A model new Shimano GRX gravel groupset has damaged cowl at Unbound Gravel as we speak.
Taylor Lideen, the Shimano-sponsored Arizonan who’s driving the 352-mile ‘XL’ route as we speak, has been noticed with the all-new groupset aboard his Pivot Vault gravel bike.
First observed by Ben Delaney and shared on his The Trip YouTube channel, the groupset appears largely just like the present GRX groupset at face worth, however on nearer inspection, it turns into clear that that is certainly an all-new model of Shimano’s gravel groupset.
Essentially the most vital distinction is the improve to a 12-speed cassette. Present iterations of GRX, of which there are three, embrace a 10-speed choice often called RX-400 and two 11-speed choices comprising mechanical RX-600 and digital RX-800 Di2.
The transfer to 12-speed was broadly predicted – if not anticipated – for the brand new GRX, provided that choices inside each Shimano’s highway and mountain bike ranges had made the identical change, however there have been no clues as to when it could come.
Curiously, in response to Delaney, Lideen’s bike is definitely utilizing an XTR cassette fairly than a GRX-specific model. This proves a component of cross-compatibility throughout the model’s gravel and mountain bike groupsets, as has been doable with present GRX. The cassette in query is a 10-45T. The prevailing 11-speed GRX had a most cassette measurement of 11-42, so this confirms new Shimano GRX will be capable to deal with wider cassettes than earlier than, even when it would not verify the utmost accessible capability.
The brand new GRX groupset proven on Lideen’s bike is mechanical, fairly than the extra premium Di2 digital shifting know-how. That is virtually actually because of the arduous 352-mile activity forward and the elevated reliability provided by mechanical shifting beneath such circumstances, fairly than any omission of an digital choice throughout the new GRX vary. We might be very stunned if the latter was truly the case.
Positively, this does verify that the brand new Shimano GRX will not solely be an digital groupset, such is the way in which that the model’s Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105 highway groupsets have gone in recent times.
The rear derailleur itself has seen a reasonably vital aesthetic replace, as proven within the image above. It has borrowed design cues from more moderen fashions on each highway and mountain bike sides of Shimano’s coin. It seems to have made the change to direct mount, bringing it a lot nearer to the underside of Lideen’s chainstay than seen on Vermeulen’s Enve MOG.
The highest pulley wheel seems a lot bigger too, though this might merely be an phantasm of the photographs now we have and their respective positions hidden behind the remainder of the cage. Regardless, the cage itself is evidently a lot shorter, with the general form of the mech showing smaller, due to this fact may feasibly be each stiffer and lighter.
In Delaney’s video, which we have embedded under, he additionally factors out a newly designed clutch, which incorporates a bigger change extra alike these discovered on Shimano’s mech.
From the few photographs now we have alongside Delaney’s sleuthing, we won’t spot any variations within the shifters. Except for the required inside adjustments, it seems Shimano has caught with the identical visible components.
The identical could be stated for the chainset too. Lideen’s single chainring is marked up with ‘Shimano GRX 12S 42T’. The truth that it’s a single chainring means there is not any definitive affirmation at this level that GRX will stay 2x appropriate, however it could be an enormous shock if Shimano did make it 1x solely. The inclusion of a shift paddle on the left lever helps to substantiate this principle.
It seems that the brand new Shimano GRX additionally has newly designed brakes. They’ve at the very least borrowed the aesthetic DNA from Shimano’s Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets if not performance too. They seem to nonetheless use the identical pads, however the bleed port has been moved to the outer face for simpler entry (as was launched with the aforementioned highway teams). They’ve additionally made the change to a hex-key brake pad retention pin, as a substitute of the flat-head screwdriver which was pretty simply broken.
By way of an official launch date and availability, your guess is pretty much as good as ours at this level. The groupset actually appears to be in a completed manufacturing high quality state, suggesting it could possibly be impending, however with Shimano having struggled fairly considerably from the trade’s provide chain points in recent times, such issues aren’t as simple or predictable as they as soon as had been!
