Shimano gains wireless application approval, maybe for new Dura-Ace

Applications approved by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seem to confirm rumours that the next generation of Shimano’s top level Dura-Ace groupset will be at least partially wireless.

Cycling Tips has unearthed wireless communication applications by Shimano that have been approved in the past few days.

A confidentiality agreement between Shimano and the FCC means that photos and the user manual are confidential but wireless application approvals for a rear derailleur and shifting module are available to the public.

Each component features a transceiver with an operating frequency of 2478 MHz, so it’s virtually certain that they’ll communicate wirelessly with one another.

The rear derailleur also features transceivers for Bluetooth Low Energy and ANT+.

There’s no approval for a front derailleur. It could be that an application is still in the works, or perhaps that the front and rear derailleurs are linked by a wire.

Check our Cycling Tips’ original story here. 

Here’s what we want to see from the new Shimano Dura-Ace groupset.