailleur, and it was easy to set. I expect it will need adjustment in the morning after the housing beds in, but that's also usually unavoidable.

Third, the shifting is quick and crisp. I've rolled around the neighborhood, moving through the gears, and even cross-chained, I've had no problem with the shifts. I'm going to need to learn how to use these controls (they use the SRAM system of a short push to upshift, and a long push to downshift), and I miss the ability to "dump the cassette" (to shift across many gears in the back, like when a sudden, sharp uphill appears), but I'll have to get used to that.

So early indications are that this set is a good mechanical replacement for Shimano 105, if that goes all-electronic. (The set is also available with a 34 large cog, which is a boon to hill climbers.)

I had planned to put it on the monstercross bike, but the brake levers aren't compatible with the v-brakes... so I swallowed hard, and mounted it up on the titanium Yellow Maserati.

OK; bike-nerdy stuff:

The chain whip, that holds the cassette when you need to loosen (blue handle pointing to 1:00) and the beam torque wrench for installing and removing the cassette (pointing to about 7:30).

Bars, ready for installation. In the center are cross-top brake levers, so I can engage the brakes from the top of the bars, as well as from the controls (when installed).

The clip, with the hole that needed widening. I used a power drill and ran the side of the drill bit up and down the side of the hole.

Sighting across the brake hoods to get 'em even. (I'm not great at this; I often need a second opinion.)

Sorry for the out-of-focus, but you can see the grey mushroom head of the brake cable installed on the lever, with the cable disappearing into the hood to the left.

 

 

 

For this setup, the cables and housing go under the bar tape: brake cable in front, derailleur cable in back. Tape the housings to the bars before wrapping them.

Titanium is known for "galling", fusing to other metals if they are in close contact under pressure (like when you tighten a bolt). In other applications, we might grease a bolt before installation to forestall sticking; for titanium (like my bike frame), we use a special preparation. You don't need a lot, but you'll be happier if it's there. This is the rear derailleur being mounted.

On initial installation, the derailleur needs adjustment; the wheel on the derailleur needs to point to the outermost gear; in this case it's pointing to the second gear (that thing pointing to the outermost gear is part of the cage). Loosen the high-gear limit screw until they line up.

Adjust the B-screw until the chain just barely goes between the cog on the cassette and the jockey wheel on the rear derailleur, but does not get hung up in the system.

Feel free to contact me with questions or comments.