Shimano edge toward 11 speed?
So here’s a thing. Shimano have just announced that their core 105 road groupset has gone to 11 speed, with parts availability looking to come in from May 2014 onwards (don’t ask me to define a model year – 2014? 2015? – I don’t know!).
‘So what’ I hear you cry! Fair point, this is a mountain bike website after all. Well, it so happens that they have also got what they call a flat-bar shifter in the range…
Think about that for a moment. In mountain bike parlance, Shimano now make an 11 speed trigger shifter which means for anyone considering a 1×11 set-up there is now an option beyond the stratospherically expensive SRAM XX1 11-speed system.
OK, so you’d need to run Shimano’s 11 speed cassette (available with a 11-32 cog spread), and you’d most likely need to run the 105 rear derailleur, but since this ‘road’ kit tends to be tested by crazy cyclocross racers I’m reasonably certain it would hold up for us weekend warriors on MTBs.
I’m just wondering how long it will be before this logic filters down to mountain bikers, or if the availability of an 11-speed trigger shifter means more 11 speed goodness is in the pipeline for us fairly soon.
About the author
Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.
Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.
An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.
If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.
There are 8 comments on ‘Shimano edge toward 11 speed?’
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Elliot says:
I’m not sure there’s much point in mountain bike 11spd unless it is for a 1x system with a wide range cassette? Catalogue spy-shots of a new XTR groupset with a choice of 1/2/3×11 and Di2 or cable are on Bikeradar’s forum. Of course that’s not going to answer the price problem though. Hopefully some day it will filter down to the better value stuff.
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Posted on April 1, 2014 at 3:35 pm
tony says:
11 speed? Us darkside campag users have had it for years 🙂
I can’t see that unless Shimano add another larger size sprocket for the 1×11 user there is too much worthwhile in changing.
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Posted on April 1, 2014 at 3:51 pm
Big Al says:
Gears !! Nothing but trouble . 1×1 is the only way .
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Posted on April 1, 2014 at 9:07 pm
Matt says:
I hear what you’re saying peeps. My point (I think) was that if Shimano have gone to the trouble of an 11-speed shifter then the application of the tech in MTB-land is probably not far away.
In terms of gear spread, I think it’s only a matter of time before Shimano and SRAM start producing wide range cassettes, they are leaving a lot of business on the table letting the small firms make 40T/42T rings. But we’ll see I guess.
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Posted on April 1, 2014 at 10:36 pm
tony says:
This is also the first mechanical (ie. no electric) and hydro shifter that shimano has brought out. Even I (diehard Campag fan) like the sound of that on a winter bike.
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Posted on April 2, 2014 at 9:57 am
Matt says:
Yes, the mechanical gear/hydraulic brake shifter that Shimano have announced for the road is massively significant, especially since it looks ‘normal’ and not all cone-heady like the SRAM effort. Might be new frames all-round for people in 18 months time if UCI approve discs for racing, as seems increasingly likely.
For us normal road riders it won’t be a huge speed benefit but as we’ve all found on MTBs, extra control in extremis + great reliability + greater predictability = a lot more fun
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Posted on April 2, 2014 at 12:50 pm
Lloyd Brown says:
FUN!! and there I was thinking that road riding was all about pain and suffering with the primary objective being to endure a little more of it then the next rider.
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Posted on April 2, 2014 at 3:46 pm
ray k says:
Hi.Just gone 11 speed sram on new road frame.If you run Hope wheels the pro 3 hubs might not take 11 speed free hub £68. I like the idea of Sram hydrolic calipers if they iron out problems ?
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Posted on April 5, 2014 at 9:25 pm