Tech of the Week: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100

Shimano's new Dura-Ace R9100 is set to be groundbreaking. Shimano has taken a whole new step into cycling and technology, the new Shimano Dura-Ace R9100. This high-tech bicycle it’s a mix of history, knowledge, experience, collaboration and more. 

This proposal made by Shimano reflects the concept of examining and improving every detail and feature in order to get the best performance possible. That means this model tries to reduce the waste of energy produced by the athlete’s effort and the improve the results achieved. Also, this bike comes with a new shifting logic system that can be manually controlled, even through an application that can be used with your Smartphone; called App Shimano E-Tube,  it can be synchronized through Bluetooth and allows you to customize your profiles and preferences. 

This newest version of the Dura-Ace applied high technology into its shifting system with the Shimano Synchronized Shift, initially developed in the mountain bike world; and now for roads, this technology allows one to control the back shift and derailleurs just by touching the bottom. This electric and mechanical shift is an entire evolution of Shimano, and it comes in two different types;  

-Full SHIMANO Synchronized Shift: The front derailleurs respond based on the back shift actions. This means that when it’s activated you don’t need two separate switches to control the shift and the derailleur; the two bottoms are located on one only handle that can control the back shift and the front derailleur.    

-Semi SHIMANO Synchronized Shift: The back shift responds based on the derailleur shift, changing to an appropriate progress when the front derailleur is activated. 

As mentioned earlier, the main point of this model is to reduce the waste of energy between the effort applied by the person and the speed achieved with the pedal. This process starts in the crank that includes a new design 2x11 hollowtech. The crank arm is lighter and the hollow exterior plate improves rigidity and energy transference.

An also added innovation into this model is the FC-R9100-P power meter; this innovation can measure your power in real time, this can help you analyze and improve your performance. This device can be synchronized with other devices and it's very easy to use and install. 

The brain of the power meter is situated inside the body of the crank, and the measure is made by its arms every time the user pedals, that way, each leg can be calculated separately. The system review and update can be done through a Smartphone or Tablet.

Another very appealing innovation of the Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 is its brake system. It is being manufactured under two types of a brake system, traditional brakes system, and hydraulic disc brakes; each of them is a very good and powerful option. This model really shows how much technology has improved throughout time.