Shimano has been granted Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for a wireless derailleur and control. The FCC regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States and approval is required to ensure it complies with their standards before it can be released.
Spotted by
mtb-news.de, this is the second FCC approval Shimano has been granted this year following
WY7-3GK1 a rear derailleur and
WY7-927A a wireless module (shifter)
posted in January , which turned out to be for the new Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 and Ultegra Di2 R8100,
released at the end of August.
Once again, the details on this new groupset are locked away behind a confidentiality agreement but we can definitely wildly speculate as to what might be going on here. Of course, our first thought is that this could be the first hint of a wireless Di2 version of the current XTR groupset. Shimano last updated the XTR groupset back in June 2018, which will mean it hits its four-year anniversary right around the time the confidentiality agreement runs out on this filing. Shimano's doesn't currently have any wireless shifting in their mountain bike drivetrain lineup, whereas SRAM now has AXS capabilities on three of its offerings, XX1, X01 and GX. Shimano generally adopts new technologies later than SRAM but they must certainly be feeling the pressure to have their own wireless groupset now we're two years on from AXS' introduction. It's surely a question of when, not if, Shimano drops a wireless mountain bike groupset.
Are there any other possibilities for what this could be? Of course there are. Firstly, both components work off the same frequency (2,478 Mhz) as the Dura Ace and Ultegra groupsets released earlier this year. This could just be Shimano's favored frequency or it could be that they are bringing the technology down to 105 level in their road line up. To me this doesn't make a huge amount of sense as it's doubtful they have recouped the cost of R&D enough to trickle down the technology. Instead, it seems more likely that this is just a similar technology to the current road groupsets and could share the 'wiredless' method of wireless controls linking to a central battery that controls the derailleur using wires.
The second thing to notice is that the filing is for a 'dual control' lever. We read that as a lever that operates the brakes and well as the gears. There are no prizes here for pointing out that
Shimano has produced Dual Control mountain bike brakes in the past but we highly doubt they're returning to that technology in 2022. Instead, we'd look to their GRX gravel groupset to be the alternate possibility for what the dual control levers operate.
Whatever the case, the confidentiality agreement will end on 15 June 2022 so put that date in your diary for a potential release of this new technology. You can check out the FCC filings for the
derailleur, here, and
the control, here.Shimano said, "Shimano is constantly working on the development of new products. However, we do not comment on rumours or speculation about products, whether they are in development or not."
But just to draw my line in the sand, it would be a loooong time before I would be interested in putting any electric gizmos on my bike (I've even taken off the tiny bike computer/gps that I once had). I'm not racing, so any fractional improvement to performance by electro systems is negligible. It doesn't improve convenience since I would have to charge batteries. Reliability/durability is all that is left, and I'm still on the fence on those.
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How hackers are targeting your phone through Bluetooth - Panda Security
Reading too much into this. Probably Shimano efficiency using the same radio chip. 2.4Ghz is an unlicensed band that can be used without purchasing the spectrum. Bluetooth, RC cars, etc. all use it.
@CSharp: And just to clarify I am the exact opposite of a dentist. I am a government employee.
And is the improvement with electric shifting about the same as the improvement with AXS droppers?
The dude that sold me my frame also wanted to sell me an AXS dropper. After I tried it and he told me the price, I just laughed.
1. it never misses a shift in any weather
2. Not that a mechanical shifter takes much effort, but the effort to shift Di2 is even simpler. Below freezing rides and a push of a button, no missed shift
3. shifting performance does not degrade over time, no housing and cable to get gunked up
4. For me the shape of the Ultegra hoods is just fantastic. I prefer SRAM on my mtn bike and did not like the shape of previous Shimano road levers/hoods, but the Di2 fits my hands perfectly.
Those are my main reasons. I would really like to try AXS on a mtb so I can campare to the GX Eagle I have.
All the advantages of Shimano shifting, combined with Sram electronic shifting and rear clutch. I have it on my current enduro bike, and it works flawlessly.
Personally, I've found zero drawbacks to the combo system matching the AXS to the XT HG+. The mechanic that set it up did have to do a bit of tinkering, but seemed to suggest that it was no big deal. Otherwise, it just works.
I’ll gladly stick with the cable for now..lol
By the way i had for some time an AXS drivetrain on my Enduro and it worked bad like the loweend Shimano cable accuratet one so I dunno..
you just congratulated yourself on waiting for a product release that hasn’t actually happened, and you know nothing about. Might not even be a mountain bike group set….wild
Whether you believe AXSis good or not, my comment was more directed on your ability to hype yourself based on absolutely no info, other than what you believed would possibly come out, maybe sometime in June….
Cool though man, keep on keeping on
The wide narrow larger cogs causes the chain to ride up every so often and it has to slip into sync.
That's not engineering, that's a get it out the door band-aid.
Now take all the complaints about the AXS paddles and why they had to release an upgrade kit.
"Now get rid of the ep8 knocking"
Be safe be well,
Incognito Robin