åÊThis might come as great news for competitive cyclists and road biking aficionados. åÊShimano has just announced an 11 speed variant of everyoneÛªs favourite road groupset- the 105. The groupset is slated for release in June 2014.
Shimano has brought some of the features of the high end Ultegra and Dura-Ace to the 105, giving more people around the world the opportunity to experience the real deal.
One of the biggest features being the 11 speed drivetrain. The 11 speed cassette is available in 12-25 tooth, 11-28 tooth and a wide range 11-32 variants. A short cage rear derailleur handles sprockets up to 28 tooth and a long range derailleur handles the 32 tooth sprocket variant.
While changes donÛªt stop with the Drivetrain alone, Shimano has also improved the build of the Shifters and the crank arms as well. Here are all the other changes from the older 105 groupset:
1. Polymer coated cables for light shifting.
2. Compact grip shift/brake levers with customisable screw-type reach adjust
3. New spring arms on both front and rear derailleurs for increased adjustability
4. A 4 ÛÒarm crank, like the Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets, that Shimano claims improves transmission of power to your cycle.
5. Increased braking power with the new symmetrical dual-pivot brake caliper. These support tyres up to 28c. This is a noteworthy improvement if you cycle a lot in the city.
6. The groupset will be available in 2 colours ÛÒ Black and Silver.
If, like us, you were wondering if the Di2 technology of the Dura-Ace and Ultegra would trickle down to the 105 as well, youÛªre going to be disappointed. Shimano currently has no plans to integrate electronic shifting into the 105. But as long as theyÛªre not ruling out the possibility completely, weÛªre still going to wait in anticipation.
ByåÊSatish Narayanan
