Here’s an overview of all Shimano road bike groupsets, with the most expensive at the top of each grouping. The range includes mechanical groupsets for road bikes, using cables to operate the front and rear derailleurs, and electronic groupsets at the top of the range. First introduced in 2008, electronic groupsets have proved to be extremely popular, with precise gear changes, long battery life and good durability. Whether you choose mechanical or electronic ultimately comes down to budget and personal preference. If you’re on the fence between the two, we’ve got a feature that explains why you should switch to electronic shifting. Shimano's 12-speed 105 R7100 groupset is the brand's first 12-speed mechanical road groupset, introduced after the above Di2 (electronic) version. This mid-level mechanical 12-speed option is intended to bridge a gap in Shimano's range and offers an alternative for those who prefer reliable, cable-actuated shifting. If you’re riding up a hill or into the wind, your perceived effort will increase, so it makes sense to shift to a lower gear to account for that. If you want high performance without the hefty price tag of Shimano's 12-speed groupsets, then the previous-gen Ultegra R8000 and R8050 is still a great option. R8000 looks an awful lot like the previous-gen Dura-Ace too.

Dura-Ace is really aimed at racing bikes, making Ultegra a more versatile groupset. With a range of chainring and cassette options, it can be fitted to all sorts of bikes, from racing cycles to touring and adventure bikes. From an 11-23t cassette and 53/39t chainset for the racers to an 11-34t cassette and 50/34t compact chainset for sportive riders, it covers a lot of uses. Although the 12-speed mechanical 105 groupset is now here, there is still healthy availability of 105 R7000 and our reviewers have always had high praise for it, so we're keeping it in our guide until it goes extinct. Installing high torque gears will reduce your rate of fire when using the same motor, but will allow a standard motor to pull stronger springs without being overstressed. The new crankset is available in 50-34 and 52-36 varieties, features Hollowtech ii technology and is available in 165, 170, 172.5 and 175mm crank lengths.Unlike Dura-Ace and Ultegra there are no rim brakes at the 105 Di2 level, so it's disc brake only if you're going for this groupset. In 2022, Shimano released a groupset it said would never exist. Yep, Di2 has made its way to the 105 level, bringing electronic gearing in at the most affordable level Shimano has ever offered. You’ll find drop bars on more dedicated road bikes aimed at speed rather than all-out comfort. Again, there are a few different designs available. Instead, in a lower gear your force input at the pedals is lower, but as a result you can spin faster.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history. We have a separate guide on how to use road bike shifters. How do the gears on my bike work? Gear inchesAs explained in the full article above, CUES (which stands for Creating Unique Experiences) will see Shimano amalgamate its mid and budget-range city, touring and mountain bike groupsets (everything with flat bars essentially) into one family of interchangeable 9-speed (U4000), 10-speed (U6000) and 11-speed (U6000 and U8000) components. This means that parts can be mixed and matched, which should make sourcing and fitting replacements much simpler. There are no rim brakes in the range, just hydraulic disc brakes, and you can either have a single chainring or a 2x set-up, leaving no room for the almost extinct triple chainset. Your gear development – how far your bike moves with each pedal stroke – is typically described in gear inches, i.e. how many inches your bike will roll forward with each full rotation of your cranks. Automatic transmissions are complex systems that facilitate efficient power transfer and seamless gear shifting in modern vehicles. Among the key components that make this possible are planetary gears, which operate on intricate mechanical principles. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the fascinating world of planetary gears, exploring their structural composition, working principles, modes of operation, advantages, common maintenance issues, and potential future advancements in automatic transmissions.