Shimano recently announced some new goods for the road and comfort market, but probably not the goods you were expecting. Shimano has this tendency to announce all the products that are well worth mentioning, but not the big fish early in the year, keeping us guessing at bigger things to come. That appears to be just what they’re doing with not a mention of road disc brakes anywhere, but there are some great new wheels, and some other goodies. Like an entirely new road group and some more trickle down tech.
As far as the wheel above is concerned, that is Shimano’s new Dura-Ace 9000 C24 Tubular wheelset, which happens to be their lightest yet at an impressive 1,100 grams. Shimano is usually known for durability first and weight second in their wheels, but the new C24s are certainly light. It’s also 11 speed compatible of course, as 11 speed is sure to continue to spread in the Shimano road line up.
Check out the new 105 Carbon pedals and more below…
Shimano continues to expand the “price point” replacement wheels for road bikes with the new WH-RS31 and WH-RS11 series, with the number corresponding to the rim height. The RS31 is a 30mm deep aluminum clincher , and the RS11 is a quality replacement for standard road wheels. The WH-RXo5 is Shimano’s first 700c disc brake capable wheelset for casual and pavement riders. The wheelset features 24mm tall rims, 135mm rear spacing and 10 speed compatibility.
Continuing to fill out the 11 speed compatible line of wheels, Shimano is now offering a line of Dura-Ace level carbon/alloy wheels that will be sold in 24, 35, and 50mm rim profiles. No word on price yet, but we’re assuming the WH-RS81 line will be priced lower than the Dura-Ace hoops.
Sure, it may be hard to get excited about entry level pedals, but the new road and Click’r pedal offerings are great news for shops. 105 now gets its own carbon bodied pedals joining the Ultegra and Dura-Ace SPD-SLs. The new pedals are sure to be lighter, and I’ve been beating the crap out of a pair of the Dura-Ace carbons which have been amazing every click-in along the way. As the carbon 105s push the technology farther down the food chain, Shimano is now going to offer a wide bodied resin pedal that is currently nameless, though it will likely either be or replace the R-540. Click’R pedals expand as well, with the introduction of two new casual pedals – the PD-MT50 and PR-T420. The MT50s are dual sided with a large platform, while the T420 is a single sided affair with a platform on the other. Back in my shop days we sold so many M324s, and the new T420looks like it would be a winner for that category of rider.
All new for 2014 is the new Shimano Claris 2400 8 speed road group which will sit between Sora and Tourney in the road line up. The groupo will be available in either Dual Control drop bar or flatbar shifter set up and is designed for casual riding, touring, or performance road riding on a budget. Triple 50-39-30T and compact double 50-34, and 46-34T Octalink cranks will be offered, as well as flat bar brake levers if you are running the flatbar shifters with Claris brakes. Paired with the Claris 12-32 cassette, riders should have no problem finding low enough gearing for whatever they are riding. In other component news, Tourney A070 gets the bump to 3×7 speed components.
Finally, Shimano will nave a new DH-S701 dynamo hub that will be a lightweight, Center Lock disc brake compatible hub for commuters and touring riders. The hub comes in a 425g and will offer 40% lighter rotation than Shimano’s previous DH-3N80 hub.
