First a document from Shimano leaked out showing the ny Dura-ace 9000 comes with 11-speed and will come in august. Then another document came out showing all the part numbers:
And some text that shows that there will be a new crankset with 4-bolt and that they will stay with 24mm axle. More is they got a new Direct Mount brake that mounts with one bolt one each side like some tt-bikes have. The new STIs will be even smaller and it will be 38% easier to gear up to the bigger chainring on the crank. Will be a electronic group with harness like Ultegra Di2. The mechanical group will be 1908g, 67g lighter than D-A7900. And the will come two new mechanical disc brakes.
For this 11-speed you can’t use 10-speed hubs (not so good like Campagnolo) So Shimano is coming with some new wheels too. 75, 50 and 35mm in carbon fibre for tubular. 50, 35 and 24mm in alu/carbon for clincher. And 24mm for tubeless. This wheels will work with 10-speed group sets and Sram with a spacer. Hub spacing will remain 130mm.
Then off to the competitor. Sram Red as you seen little of in the video earlier today.
Good design as always but maybe not so huge news as everyone hoped. Sram will stay will 10-speed. But will make it better, lighter and stiffer. To start with a bad thing with todays Red, the cassette doesn’t work for CX or in mud. New cassette is like an XX but better, and an 11-28 Redcassette will be the same weight as todays 11-23.
The shifters will have a little bigger knob and you’re able to change a gel padding under the hoods if you want the shifters to be more comfortable. The best good news about this new Red group is the front derailleur. The one we can buy and use at the moment is crap with its weak titanium cage. And Sram listened and made the new one much better with a hole new movement to make the shifting the best and to don’t have to use this small steps to stop the chain from scratching. To make this hole thing better they also worked on the crankset. 4 visual arms and one bolt on the back of the crank arm, like Campagnolo. This with a more hollow carbon feature makes the new crankset lighter and stiffer.
And then it continues. The new brakes are getting changed from this normal dual-pivot and use a cam technology like Ciamillo uses. This is the normal brakes for the Red group. But they are also working on hydraulic rim brake and hydraulic disc brakes. Mostly on the rim brakes that maybe will be released from the beginning. Interesting.
But 10-speed, no electronic and still seems to use Double-tap, should we upgrade? The good thing with Sram is the weight. The new group set (probably with mechanical brakes) is said to be 250-280g lighter than todays Red. Like 1700g for the group. Impossible for Shimano and Campagnolo to beat?
And we will see if you have to come up with something new like Campagnolo EPS, or Shimano 11-speed to be good or if it’s enough with tweaking the things you have, with quick good shiftings, sleek look and an weight a couple of hundred grams lighter than the others to be the winning group set. Keep on fighting! What do you readers think about the three new group set or what do you wish from them?
jonas wwBlog 