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TECH NEWS
shimano_105_r7000_-_2.jpgShimano unveils 105 R7000 groupset – new disc brakes but no Di2
Shimano has announced the release of a new version of its mid-level 105 groupset, R7000, which features disc brakes for the first time and cassettes as wide as 11-34-tooth. Previously, Shimano has offered 105-level disc brakes but they’ve not been integral parts of the groupset. Di2 electronic shifting has not trickled down from higher-end Dura-Ace and Ultegra, although aesthetically 105 R7000 borrows a lot from those higher level groupsets.
Check out the new Ultegra RX chain stabilising rear derailleur that Shimano has also revealed today.
105 is Shimano’s most affordable 11-speed road groupset (of the cheaper groupsets, Tiagra is 10-speed, Sora is 9-speed and Claris is 8-speed). The Japanese brand claims that it is the most popular groupset in the world in terms of sales. It is available with mechanical shifting only, Shimano having previously indicated that it has no desire to extend Di2 beyond Dura-Ace and Ultegra, as far as its road bike groupsets go.
Here's our report on the launch of Shimano's updated Ultegra groupset.
“The biggest news for new 105 is the addition of disc brakes to the series line up,” says Shimano. “New flat-mount BR-R7070 callipers are compatible with [existing] Ice Technologies pads and UCI-compliant non-90 degree SM-RT70 rotors (including a new 140mm size) to offer greater cooling efficiencies.”
Ice Technology is the name Shimano gives to its designs that are intended to keep disc brakes cool in use.
“Brake operation is handled by new ergonomically shaped hydraulic dual control levers (ST-R7020, above), matching the design of Ultegra ST-R8020 levers with a greater range of reach adjustment for different hand sizes. To provide even greater customisability, 105 R7000 offers a version of the dual control brake/gear lever (ST-R7025) to better suit smaller hands by being angled closer to the bar, and taking more of an outboard position for better connection and to avoid interference with the handlebar drop during lever operation.”
Shimano says that gear shifting is both faster and lighter than with previous generation 105 5800, and the stroke required is shorter.
“The front derailleur has a compact toggle (pivot) design, greater tyre clearance and an integrated cable tension adjustment port (operated with a 2mm Allen key) removing the need for an in-cable barrel adjuster,” says Shimano.
If you go for the long cage rear derailleur (RD-R7000-GS) you can run a cassette (CS-R7000) with sprockets as large as 34-tooth – the maximum was 32-tooth previously. The rear derailleur is Shimano’s Shadow design, as used in the Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets, meaning that it’s low profile, tucking in more than before below the cassette and chainstay so it’s less exposed.
Read our Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Di2 review here.
An 11-30-tooth cassette is added to the lineup to sit alongside the existing 11-28, 11-32 and 12-25 tooth options.
The 105 R7000 chainset is available in 53-39-tooth, 52-36-tooth and 50-34-tooth versions. As previously, they all have the same bolt circle diameter (BCD) so swapping to differently sized chainrings is straightforward. There's no 46/36-tooth option for cyclocross.
“The inner chainring has been positioned to reduce the effects of cross chaining or [chance of] chain drop, better suiting bikes with disc brakes and criterium racing bikes,” says Shimano.
Although 105 R7000 features disc brakes for the first time, Shimano already offered 105-level disc brakes that were effectively part of the groupset in all but name. Still, it looks like Shimano has been busy trickling down a lot of technology from higher level Dura-Ace and Ultegra, most notably in the design of the re-sculpted chainset and the Shadow rear derailleur. The fact that the rear derailleur can now handle a 34-tooth sprocket isn't entirely surprising – the Ultegra R8000 rear derailleur already has that capability – but it'll be welcomed by many. The market is certainly moving towards lower gear options.
As is nearly always the case with a mid-level groupset revamp, it's a case of evolution rather than revolution here. Shimano hasn't come up with anything radical for the gravel/adventure market – there's no 1x single ring chainset, for example, just the possibility of a slightly increased gear range – with 105 clearly still focusing on enthusiast road riders, which is where the big numbers are. We've yet to use 105 R7000 but if the trickle-down technology works anything like it does on Dura-Ace and Ultegra you're going to get a lot of performance for your money here – and that's what 105 has traditionally been about.
New Shimano 105 R7000 components will come in two different finishes, dual tone black and silver. They will be available from June 2018. We don't yet have weights for any of the components.
Prices
Dual control levers (mechanical braking) £194.99 (pair)
Dual control lever (hydraulic braking) £154.99 (each)
Hydraulic disc brakeset (lever, calliper, hose, cable) £234.99 (each)
Disc brake calliper £47.99 (each)
Disc brake rotor £27.99 (each)
Rim brake calliper (front) £41.99
Rim brake calliper (rear) £37.99
Rim brake calliper (direct mount) £44.99-£47.99 (each)
Rear derailleur £44.99-£47.99
Front derailleur £32.99-£34.99
Chainset £129.99
Cassette £42.99-£47.99
Pedals £94.99
Of course, you can’t have all that on just one bike!
A typical rim brake setup might be:
Dual control levers (mechanical braking) £194.99 (pair)
Rim brake calliper (front) £41.99
Rim brake calliper (rear) £37.99
Rear derailleur (long cage) £47.99
Front derailleur (braze on) £32.99
Chainset (52/36-tooth) £129.99
Cassette (11-32-tooth) £47.99
Chain (existing design) £34.99
Total £568.92 (no pedals)
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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26 comments
Is it just me or has everything gone a bit quiet on the release front? Shimano say they're going to start trickling out to stores this month - but there are no release dates, no pre-orders and retailers either seem to be in the dark or are being very tight lipped. I'm going to guess that certain publications (ahem) already have groupsets for testing - but not a word so far from anyone. I'm probably being impatient as I'd like to put it on my new build. Has anyone got any updates?
I look forward to stopping and getting my multi tool out every time I want to tweak the front mech!
Those front mechs are a ball ache to setup but can help to give huge tyre clearance.
Make sure you read the manual as think they need tension setting up from the trimmed big ring position - run it on my CX bike and although shifting is quick it always feel like it needs a little adjustment.
That's half the problem, there never was a 5800 hydro lever as far as I know. There are the RS685 levers which are Ultegra level but Shimano weren't prepared to put the Ultegra name on them at the time they were released (I have these on my Strael). Then there were the RS505 which were 105 level but everyone complained they were boggingly ugly (which they were) and didn't shift brilliantly. These look new and much more like the Ultegra level 685 levers except the levers aren't carbon.
Not a fan of the branding on the levers - the 5800 levers were blank and I preferred that.
Oh yeah, I missed that, 5800 was on the side, much more subtle
New Front D/R looks like the updated (5801) one?
Well well well, at least the hydraulic shifters are nice lookin!! the ones before them were the ugliest of the ugliest!! but I must also protest, we need cassetes starting with 12 or 13, 11 is too low, none of the riders aiming for cycling with 105 level groupset uses this cog more than 3 seconds in a super steep downhill...
I’m glad they’ve restyled the hydraulic sti levers - they were pig ugly. I reckon with a rrp of £155 each I’ll be able to upgrade my cable discs for about £200 a pair. Nice.
When can we get our hands on it?
Miche do a Shimano compatible 11 speed 12-28 cassette. Mine has been faultless and costs roughly the same as 105 or Ultegra.
For those missing a 12-28 with a 16 tooth sprocket, you can probably make one. I say probably because I have done this with 10 speed but looking at the teeth numbers on 11 speed it looks pretty similar .
Buy the 12-25 and the 11-28. Then take the 11-12-13-14-15 sprockets off the 11-28 and replace them with the 12-13-14-15-16 sprockets from the 12-25. You can then put 11-15 on on 12-25 to create an 11-25.
You have to buy 2 cassettes to get one, buts its still a lot cheaper than the Dura Ace one. You might be able to use the resulting 11-25 for something else or sell it.
Link to a Shimano 11 speed cassette manual here: http://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-CS0004-04-ENG.pdf
I read on another site that the new cassettes are compatible with 10-speed wheels - useful if you've got an old wheel gathering dust, or maybe a set of of 10-speed 29ers...
Only the 11-34.
Shimano inching forward conservatively whilst SRAM steam off into the distance stealing the market.
You're a heathen I tells ya, a heathen
.
Now I know what happened to the ugly stick, Shimano wore it out on that chainset. The current Shimano chainset is by far the ugliest thing ever to be fitted to a bike. It is run a close second by that rear mech which looks like the designer put the pivot in the wrong place so the local mechanic fitted a bit of scrap metal to is to correct the problem. Obviously I haven't ridden it but I hope the function makes up for the looks.
Couldn't agree more, no wonder they tried to burn the factory down.
Very cool, those controls look better than my Ultegra 6800 ones.
This will make a lot lower end bikes with disk brakes look better and bring the prices down.
Ooooo nice. Wonder if 105 5800 and 105 5700 (which is still available for 10 speeds) will come down in price for a blow out?
Looks good, but a missed opportunity to introduce some more approachable cassettes eg 12-28, 12-32 instead of always starting with the 11 ring. I’d appreciate the closer ratios over the (rarely used) top speed.
Seriously, where's the 12-28 for those of us who don't have Dura Ace money to spend? I'd gladly trade the 11T cog in the "standard" 11-28 cassette for a 16T cog in the middle.
Yeah, I don't understand the obsession with an 11T when 16T is so blatantly more required.
Mechanical calipers look like old 6800 Ultegra, which were heavier than old 5800 105?
Not sure about the look of the tops of the levers but it probably provides better purchase.
Textured hood tops could be a subtle improvement.
I look forward to comparing the weight of all the components.
+1
I'm still only running 5700 with an 11-28 6700 cassette, but the 16T cog would probably be the cog I use the most often if it was there. My "cruise" gear on the flat (which is the majority of my commute) fluctuates between the 17T and 15T cogs. It's amazing how annoying that jump can be when trying to keep a smooth cadence and not push harder than I want to.
Why don't you buy a separate 16 tooth sprocket and then you can mix and match. Sprockets are available for about £8-10 online. That's what I used to do and I am sure that the pros will do the same.
amen to that!
Shweeet, that crankset is lovely
.