Shimano has a new Dura-Ace wheel lineup, and it is more than a depth change and fresh graphics. The new WH-R9370 series brings carbon spokes, wider rims, lower weights, and a dedicated time trial setup with a 99mm front wheel and rear disc.
New Shimano Dura-Ace Wheel Lineup
The lineup includes the WH-R9370-C36, C50, C60, C99 front wheel, and R9370 rear disc. Shimano says the wheels were developed with WorldTour riders and pro triathletes, including athletes from Alpecin-Premier Tech and Fenix-Premier Tech, along with Kat Matthews and Mathieu van der Poel. The lineup is fully tubeless (no tubulars) and embraces modern tire sizes.
Hold The Weight
The weight savings are the first thing that stands out. Compared with the previous Dura-Ace R9270 wheels, the new C36 drops from 1350g to 1170g, the C50 goes from 1461g to 1302g, and the C60 falls from 1609g to 1389g. That is 180g off the climbing wheelset, 159g from the all-rounder, and 220g from the deeper C60.
How’d they do that? A lot of that comes from the new spoke system. Shimano is using carbon spokes in two profiles: Aero at 4.0 x 1.1mm and Super Aero at 5.2 x 0.8mm. The C36, C50, and C60 use the Aero spokes, while the C99 front wheel gets 16 Super Aero spokes.
Shimano Gets Modern-ish
The rims also move with the current road tire trend. The C36, C50, and C60 all use a 23mm internal width and are built around 28-30c tires. Shimano says testing at 48km/h with 30c tires showed up to 2.7 watts less drag compared with the previous generation. The C50 and C60 also use front- and rear-specific external widths, with the C60 measuring 31.5mm wide up front and 32.3mm out back.
Cup & Cone Crew
Shimano is staying with cup-and-cone hubs, which is very Shimano, and won’t change. The update is that the new system gets replaceable bearing cups, improved waterproof sealing, and claimed lower friction. Shimano says its revised cup-and-cone setup showed 30 percent lower rotational torque than typical cartridge bearings in its own testing.
A Depth For Every Course
The model split is simple. The C36 is the climbing wheel at 1170g. The C50 is the everyday race option at 1302g. The C60 is the deeper, stiffer aero wheelset at 1389g.
For time trial and triathlon, the C99 front wheel uses a 99mm rim depth and weighs 792g. The matching rear disc weighs 987g.
Dura-Ace WH-R9370 Wheels – Pricing & Availability
Pricing is the same for the three standard wheelsets: $2,970 for the C36, C50, or C60. The C99 front wheel is $1,595, and the rear disc is $3,030.
Shimano says availability starts in September 2026.
Is a new Dura-Ace groupset not far off? The current Dura-Ace group lives in the R9200/R9270 world, so a new WH-R9370 wheel family naturally raises the question: are these wheels the first sign of a next-generation Dura-Ace group for 2027?
We’re all hoping so. If these wheels are any glimpse into the future of Dura-Ace, we should expect a lighter and more forward-thinking groupset. Fingers crossed we’ll see it soon!
