Focus Paralane: Dura-Ace Di2 12 Speed Rear Derailleur R9250

Next component to be introduced for the new 12 speed road system is the rear derailleur! The new Dura-Ace R9250 rear derailleur has a lot of stuff packed into it, I will get into the details in just a while.

This is the next generation electronic rear derailleur, upgraded from the previous 11 speed R9150. This post will focus on the new 12 speed rear derailleur and what it can do. All these components will go onto the Focus Paralane road bike.

New Dura-Ace RD-R9250 Di2 rear derailleur for 12 speed road drivetrain!

Glossy black surface finishing, in line with the appearance of this groupset. Even the hardware such as bolts and screws are black in colour.

Focus Paralane: Dura-Ace Di2 Shifters R9270

The previous upgrade for the Focus Paralane was the change to a 2x11 speed drivetrain, up from the original 1x11 speed system. Reasons for the change can be found at the previous post.

Now, we are entering a new phase for this all-weather commuting road bike. With the release of the new Shimano 12 speed road groupset, it is time for me to scratch the itch and upgrade the bike again!

Due to high demand and restricted supply, I had to wait quite a bit to receive all the components for this 12 speed upgrade. As most of the components are not compatible with the previous 11 speed system, almost all the components need to be changed at the same time.

Let's take a closer look at each of the new 12 speed components before assembling them onto the bike. This time, the 12 speed Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets were introduced simultaneously, so riders can choose either groupset to suit their needs and budget, or even mix and match if that is what you prefer.

Starting with the 12 speed hydraulic Di2 road shifters, let's check out each of the new components. A new blog page has been created for the 12 speed Focus Paralane.

Dura-Ace ST-R9270 hydraulic Di2 road shifters! Comes pre-bled with the brake calipers for convenience.

Instead of using plastic packaging, paper packaging is used to make it more environmentally friendly. Looks like curry puff packaging to me...

Here is how the pair looks! Dura-Ace has the shiniest clear coat you will see on any bike component.

Shimano RX8 Gravel Shoes - Bronze

Just a short post showing the new RX8 gravel shoes that I just got! I really love the RX8 gravel shoes as they are so comfortable and yet still high performance. They look like sleek road cycling shoes, yet uses the more walking-friendly SPD cleats.

Check out this new Bronze colour! I had previously bought the Silver colour and also the limited edition Cactus Berry colour versions.

Great looking bronze colour! Fades to black colour towards the rear of the shoe.

UItegra Di2 Shifters R8070 vs R8170: Internal Comparison

In the previous comparison, the external shape and ergonomics of the older 11 speed Ultegra Di2 shifter ST-R8070 was compared with the new 12 speed Ultegra Di2 shifter ST-R8170.

Now, let's look at the internal area of the shifters, with the rubber hood removed. Just before that, check out the weight difference of the shifters.

Old ST-R8070 shifter, 182 grams per side, giving 364 grams per pair.

New ST-R8170 shifter, 192 grams per side, giving 384 grams per pair.

There is a slight weight increase of 20 grams per pair, which is not a problem given that the ergonomics have been improved quite a bit, along with the wireless capability.

Next, the rubber hoods are removed to check out how it looks under the cover.

Old shifter on the left. Ribs and cutouts are larger on the new shifter. General shape and layout looks similar.

UItegra Di2 Shifters R8070 vs R8170: External Comparison

Now that I have both the new 12 speed road shifter and the previous generation 11 speed road shifter, I can do a side by side comparison!

The new 12 speed road shifter is the Ultegra Di2 ST-R8170, while the 11 speed road shifter is the Ultegra Di2 ST-R8070. Note that for these two generations of shifters, the Dura-Ace and Ultegra versions are very similar, so I will often refer to them interchangeably.

For this post, I will compare the exterior features, with extra focus on the ergonomics. If you are interested in other Di2 shifters, such as the GRX Di2 ST-RX815, check out this other post!

New shifter on the left, old shifter on the right. Old brake lever has a more pronounced "kink" to it, while the new lever is nearly straight.

Ultegra Di2 Shifter for Road 12 Speed

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.

Bestrider Pump Pro 16: Pedals for Kids

Remember when I had a hard time finding the Early Rider pedals for the Bestrider Pump Pro 16 kids bike? I finally managed to buy it as an aftermarket order, but later realized that it was actually slightly larger than the original ones that came with the Early Rider Seeker 14.

Then, someone told me about this particular model of Promend pedals that are not specifically labeled as kids size, but they are smaller than usual. These pedals use sealed bearings, and are of better quality than most pedals out there. Out of curiosity, I decided to get a pair to check it out. It was available at a reasonable price, cheaper than the Early Rider pedals that I bought.

To my surprise, I found that they are the same size as the Early Rider pedals that I got for the Bestrider kids bike!

These Promend PD-R87 pedals are the same size as the Early Rider pedals that I bought. In fact, they look 90% the same!

Focus Paralane: 2x11 Speed Drivetrain Installation

As a commuting bike, the Focus Paralane is nearly perfect, as it is a fast road bike with high end components. However, since I use it a a road bike for group rides as well, I find that the gear range is not quite enough. This is most apparent when riding down slope, as the highest gear (Front 40T and rear 11T) is 98 gear inches, which is not enough when riding fast down the slopes.

Therefore, if I am using it as a road bike for group rides as well, I need more gear range. There is already a wide 11-36T cassette on this bike, so I cannot use a wider range cassette without sacrificing the close gear steps. Best way is to install a front double system with two chain rings, to get the wider gear range and yet with close gear steps.

When I installed the Dura-Ace R9100 crank arms onto this bike, the chain rings were kept aside. Now, what I need to do is to just reinstall the chain rings onto the Dura-Ace crank arms.

Before that, I needed to check if this frame can accommodate a front derailleur properly. The stock Curana fenders had a cutout to avoid interference with the front derailleur, so with the SKS mudguards, there might be some issue.

Attaching the Dura-Ace FD-R9250 Di2 Front Derailleur to the front derailleur mount to check it out.

Toopre Press Fit Bottom Bracket Tool Set

If you deal with bikes that have a press fit bottom bracket, you will probably dread removing a press fit BB from the frame. The traditional method requires inserting a metal tool behind the BB cups, and hammering the tool from the other side.

I always dread doing this process, as applying a high force to a carbon frame is always risky. It takes two people to do it properly, as the first person needs both hands to brace the frame properly, while the second person will hold the tool with one hand and a hammer on the other hand.

Sometimes the BB fits into the frame very tightly, and it takes a lot of hard but careful hammering to remove it from the frame. I dislike this kind of brute force method as there is chance of damage to the frame, and the BB will most likely be damaged after it is removed.

I had a few bikes that uses a press fit BB, such as the Java Freccia mini velo, the Canyon Endurace, the Cervelo Aspero and now the Focus Paralane. Installing the press fit BB is not an issue, as there is a threaded tool to press it in smoothly. However, the tough part is removing the BB to access the Di2 wires, hydraulic hose or other stuff inside the frame.

Traditional press fit BB removal tool. The flexible prongs at the end will brace against the back of the BB cups from the inside, while you hammer on the other end.

Insert the tool from this side, and pull the tool through, which will close up the prongs...

Bestrider Pump Pro 16: Stem Upgrade + Exploration

This is probably the last upgrade post for this Bestrider Pump Pro 16 that I will be writing in a while. Starting from the stock bike, the drivetrain was upgraded from single speed to a 3 speed internal hub system. The tires were changed to slick type for lower rolling resistance, while the saddle and seat post were also changed to allow saddle position adjustment.

Now, I will be changing the stem, to improve the handling of this bike. I placed a GoPro on the stem cap of the bike, to record some riding videos from my kid's point of view. It is very interesting, and I found that the handlebar swerves left and right quite a bit even when riding in a straight line.

As I am unable to ride the bike myself to check the geometry, I suspect that this could be due to sensitive steering. It could be due to insufficient trail on the fork or some other geometry problem. Instead of being able to self-center when riding the bike in a straight like, the steering might be too sensitive, requiring constant input and correction to prevent it from steering towards the left or right side. I encountered this issue when I used a handlepost that was too short on the United Trifold.

Stock setup with a super short stem, MTB style.