My Sensah Empire 2x11 groupset catastrophically failed after 800km/500 miles, but why?

11 speed groupsets are generally quite expensive. For example, at the time of filming, the full Shimano 105 R7000 groupset costs around £500 ($630), and a full Ultegra R8000 will set you back around £700 ($880).

I’m all about trying to drop weight from my bike and most lightweight drivetrain upgrades, such as lightweight chains and cassettes, are only compatible with 11 speed setups. However, I wanted to try out some cheaper alternatives before resorting to 105, Ultegra, or Dura-Ace.

The full Sensah Empire 11 speed groupset can currently be found for less than £200 on AliExpress, and the shifting functions in a very similar way to the SRAM double tap system. I was really excited to try it out, so a few weeks ago I took the plunge and got it installed on my carbon fiber road bike (the video for that install and initial test can be found here: https://youtu.be/igrnoqe6qQc ).

Straight out of the box, I was actually pretty…

Sensah are back with the Empire groupset and this time it's gone 12-speed.
// Links:
Screenshot prices from AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/
11s version on Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3bRvW34
11s version on Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3bNWsdx
ZTTO 12s Cassette on Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2V7AImm
ZTTO 12s Cassette on Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3aJQM42

//Info:
The Sensah Empire PRO is an updated 12 speed version of the Sensah Empire groupset. As well as the extra gear in the rear, the groupset now features carbon fibre shift levers and the front shifter issues of the 11speed version have been fixed. There are various versions available on AliExpress, many of which are 'kits' put together by the individual sellers, so check carefully before ordering. The rear mech supports upto 34t rear cassette and the front mech has 4 different positions to avoid chain rub when cross-chained.

//Music:
Track: Razihel - Power Up [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch: https://youtu.be/8K877veHuI8
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