Shimano have finally released details of their new 7900 Dura-Ace groupset. The industries worst kept secret has already been commented on by every man and his dog, but for what it's worth...
Shimano needed to produce something to respond to SRAMS's Red and Campagnolo's expected new group.
Aside from looking the part (and even a Campy fan would have to admit the 7900 looks fine), what stands out?
Although it's lighter than Shimano's previous release by 180g, it doesn't beat SRAM Red when it comes to weight:
“Creating something that’s as lightweight as possible is an important goal especially for a product like [Dura-Ace], but it’s never going to be sacrificed for critical features, features that will actually increase endurance, reduce fatigue as well as insure that you’ve got a product that isn’t going to fail you when you need it most,”
Performance over weight? That might sound like an against the grain philosophy in the weight weenie world of road cycling, but you can be sure that more than a few riders will be lining up at the 2008 Tour with the 7900 groupset attached to their bikes. For more info on the new Dura-Ace components check the pretty comprehensive VeloNews page.
Mere mortal availability: winter 2008.
