The new Ultegra gets the once-over,
It’s a case of evolution not revolution for the Japanese company’s latest release
The new Ultegra 8000 has landed, the latest iteration of Shimano’s hugely popular second-tier groupset.
Along with new R8050 Di2 and R8070 hydraulic disc components it looks more like an evolution than a revolution, and one that most people expected. However, it’s a move that brings the groupset well and truly in line with the latest Shimano Dura-ace R9100 series.
Most striking is Shimano’s overhaul of the chainset’s aesthetics. The new Ultegra model now mirrors flagship Dura-ace with the sleek, dark finish and chunky crank.
Chainrings will be available in 46/36, 50/34, 52/36 and 53/39 set-ups. On the rear there’s an equally wide spread of ratios, with cassettes available from 11-25t, 11-28t, 11-30t, 11-32t, 12-25t and 12-28t.
Up front, the design of the hoods has changed: more comfortable and slimmer with an overall reduction in girth compared to the old 6800 series hood. There’s also an element of grip where there used to be just smooth rubber. Shimano has also, as ever, looked to improve the ergonomics of the levers: the kink at the top is exaggerated to give more space for the fingers.
The Ultegra R8000 rear derailleur is confirmation of Shimano’s future adoption across the board of the Shadow design imported from mountain biking and used in the new Dura-ace rear mech. This facilitates slicker cable routing and shifting, which means less cable friction. It also allows the rear mech to be tucked closer to the frame out of harm’s way. The longer cage (‘medium’) version of the rear derailleur is capable of accommodating a 11-34t cassette.
The front derailleur mimics the far slimmer, almost skeletal Dura-ace 9100 model. It is designed to handle quick and smooth shifting under high pedalling torque and has been remodelled so that it’s smaller with more efficient cable actuation. Shimano says it has been redesigned so it can accommodate wider tyres as well as a wider gear pitch without sacrificing shifting.
The mechanical caliper brakes still use the dual pivot design but they have been given extra clearance to accommodate 28mm tyres — a sign that Shimano is well aware of the trend for bigger rubber.
The Ultegra 8000 pedals have undergone a series of revisions and are now 0.6mm lower in stack than their
previous iterations, come with a 4mm longer axle and are a claimed 248g — the same as before.
What Shimano hasn’t done is tried to shave weight. As with the new Duraace, the Japanese engineers have focused on making the new groupset work better rather than stripping it back and making it as light as possible: the new levers are a claimed 438g compared to 6800’s 425g while the new chainset at 674g is claimed to be just 2g lighter than the old one.
Shimano Ultegra R8000 mechanical rim-brake components will start to arrive in Europe from June, while Di2 and disc-brake components are due from August.