2022 Dura Ace, Ultegra & 105 electronic groupsets

[Splatter Paint]

Yep, the top three from Shimano are now electronic, hydrualic and twelve speed cassettes. Merlin Cycles has (at the time of posting) a ‘old’ 105 hydraulic groupset for £699, a Dura Ace groupset (rim brake) for £1,300. RRP on the new 105 di2 groupset is £1,700! You could buy a 105 equipped bike for that last year. The new 105 is just shy of 3kg, up 0.5kg on 7000 series groupset.

So, if you want a top-end mechanical groupset you should consider that now before the remaining stock is sold off.

I’m all for technological progress, but doubling the price and making a groupset targeted primarily at recreational riders heavier seems daft. Also, 105 Di2 uses disposable button batteries, not good for the environment. Rant over.

SP

 

[otherself]

Yup. Sad to see Shimano self destruct. The old head Grand Tour mechanics all tell us how much hassle it is dealing with hydrualic disc brakes, wheel changes, electronic gears and fiddly 12 speed deraliuers. They wish for the simplicity of Dura Ace 7800&7900.


Tiagra 4700 10 speed rim brake is better than the latest 105 electronic. It's been around for 7 years now. £399 when new, several hundred grams lighter too.

Disc brakes were not intended for road bikes. 12 speed is overkill.

 

[M_Chavez]

End of an era for shimmy.

To be fair to them, retro-wrenching schmucks like us don't really drive their sales figures. We'd probably build a a couple dozen bikes by the time we generate the revenue from one fancy groupo sold to some clueless cyclist with extra cash burning a hole in his pocket. Money makes the world go dumb.

 

[Splatter Paint]

It looks like I was partly incorrect, you can also buy a rim brake Di2 groupset in 12 speed: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/ultegra-r8100/ST-R8150-R.html

 

[Siish]

On the environmental front, with e bikes, electronic shifting, hydraulic brakes etc it would be interesting to see what the carbon footprint is on some new bikes before being sold, also how many years they needed to be owned/ridden to become carbon neutral compared to 'old outdated retro bikes'

 

[Splatter Paint]

An interesting article here: https://ebikeshq.com/electric-bikes-environment-carbon-footprint-energy-battery-disposal/

It discusses the extra food required to human power a bicycle and that carbon footprint, vs an e-bike.

 

[grantoury]

 

[Splatter Paint]

Dura Ace cassettes now come in 11-34! To be paired with a 36/52 chainset.

I don’t understand who this is aimed at. Oh, the cassette RRP is £329.99.

I’m out.

 

[pigman]

The 11-34cassettes are aimed at sportive riders, because every sportive organiser feels he has to throw in the longest, steepest hills in to make it a proper challenge and similar downhill for the biggest thrills and achieve some sort of sportive status a la Fred Whitton. Plus riders would feel they arent getting value if it was a rolling cum flattish course

 

[pigman]

On another note, I went into a glitzy bike shop today. £4k plus was the standard for what id consider a modern enthusiasts club bike, that is a carbon frame with ultegra.
£2.5k buys either carbon with Tiagra or aluminium with 105.
Cant see me buying a new bike ever, just replacing bits from whats in the shed