In Year 2021, the new 12 speed Dura-Ace and Ultegra road groupsets were launched to the market. During that time, there was a brief display at the Shimano Cycling World, you can read all about it here.
After a long wait, I finally managed to get my hands on a new Ultegra 12 speed road shifter, for a closer analysis. This is the most common specification for high end road bikes nowadays, with hydraulic disc brakes and electronic shifting. Let's take a closer look at this new 12 speed road shifter.
Dura-Ace and Ultegra shifters are almost the same, so almost everything that you see below are equally applicable to both Dura-Ace and Ultegra versions, unless otherwise specified.
Side view of the shifter. Looks better compared to all other versions.
Front cover of the shifter is fixed, making it possible to hold this part securely. Ultegra uses an aluminium lever, while Dura-Ace has a carbon lever.
There is a inward curve and tilt, which follows the hand position more naturally for a more ergonomic riding position.
From the exterior, there is not much features to be seen. What I like about this new shape is that it feels softer and more rounded in terms of the hood shape, making it more comfortable.
With the rubber hood (also called bracket cover) removed, let's take a look at the internal parts.
Lots of cutouts at the side of the bracket to save weight. Note the slot which enables the Servo Wave feature.
On the other side, there are wires which link the electronic parts to the ports. If used in wireless mode, these ports are unused.
There is a hidden button at the top for extra functions, such as changing the screen on the Garmin cycle computer.
The shifter uses 1x 1632 battery to communicate wirelessly with the rear derailleur.
Hydraulic hose connects to the port at the back of the bracket. The Dura-Ace shifter has a titanium clamp band instead of steel to save a bit of weight.
Due to the slot design, the leverage changes throughout the stroke, allowing better braking power when the brake pads contact the brake rotor. This is what Servo Wave means.
Master piston moves along the master cylinder when the brake lever is activated.
To check the battery level, hold down both buttons for a split second and the LED indicator will glow green or red to indicate the battery charge.
Bracket is long enough to allow 3 fingers under the bracket, while the hood is also tall enough to enable secure gripping in the aero hood riding position.
Yet another picture showing the inward tilt and curve of this new 12 speed road shifter.
The aero hoods position, where you grip the top of the hood and position your forearms horizontally.
The aero hood riding position is actually a faster position than riding in the drops, as the forearms are completely hidden from the wind, since they are positioned horizontally and behind the shifter and hands. You will find many pro riders using this position when they are riding at the front and need to minimize the air resistance.
Weight of one Ultegra shifter, without oil is 192 grams. This gives 384 grams per pair.
There will be another post comparing this new 12 speed shifter (ST-R9270/R8170) with the previous generation (ST-R9170/R8070).
The appearance of this new shifter is quite distinctive, as I am usually able to tell which groupset the bike has just by looking at the shape of the shifters.
It would be great to see the hydraulic 12s shifters compared with the 12s rim shifters. In particular the reach.... seems the cable ones may be better suited to small hands?
ReplyDeleteThe 12 speed Di2 rim brake shifters are basically the same shape as the 11 speed Di2 shifters (such as ST-R8050). Yes they are a bit smaller and shorter, but the lever reach is similar.
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