Home > Bike Types > Road Bike

Shimano Dura-Ace AND Ultegra Deliver Fastest Shifting ever with wireless 12 speed groups

52 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

For the first time in history, Shimano is launching their newest Dura-Ace group and the new Ultegra at the same time. That’s right, the new Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 and Ultegra R8100 12-speed groups are here, and they’re wireless, offer the fastest shifting ever, wider range gearing, massively improved braking, and a completely revised charging system. Not only are the two groups launching at the same time, but Ultegra offers nearly the same experience as Dura-Ace, just with a bit more weight (and lower pricing).

Here’s the complete technical overview on what’s new for Shimano 12-speed road groups, followed by complete stories for each group’s initial review, plus a full story on the all new wheels and freehub bodies. Just know this: Yes, there’s still a rim brake set of shifters available, but these two groups are now electronic only… no more mechanical Dura-Ace or Ultegra groups!

Shimano’s Wired Wireless Di2 System

Shimano wire wireless drivetrain
All diagrams used with permission from Shimano

The new Shimano Dura-Ace and Ultegra groups are wireless…sort of. They have a wireless cockpit, but rely on a battery in the seat tube to power the front and rear derailleurs. Meaning, each shifter lever is completely independent, using coin cell batteries to power their transmitters. Only the brake hose (or cable…keep reading) tethers it to the rest of the bike.

There are a couple reasons Shimano stuck with a wired power source for the derailleurs. But mainly, it’s all about speed and reliability. As Shimano’s Hiroshi Matsumoto put it over a video call, “wireless can not make a rider faster.” Shimano put a huge emphasis on shifting speed with the new groups, and considering that their 9100 group already claims to have the fastest shifting in the industry, making it even faster was no small task. Keeping the battery in the seat post makes the rear derailleur lighter, which supposedly allows it to move faster through the gears. Shimano also points out that the most complicated cable routing is usually at the stem/steerer tube/head tube junction. Since it’s fairly easy to route the wires from the seat post to the front derailleur and rear derailleur (and the new wire requires even smaller passage ways), the choice for a single, larger capacity battery makes even more sense.

But it also opens up possibilities for the future, particularly e-bike integration where the parts could be powered by the e-bike battery rather than the seat post battery.

Another reason is it simplifies charging, since you only have one port. And, thankfully, that charging port moves to the rear derailleur, so there’s no more need for a junction box anywhere else on the bike! That’s because the rear derailleur now functions as the battery charging port, the D-Fly wireless adapter, and the Junction-A, with all of that built into the 215g rear derailleur. Technically there is another charging port if you are running the integrated power meter. Thankfully, it uses the same charging cable as the rear derailleur though. Granted, you will have to have your bike close enough to an outlet to charge the battery with the included 1.5m USB charging cable (or use an extension cord), but there’s also no chance of leaving your battery behind on the charger as you grab your bike and head out for a ride (or losing it mid-ride).

The battery now has three ports, one for each derailleur, and one to run to the shifters if so desired (required on tri/TT bike set ups). That said, we could see them using that third port to power something else in the future.

Expect to get about 1,000 km per charge for derailleurs, and the CR1632 coin cell battery in each shifter should last 1.5-2 years, but… the shifters can also be wired, which is great for e-bikes that already have wiring going to the cockpit. A wired system is said to add about 50% longer battery life as well. Speaking of the shifters…

All New Wireless Shifters

Shimano Dura Ace 12 speed wireless shifters

Shimano Dura Ace wireless shifter hood

You’ll find an all new interface at the shifters with improved ergonomics, buttons that are easier to operate, and the ability to customize your setup.

Shimano has increased the offset between shift paddles (aka buttons) behind the brake lever while adding additional length to the bottom of the buttons. The offset creates a more distinct tactile ridge between the up- and down-shift buttons, making it easier to know that you’re pushing the correct one…especially helpful if you’re wearing full finger or winter gloves. The increased button length makes it easier to reach them from the drops, and you’ll also find more finger space under the hood for a more comfortable grip.

Shimano Dura Ace wireless shifters

 

New Hood ergonomics for Shimano 12 speed dura ace and ultegra

The hood shape itself is also drastically different as well. Now, the hoods angle in towards the center of the bike which supposedly puts the hands in a more ergonomic position when on top of the hoods.

Each shifter has two wire ports built into it – one for remote shifter buttons (like their Climber’s buttons), and one for wiring them into the main Di2 battery (or an e-bike battery once those systems become available) if you wanted a fully wired system.

Shimano Satellite shifters

There are now three options for remote shift buttons, too, and they’re all much simpler than before. The prior Climber’s shift buttons actually had circuitry in them, meaning you couldn’t really hack the system to use different buttons. Not that we would, but it’s nice to know that the new ones are, quite simply, just a switch that closes a circuit to trigger a shift. You’ll have the option of the SW-RS901-S which takes the place of the Sprinter Switch on the drops and has a longer 260mm wire, the SW-RS801-T which is the new Climber switch meant for the tops of 31.8mm bars with a shorter 100mm wire, and a new OEM-only mini-button that can be integrated directly into a handlebar port, leaving the wiring inside the bar.

E-Tube Customization

Shimano e-Tube 4.0 app

Using the newest version of the E-Tube smartphone app, you’ll also be able to customize your shifting set up. That includes toggling between synchronized (front derailleur shifts automatically to keep in the ideal gear range) or semi-synchro shifting modes, adjusting multi-shift settings, setting shifting speed, connecting with third party cycling computers, and customizing what each shifter button does—including the third button which is on top of the hood, operated by your thumb.

What about Tri/TT bikes?

Shimano TT Tri bike wired cockpit set up for new 12 speed Dura Ace and Ultegra
Existing parts listed in white, new 12 speed specific parts shown in pink

Unfortunately, there won’t be any new wireless shifters for Tri/TT bikes for now. However, Shimano’s existing Tri/TT cockpit is the only carryover from 11 speed that is compatible with the new 12 speed parts—with an adapter of course. You’ll need to use the EW-AD305 wire adapter which will allow you to plug in an existing Tri/TT cockpit wire set up into the new EW-SD300 wire and connect it to the new drivetrains. The nice thing is that this means if you already have your aerobar set up dialed, you can upgrade to the new groups by just plugging it in.

Even the Wires are New (kind of)

Shimano internal battery new wire for 12 speed di2 and tool

When it comes to Shimano’s Di2 drivetrains, the smaller EW-SD300 wire is new. However, it’s been used on the e-bike side of things for awhile now, so it’s technically not new to Shimano. But the wire is notable due to its smaller size and its ability to carry more information. So while the new Shimano drivetrains are compatible with all existing frames, it’s possible manufacturers could make frames with even smaller wire ports in the future. Note that the new wires do require a new tool (TL-EW300) for installing and removing the connectors to prevent any damage to the system.

A Lot Faster Shifting

Out of the box, the shift paddles will work the same as before, albeit with faster shifts. The rear derailleurs shift 58% faster than before, and the front derailleurs are 45% faster.

Some of that speed comes from a new, faster processor, and a wireless protocol that uses smaller data packets. Shimano already had the fastest electronic shifting, so these new numbers are almost mind blowing, but let’s put it into context.

Shimano says the new Di2 has 4x faster processing speed compared to Zigbee, which, in Shimano’s words, is “the other wireless protocol that’s common out there”. They also say it has 75% less power consumption, but more importantly, a much smaller (90% smaller) “packet size” of data, which lowers the probability of interference.

According to the information provided, that means that shifts are faster for the rear derailleur both in terms of communication time between the shifter and derailleur, and the moving time of the derailleur itself. Interestingly, the front derailleur actually has a longer communication time between the shifter and the derailleur, but a much faster moving time of the derailleur itself which still nets a 45% faster shift up front. That’s because the signal now must travel from the front shifter to the rear derailleur, along the wire to the battery, then to the front derailleur—but the increase in derailleur speed more than makes up for this delay.

Shimano Dura Ace 12 speed cassete

And it’s not just shifting up the cassette either. Thanks to Hyperglide+ moving over from the MTB side, shifting is faster down the cassette now, too. Hyperglide+ was introduced on Shimano’s latest 12-speed mountain bike groups, starting with XTR, then XT and SLX. It adds additional shaping to the cogs along with a specific chain to speed up the shifts down the cassette to harder gears by 66%, even under power, which was the upgrade from standard Hyperglide.

Backwards Compatible Cassettes!!!

Shimano Dura Ace Cassette details

More gears probably means a new freehub standard, right? Well, there is a new freehub for Shimano’s own Dura-Ace wheels that is 12 speed specific—BUT, every 12 speed Shimano road cassette will fit existing HG spine freehub bodies. That’s right, you can run the new Dura-Ace and Ultegra cassettes on all of your existing wheels!

New 12 speed-only freehubs will come on Shimano’s new Dura-Ace road wheels.
But the new 12 speed cassettes will fit both the new 12 speed freehub body (right), and existing HG freehub bodies (left).

How’d they do it, and why? Shimano wanted to build a lighter hub for their wheels, but the existing HG spline design was the road block. If they made the HG spline freehub body any lighter, it wouldn’t pass their own (very strict) quality standards in terms of the cassette cogs digging into the soft alloy. So they created the new 12s freehub body with more splines to shoulder the load to address this issue. Note that it’s not MicroSpline, but something completely different.

The new cassettes mount onto either design and use an arrow to indicate the key spline which is the same on both freehub bodies. To make the wider cassettes work on a narrower freehub, the last cog doesn’t actually interlock with the freehub body, instead it’s keyed into the cog below it to keep it from turning. Then an extra long cassette lock ring keeps everything tight.

Shimano 12 speed cassette order

One thing to note with the cassette design—there are now two different spacer thicknesses with one ‘A’ and two ‘B’ spacers. The order is as shown above, with the ‘A’ spacer closest to the lockring, followed by the two ‘B’ spacers as you move towards the hub.

Shimano 11-30t cassette actual weight
We haven’t gotten many actual weights because the parts were built into a complete bike, but before reinstalling this 11-30t cassette, I threw it on the scale—exactly as claimed.

Initially, two cassette options will be offered with wider 11-30 and 11-34t gearing in both Dura-Ace and Ultegra. We know that Shimano is all about the optimal ‘gear steps’, and these new cassettes are no different. The 11-30t is said to provide the “sweet spot” for shifting with a 15, 16, 17t progression in the middle of the cassette. The 11-34t instead goes 15, 17, 19 in order to jump up to the 34t for ultra low 1:1 gearing. Gearing steps are the same for Ultegra and Dura-Ace Cassettes.

12 speed Cassette Gear Steps

  • 11-30t: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 24, 27, 30
  • 11-34t: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24, 27, 30, 34

All New Cranksets

Shimano Dura Ace 9200 crankset

Not surprisingly, Shimano is continuing with their Hollowtech II crankset design with a 24mm spindle only. The cranksets also refrain from moving to carbon fiber with a Hollowglide structure which is said to cut weight while maintaining the strength and stiffness needed for precise shifting. Sticking with their ‘bigger is better’ for drivetrain efficiency, Shimano is still focused on providing the “most efficient drivetrain on the market” partially through the gearing options provided. That includes a massive new 54-40T option for Dura-Ace which probably won’t be the choice of average riders, but the racers will dig it.

That’s evident in the 54-40T option only being offered in Dura-Ace, though since the Ultegra cranks use the same BCD, you’ll be able to get 54-40t chainrings for your Ultegra crank if wanted. Otherwise, both the Dura-Ace and Ultegra cranks will be offered in 50-34T and 52-36t options allowing for a 1:1 low gear if run with the 11-34t cassette.

Shimano Ultegra 8100 crankset

Now with the addition of a 160mm crank arm length, Dura-Ace cranks will be available in seven sizes including 165, 167.5, 170, 172.5, 175, and 177.5mm lengths. Ultegra has a few less, coming in 160, 165, 170, 172.5, and 175mm lengths. Both cranksets have a q-factor of 148mm.

Dual Sided Power Meter Option

Shimano Dura Ace power meter crankset 12 speed

For those who want to measure their power output, both Dura-Ace and Ultegra have a crankset option with an integrated Dual Sided power meter. While the tech is similar to what Shimano has offered before, the power meter has a repositioned transmitter and charging port (same port and cable as the rear derailleur) to make it easier to use.

The rechargeable lithium ion battery provides up to 300 hours of ride time, and the Bluetooth LE/ANT+ power meter is now accurate to +/- 1.5% utilizing a proprietary strain gauge. Zero offset calibration can be done quickly with a switch on the transmitter, and the software automatically compensates for temperature changes.

Shimano Ultegra 12 speed power meter crank

Power meter cranksets will be offered in the same specs as their non-power meter cranks, meaning a few more size options for Dura-Ace.

New Rear Derailleurs

Shimano 12 speed road group charging port

Shimano Dura Ace derailleur charging cable
There’s only one way to orient the charging cable, and when done correctly, the blue charging LED will illuminate.

Besides the speedier response and integrated charging port, there are a few more new features in the Dura-Ace and Ultegra 12-speed rear derailleurs. For starters, they have D-Fly wireless transmitters built into them. Using Shimano’s proprietary wireless Integrated Circuit, this is how it receives the shift signals, which carry along the wire to the battery, and then to the front derailleur as needed. They can also use Bluetooth LE or ANT+ wireless protocols to communicate shift and gear data to compatible head units from Garmin, Wahoo, etc.

Shimano Ultegra rear derailleur 12 speed

The rear derailleurs also allows for larger cassettes, from 11-28 all the way up to an 11-34. That means a single rear derailleur for any gear combination for Dura-Ace and Ultegra.

Shimano Dura Ace rear derailleur 12 speed

Shimano Ultegra rear derailleur 12 speed

While the rear derailleur is a Shadow design, it does not have a clutch. Shimano is clear – these groups are for road. If you are riding gravel, you should be looking at the GRX lineup, not Dura-Ace or Ultegra. According to Shimano, adding a clutch would slow down the shifting, and is not necessary for road riding. Note that out of the box, the derailleur cages have a slight twist to them – this is normal, and not an indication of a defective derailleur.

New, Smaller Front Derailleurs

Shimano front derailleur smaller

Shimano Dura Ace front derailleur 12 speed

Thanks to a new link structure, we not only get smaller front derailleurs but lighter as well. Continuing their dominance in the world of front derailleurs, the new FD-R9250 is just 96g and has a 33% smaller frontal projected area. As mentioned, it’s their fastest front shifting ever by 45%, and the derailleur has a top gear tooth capacity of 50-55t.

Best Disc Brakes yet

Shimano disc brake dura ace

It would be easy to overlook the brakes in the midst of all the drivetrain changes, but both the Dura-Ace and Ultegra drivetrain get big upgrades from relatively small enhancements. Everyone hates brake noise, especially on the road. To keep things quiet, the brake calipers now offer 10% wider pad clearance which means the pads pull back farther from the rotor to prevent any rubbing.

Yet, even with more space between the pads and the rotors, the new Servo Wave brake levers actually make the pads engage with the rotor sooner, while offering more modulation. So there’s a shorter initial stroke of the lever before you start to feel the pad ‘bite’, and then a 13% longer stroke to offer finer control of the braking power to prevent lockup.

Shimano disc brake ultegra

New Shimano dura ace and ultegra bleeding method

Thanks to a redesigned brake caliper, the bleeding process is also easier with a separate bleed port and valve screw (bye bye hose-popping-off-the-bleed-nipple-as-you-try-to-turn-it). It’s also possible now to bleed the brakes without removing the caliper from the frame. While both groups get the updated design, the Dura-Ace caliper is one piece, while Ultegra is two.

Notice some pro tour riders using Shimano MTB brake rotors instead of the road models? Apparently, that wasn’t an accident. Shimano has found that their RT-MT900 XTR rotor offers a 66% reduction in heat compared to their previous SM-RT900 Dura-Ace rotor, so there isn’t a new ‘Dura-Ace’ brake rotor. Instead, you’ll simply use the existing RT-MT900 XTR rotors, though there will be a different internally splined lockring included for the road with its own part number. With Ultegra more in line with XT, Shimano will pair the RT-MT800 rotor with Ultegra brakes. Additionally, the BH90 brake hoses, brake pads, olives, and barb inserts remain the same.
Shimano rim brakes 12 speedAs mentioned, there will also still be a rim brake spec offered, though in Shimano’s words, it will be “tough to find.” Obviously, the majority of road bikes have moved onto disc brakes, so those have been prioritized (and ordered much more by OEMs). The rim brake option is there for pro teams or the rare instances where a rim brake option is required. Note that while the rim brakes are mechanical, the drivetrain will still be electronic only.

No New Chain, or Pedals, or Bottom Brackets Either

Shimano 12 speed chain for road

It’s a similar story for the chain as well. Thankfully, new 12 speed road groups will use the same 12 speed Hyperglide+ chains already offered for Shimano MTB groups. For now, the Dura-Ace PD-R1900 remains unchanged as well. The same can be said for bottom brackets like the BB-R9100 and SM-BB92.

New vs existing Shimano Dura Ace parts

The chart above shows all the new products for Dura-Ace R9200 in blue, and existing products in grey.

What about wheels?

Shimano Dura Ace wheels

Those are completely new too—but since this post is so long already, we’ve covered those in a separate post here.

What’s the Weight?

While some of the claimed weights are still TBA, Shimano claims that this is the lightest 12 speed electronic drivetrain with hydraulic disc brakes on the market. Compared to the previous R9100 series, R9200 only added about 21 grams for a total system weight of 2,506.5g.

Pricing and availability

Shimano Dura Ace 9200 pricing weight 2021 12 speed wireless group

Shimano Ultegra 8100 group pricing and weight

All of this new tech is great, but when can you actually get your hands on it? According to Shimano, complete Dura-Ace bikes will be available as early as September, 2021, while aftermarket components will likely be available starting in October, but in limited quantities. Ultegra will follow, likely a month or two behind. We’ll see!

shimano.com

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

52 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Kerry
Kerry
3 years ago

All components now on Backorder until October 2024.

Jaap
Jaap
3 years ago

Exactly what I was hoping for, except for the new charging port.

Czechmate
Czechmate
3 years ago

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Shimano Dura Ace di2.

Mecanico do Paladar
3 years ago

Wireless or with less wires?

FrankTheTank
FrankTheTank
3 years ago

“ no more mechanical Dura-Ace or Ultegra groups”

Damn. I’ve been a loyal Shimano user for over 20 years. They sponsored my college team and I got great parts when I was racing on a shoestring budget, and I never forgot that.
But I’m just not interested in having to keep my bike charged, zero interest in electronic shifting and even less interest in paying a massive premium for it.

I hope Shimano changes their mind on this, otherwise I’ll be going with the Campy 13-speed on my next and future bikes.

dartmouth11
3 years ago
Reply to  FrankTheTank

I can see how you dont want to pay for electronic but keeping a bike charged is really not something even remotely important on a monthly use and electronic shifting is amazing. Otherwise, I understand a city biker, a randonneur or a racer on a budget, electronic doesnt always make sense but not for the old reasons that were never an issue

Bart
Bart
3 years ago
Reply to  FrankTheTank

It’s very disappointing, agreed. I’ll either go for Ear or the Ratio Sram 12 speed conversion.

tech9
tech9
3 years ago

Shimano absolutely nailing it with this update. They pretty much should make everyone happy here. Same cassette body, good battery life/speed, great built in dfly, charge port, great levers..better brakes this is all to good news to all. Heck you even don’t have to wait for Ultegra.

The only negative thing I could take away from this was that there is no grx/clutch version. The gravel world keeps growing and 12sp/1x wireless gravel from shimano would be loved.

@Zach Any word on XTR/XT di2??

Tony Pepperoni
Tony Pepperoni
3 years ago

Neat

Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict
3 years ago

They need to offer lower tooth count large chainrings, like 46t & 48t. The people that can actually use a 54t chainring (pros), don’t pay for their equipment.

Jaap
Jaap
3 years ago
Reply to  Eggs Benedict

@Eggs Benedict, GRX is there for you. Otherwise the 50/34 + 11-34 seems like it can do most roads without any load on your bike..

Chris
Chris
3 years ago

How does one figure out if this battery will fit in their aero seat post or seat tube? What holds the battery in place?

Jaap
Jaap
3 years ago
Reply to  Chris

@Chris, seems exactly the same shape and size as the old battery, so if your seat post fits di2 batteries, you’re safe!

Andrew
Andrew
3 years ago
Reply to  Chris

I’m sure Shimano thought of that….I don’t think anyone had any issues with the old one?

MiCk
MiCk
3 years ago
Reply to  Chris

My understanding is the battery is basically identical in size to the current one. It should fit in nearly all new(er) framesets ( this application has been addressed by bike companies for a few years)…the option of fitting into the post is usually workable (if not intended & designed)…The manufacturers usually will have shims, plugs, or mounts of some description to facilitate this placement.

Chris
Chris
3 years ago

Please, please offer a mechanical (non electronic version) with rim brakes!

MiCk
MiCk
3 years ago

derailleurs & battery are hard wired together, then it is wireless to the shifters

Andrew
Andrew
3 years ago

Bravo Shimano!

Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot
3 years ago

Wow, I wonder if this is indicative of real world ordering from Europe pricing. Ultegra always seemed like the working racers groupset but you’re in almost one grand for your shifters which are the first things to take a beating in a crash, at least they could have made the hydro shifters as aesthetically pleasing as the previous Dura-Ace di2 hydro ones. Doing the math you can buy an entire Chorus Disc groupset for basically what Ultegra 8100 shifters, brakes and a rear derailleur cost.

dr_lha
dr_lha
3 years ago

Yay to rim brake compatibility and no need for new wheels.

Boo to no 12 speed mechanical groupset.

Is there some technical reason why Shimano/SRAM can’t build 12 speed mechanical? It’s bad enough that all bikes parts cost 2x more than they did 2 years ago, if you can get them, but pushing everyone to expensive “wireless” shifting seems… silly. What will happen when this trickles down to 105 I wonder?

dG
dG
3 years ago

right. waiting all these years for a half-measure. Semi wireless=full hobo

b
b
3 years ago

Some nice improvements but the shift lever buttons still suck! Sram killed them on ease of use for shift buttons

Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot
3 years ago

GRX is already available in those sizes and Ultegra is supposed to be a road racing oriented groupset, they actually need to offer a 53/39. I’ve done 52/36 and it’s no match for a 53/39 (specifically the 39) on fast climbs. Regarding the 54t, nah, plenty of riders use big gearing especially on TT bikes when you get to false flat downhills and still need to push 330+ watts in a TT.

Bryin
Bryin
3 years ago

I have 4 11 speed road bikes, an Ultegra Di2 groupset and new Ultegra groupset. I will not be buying 12 speed. This is it, I am OUT. Was going to do it with 10 speed but found a great deal on a new bike and it went from there. I can easily get 10 years from what I have now.

threeringcircus
threeringcircus
3 years ago
Reply to  Bryin

9200/8100 looks fantastic and I’m sure it performs flawlessly. But batteries are such a turnoff, especially where my bicycles are concerned. Like I need one more thing in my life to charge. Besides, the humble elegance of cable actuated shifting–which for years now has been soooo good–is something I actually relish. So, to see no mechanical option is a bummer. My existing Ultegra drivetrains still have many years to give, but R8000 is most likely the end of my 20 year loyalty to Shimano’s road groups. When the time comes maybe I’ll finally give Campy a try.

eric
eric
2 years ago
Reply to  Bryin

I am out because you can’t just upgrade the RD and cassette. $3K-46K for an 18T cog? Sorry Shimano, I’m out too. And the $ucker$ buying 12 speed will sell you and me their used 11 speed gear cheap.

Tim
Tim
3 years ago

Come on, you’re looking at it from the point of view of the end user. Shimano and SRAM are effectively a duopoly, so once one of them creates a product that reduces choice and/ or is far more expensive, the other one follows soon after. Bike companies’ first aim is making money.

Chad
Chad
3 years ago

So is it safe to assume this option is completely out for an older bike with external cable routing? I’ve contemplated Di2 over the years, but my bike does not have internal cabling, it’s an early 2000’s Serotta Ti. The Sram wireless would be better for me, but I’ve always used Shimano, and like their shifters much better.

Dylan Sutton
Dylan Sutton
3 years ago
Reply to  Chad

I don’t see why you couldn’t make it work by fitting the battery externally on your down tube if you really wanted to.
Alternatively as long as the seat post diameter fits the battery, you could always drill it to pass the wires – the fact that your frame is drilled for bottle cage mounts proves it’s plenty strong enough.

But yes, AXS is a much cleaner and easier solution.

Patrick
Patrick
2 years ago
Reply to  Dylan Sutton

Oh god no please don’t just drill your frame! Depending on the frame material it will need proper reinforcement in most areas to be drilled or you might risk damaging your frame, in extreme cases maybe cracking it. Not worth it to risk your safety! Ask your frame manufacturer!

Simplex Rep East
Simplex Rep East
3 years ago

2024 is when D/A 14 with Electro-Dynamic brakes are due.

Telemahn
Telemahn
3 years ago

Over $1,500 for just levers, derailleurs, cassette and chain seems outrageous for Ultegra. It used to be the workingman’s gruppo, and arguably still is in mechanical/hydraulic. Electronic may be faster, but cables work great at this point and are pretty darn low maintenance on modern road bikes.

Sambo
Sambo
3 years ago

It’s a lot easier to charge a Di2 bike than change cables on a mechanical bike…

John
John
3 years ago

For the new R9200/R8100 power meter cranksets, does the non-drive side powermeter sit proud of the inside of the crank arm? (Think: original left-side Stages powermeter.) And if so, by how much?

George
George
3 years ago

Mech is great, Di2 is greater. Have you ridden Di2 equipped bikes? Going thousands of miles without having a missed shift, or messing with adjusting/replacing cables, all on a system that needs a charge maybe 3-4 times a year? Win. Win every time.

John
John
3 years ago

I’m also curious whether DT Swiss, I-Nine, Roval, Bontrager, etc. I will be allowed to build and ship the new 12-speed freehubs for their existing wheelsets.

Dylan Sutton
Dylan Sutton
3 years ago

For good MTB market penetration at OEM level if they retain the semi-wired design they’re relying on frames being redesigned.
I guess they could make it work on existing frames by integrating the battery in the dropper post, but it’s not going to be as painless as AXS, and forcing the OEMs to spec a Shimano dropper means it probably won’t be a volume option.
As for after-market, I’m normally a Shimano guy, but both the installation and charging of AXS make it a no-brainer in comparison.

Dockboy
Dockboy
3 years ago
Reply to  Dylan Sutton

Shimano has already dropped mtb DI2.

Sean
Sean
3 years ago

No more 180mm cranks

Jaap
Jaap
3 years ago

Probably only sales/production cost/development cost reasons. Everybody’s buying electronic groupsets in the high end spectrum. Developing and setting up production for a groupset that next to nobody buys seems like a waste making it even more expensive.

Andrew McMullan
Andrew McMullan
3 years ago

I too am of the camp that charging my non-ebike just seems silly. I ride a bike to get away from electronic tech, not to experience more of it. I hope there is a resurgence of higher end mechanical groups in the near future.

William Barton
William Barton
3 years ago

Could you combine a GRX Di2 rear derailleur with the new shifter/brakes?

Ecnav
Ecnav
3 years ago

Excellent! Feels just like an iPhone release!

m68k
m68k
3 years ago

Interesting to see, that the new Dura Ace R-9200 in Germany is 100€ more expensive than Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12 Speed Disc, which is available for roughly 2 years.

I think it makes totally sense for Shimano. Ultegra Di2 is cannibalizing Dura Ace mechanical, 105 is cannibalizing Ultegra mechanical. So they are becoming a victim of their own pricing strategy.
As Shimano is a sort of standard supplier in a very price focused market segment, they need to get a piece of the margin cake back.
To get a return of invest on Di2, they need to get to the premium level with Dura Ace and Ultegra now, which needs bigger price gaps.

If customers do not agree they have to use their right to choose alternatives. Campy could now become even more attractive. The best momentum for SRAM. Their groups are cheaper and the AXS groups offer more margin or lower prices for the bike manufacturers.

So no time to complain, but to become more aware what to buy.

Horácio
Horácio
3 years ago

Where is 105 di2 ???

fff
fff
3 years ago

tolerances.

it takes a hell of a lot of engineering work to make cable pull precise and accurate, a lot more that people think considering how simple it is of a concept. then you start squeezing in more gears with tighter tolerances and its even more challenging. its a lot easier to compensate and tune an electric drive train than it is to manufacture a mechanical one.

Pete Weatherby
Pete Weatherby
3 years ago

First comment up at the top is: “All components now on Backorder until October 2024.” from Kerry. Anyone know the source of this info? Thanks.

Mr. Plunger
Mr. Plunger
3 years ago

I believe this is what is known in the cycling industry as a “joke”

Eric Szczukowski
Eric Szczukowski
2 years ago

Late to the show here, but will we be able to use the new alternative tri/tt wiring components to with our current Dura ace/ultegra/grx/105 shifter/hydraulic brake set up and join the 12 speed world without the HUGE investment in new shifters? After all isn’t the shifter just an on/off switch?

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.