Oversized derailleur pulley systems have taken the racing and enthusiast scene by storm. The first oversized system I could trace was on team Saxo Bank bikes in the 2010 Tour de France. Fabian Cancellara and Andy Schleck used it in racing, but the system designed by Wolfgang Berner never gained any traction with consumers.
In 2015 CeramicSpeed introduced the OSPW system for the 9000 series Dura Ace as a wild concept. Fast forward a few years and it seems that it is impossible to register for a long distance triathlon without this derailleur upgrade.
Kogel Bearings has always been a bit skeptical towards oversized systems, mainly because the reduced friction in most cases would come at the expense of shifting accuracy. (I even wrote a blog about it!). Coming into 2020, it is time to admit that oversized pulley cages are not a fad that will go away. In fact, it is an accepted product category with multiple vendors offering solutions.
Kolossos is the Greek word for a statue, much larger than the original subject. Seems fitting for a pulley cage that was started with strict parameters:
Protect shifting accuracy by designing the stiffest cage on the market
Our testing showed that carbon cages were designed to be super light, not super stiff. Shifting accuracy might be less important for winning an Ironman, where racers tend to go in a straight line at a constant speed. It is deadly for anyone riding in a peloton, where constant surges and cornering require gear changes to snap.
Other than lowered resistance and a slight rattle from using aluminum wheels instead of the stock plastic ones, you should not be able to tell stock from oversized in a blind test.
Our Kolossos oversized derailleur cage is designed to be 3x stiffer than the main competitor and even 2x stiffer than the stock Ultegra R8000 cage.
Chain retention is key
Let's face it: the real world is not a smooth surface. Potholes, debris and even gravel sections in a road ride are common. Kolossos lower pulleys are made with high tooth profiles to keep the chain from bouncing around. We even added a chain catcher to prevent the chain from jamming in the cage should things go sideways.
Ride it on or off-road without restrictions
Making an oversized system and limiting its use to road use seems unfair. Why restrict yourself? Kogel has always had a strong presence in road racing as well as off road disciplines. Kolossos will help you reduce friction, whether it is in Kona, the Belgian Waffle Ride or Crit Nationals. We've got you covered with options for Ultegra, Dura Ace and the GRX and RX800 clutch derailleurs.
Fit the same product on long and short cage derailleurs
Did you know that Ultegra R8000 derailleurs exist with two different cage lengths? Short (or SS) and Medium (or GS). The GS cage allows for a larger capacity cassette. The oversized systems we have seen were restricted to use only the short cage derailleur. Kolossos fits both, right out of the box. Just thread the stop pin in the left side hole for GS and the right side for SS derailleurs.
