New tooth profiling results in noticeably better shifting up front.James Huang
Dura-Ace 7900 isn’t quite here yet but it’s not far off, either.James Huang
With so much hype surrounding the launch, can Dura-Ace 7900 possibly live up to its billing?James Huang
The new lever shape is far more comfortable than before.James Huang
The slight outward cant means the lever is easier to reach.James Huang
Derailleur cables are now concealed beneath the handlebar tape and can be run on either the front or back of the bar.James Huang
The new FlightDeck will be far easier to install than previous iterations; just remove the stock cap, plug in the new units and off you go.James Huang
Shimano still uses tiny little screws to remove the stock plug but they’re now captured so you can’t lose them.James Huang
You must first remove the front plate to access the reach adjustment screw.James Huang
The shifter guts are now surprisingly exposed to the elements…James Huang
…and only the lever hood provides a modicum of coverage in key areas.James Huang
The lever hood fit is also surprisingly sloppy.James Huang
One undeniable star of the group is the new crankset.James Huang
Shimano says the new crank is both lighter and more rigid than before.James Huang
The spider is far deeper to accommodate the new hollow outer chainring.James Huang
Even though it’s deeper, the spider uses less material so it’s lighter.James Huang
The new hollow outer chainring is noticeably difficult to bend by hand.James Huang
The new chainring is actually made from two sheets of aluminum that are bonded together. Separate plugs are inserted for the chainring bolt threads.James Huang
The aluminum chainring bolts thread from the back directly into the outer chainring.James Huang
The non-driveside crankarm still attaches via the familiar pinch bolts.James Huang
Rear shifting feels virtually identical to that of 7800.James Huang
The carbon fibre pulley cage might be lighter than 7800’s aluminium one but it also feels far flimsier.James Huang
The new front derailleur uses a wider cage so there’s no chain rub in the big-big combination yet shift performance is still superb.James Huang
Shimano now uses different side plates for the outside…James Huang
…and inside of the chain for better shift performance.James Huang
New 7900 cassettes add a fourth titanium cog and there are more ratio options to suit more casual cyclists.James Huang
More aggressive milling sheds weight as compared to 7800 without sacrificing stiffness.James Huang
Braking performance on Dura-Ace 7900 is stunning with superb power and modulation matched with outstanding lever feel.James Huang
Milled-out arms maintain overall stiffness while shedding needless grams.James Huang
The lower brake barrel adjusters improve cable routing on more smaller/more compact frames and lower/shorter stems.James Huang
The new hubs features aluminum axles that are more rigid axially and a revised bearing adjustment system that most will find easier to use.James Huang
Simply use two 5mm hex wrenches to remove the axle end cap…James Huang
…remove the indexed locking ring and then adjust the cone by hand. Reverse the procedure for reassembly and you’re done!James Huang
James Huang departs the Tour de France for the official Dura-Ace 7900 launch in the lush green hills of Ebnisee, Germany to gather some first impressions (and some impromptu interval training).
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All in the palm of our hands
Of all the updates unveiled for Dura-Ace 7900, we’ve held the highest hopes for the changes to the new STI Dual Control levers. Now that we’ve logged some actual saddle time, we can confirm that the revised shape is everything it’s cracked up to be, at least in terms of ergonomics.
The body’s markedly increased girth overall and flatter top yield a far more comfortable perch than 7800’s overly concave shape and the knob at the top of the lever still offers a good place to set your palms when you’re trying to go aero even without the benefit of the old version’s exposed cable housing to hook your thumbs around.
The carbon lever blade’s outward cant is a more natural fit, too, and the long-awaited reach adjustment proved rather handy on the PRO anatomic-bend bar we used during this initial testing. Even before bringing the levers closer to the bar, though, the new shifter’s larger paddles down below offers bigger targets that are easier to find when you’re in the drops and going hard.
Rear shifts actually feel identical to 7800 with the usual incredibly light and smooth action we’ve become accustomed to from Shimano. Considering the concealed derailleur housing’s slightly more convoluted gear cable routing, this should be probably be viewed as an improvement.
Even so, we had hoped for a little more here. Shimano claims a 20 percent shorter throw for the main right-hand lever but if that’s the case, it’s hardly noticeable. As compared to Campagnolo and SRAM’s newest Red group, Dura-Ace 7900’s lever throws seem far longer, especially for upshifts. The XTR group’s more advanced Instant Release and Multi-Release functions have been skipped over here in the name of weight saving, too, which means you can still only upshift one gear at a time (Red obviously has the same limitation but its far shorter throw still makes for faster multiple upshifts). In a distinct step backwards, you can now only downshift two gears at a time, not three as with 7800.
