mstateglfr 

Is a rim brake option next?






h/t PL

georges1

Thanks for sharing I hope shimano will reintroduce mechanical ultegra and dura ace and rim brakes too

jaxgtr

I highly doubt it, the Cues stuff does not even have rim brakes.

datlas 

I hope so but unlikely to support rim brakes going forward.

delbiker1 

I am already using 12 speed mechanical with rim brakes: Kuota crankset 1 ring 44t, 5700 rear derailleur, 6400 bar end levers in friction mode, 6700 brake calipers, Sunshine 12 speed cassette 11-34, KMC 12 speed chain, Tektro 720 brake levers, Vuelta SLR 11 speed wheelset. Shifting and braking are very good, bike weight is down to just over 17 pounds with no extras on it.

msu2001la

I have zero interest in owning anything with rim brakes ever again.

On the topic of electronic shifting - I think it's very cool and I feel like it's expected on high end bikes now. I have a hard time imagining spending Dura Ace or Ultegra money and wanting mechanical shifting. Maybe if I were retrofitting a vintage bike, but on something new this seems like an oxymoron.

At the 105 level the cost seems a bit more debatable. I think Di2 105 added somewhere around $900 to the cost, which is a much larger percentage of total price on a mid-tier bike. I'd rather spend that money on nicer tires and wheels, or just save a bit so I can upgrade to a power meter, buy some nicer shoes/pedals, etc.

Jrasero

Rim brake probably not. I think how well Rival AXS did and now with SRAM doing APEX AXS, Shimano is pretty shook and that's why they are doing 12 speed 105 mechanical, which is great since this should lower the entry level bike prices a bit. The Aethos was introduced what like 2 years ago with a mechanical port and I think Shimano must have had this in the pipeline but do to COVID they never came out with a mechanical Aethos. Seeing a $4K Shimano 105 Aethos would be pretty huge IMO

bampilot06

2025-2026 I think we will see rim brakes make a come back. Big bike is waiting for majority of the bikes on the road to be disc. Once the conversion is complete they will bring back rim brakes. Rim brakes will always be lighter than disc, and they will convince us that it’s what we need.


Jokes on them. 3 of my bikes are Rim brakes………

Vinnems

But does it come in silver?

PeteHski

I think this may well happen...... in your wildest dreams.

PeteHski

I think mechanical 105 12-speed makes sense to keep overall new bike pricing down. I expect there will be a lot of bikes offered with this group next year. It will probably be their highest volume seller because of the price. Electronic groups are still pretty exotic out in the wild and they really push up the build cost at the lower end. A £3k bike suddenly becomes a £4k bike with electronic shifting. At least for now.

Sy Reene

Electronic group bikes are still pricey, exotic, upscale because the manufacturers bundle other stuff into their bikes that have electronic shifting.
How much could an example Trek Domane AL2 Disc ($1200 msrp) be if they instead swapped in a 105 Di2 groupset?

genejockey 

Right! Just like they did with downtube shifters!

jonathanf2

Any noticeable advantages going 12 speed over 11 speed?

Sy Reene

Yes, 1 speed.

PeteHski

I have both 11 and 12 speed and don’t notice any difference. I certainly wouldn’t do it as an upgrade unless you need a new drivetrain or buying a new bike.

Racing Dan

Certain 12s cassettes have one more gear in the useful range vs the 11s, as opposed to one more extra tall or small gear. For instance the 12s 11-30 has a 16t where the 11s does not.

Bicycle Gear Calculator

To my mind that's useful, but also a solution to a "problem" mostly generated from lack of cassette and chain ring options in the 11s line up.

Dave Mayer

Looks like a positive development for Shimano and the cycling public. My riding cronies were spooked with 105 was introduced as disc/electronic with a price tag double of what they'd been used to. The interpretation was that Shimano was abandoning the mid-level market to new more price competitive players such as LTWOO, Sensah, etc.

Now I want 105 rim brake/electronic - the best of both worlds. Electronic shifting is a major benefit in terms of shifting reliability and user experience. Rim brakes offer huge 622mm rotors and intelligently integrate the rim and braking surface as one, saving a lot of wheel weight. Plus with rim brakes, braking forces are transferred from the tire to the bike frame in an optimum way, allowing bike manufacturers to save more weight, particularly on the fork. We all know that disc brake compatible forks are heavy and non-compliant, leading to a jarring ride. Probably why disc-brake bikes need fatter tires - a consequence of overly stiff frames required to deal with disc braking forces.

Maybe in a few years from now when the last of the good rim brake bikes have been crashed and landfilled. Time to bring something exciting and new to the market - but at a big price premium.

colnago62

https://alexscycle.com/products/shim...-rim-brake-set


https://alexscycle.com/products/shim...-rim-brake-set

datlas 

Whoah! We were told these 12 speed Di2 groupsets would not support rim brakes. Not so, apparently?

PeteHski

I think it’s the new wireless shift levers that are disc only. So you can use fully wired shifters with rim brakes.

georges1

thanks for sharing and a much better choice than SRAM and Campy

datlas 

That would make sense, thanks for the clarification.

PeteHski

Aethos forks weigh 270g and Roval Alpinist wheels are 1248g. So I think you are exaggerating a bit here.

Anyway I don’t think Shimano are going to bother with your request.

PeteHski

Not if you prefer a fully wireless installation and quick battery changes.