With Shimano 105 going 12-speed electronic in its latest R7100 guise, Shimano now rivals SRAM in the depth of its 12-speed electronic groupset line-up.
But when even Geraint Thomas was running 11-speed Dura-Ace Di2 at the grand départ of the Tour de France in Copenhagen this year, you know that actually getting a bike with a 12-speed Shimano groupset attached is not that simple.
The availability of Dura-Ace and Ultegra Di2 groupsets is still poor, almost a year after their launch. It looks as if the big brands aren’t committing to 105 Di2 until they’re sure they can get enough groupsets to equip thousands of bikes.
That means that you’re more likely to find 105 Di2 with smaller builders, who don’t need the volume of groupsets of the large brands. Smaller direct sales brands can also pivot their production a lot more easily if availability does increase, and building to order means that they don’t need a huge stock of 105 Di2 groupsets to start shipping bikes.
What does Shimano 105 Di2 offer?
Shimano 105 Di2 R7100 shares many of the features of Shimano’s higher-end 12-speed groupsets, including semi-wireless shifting, with a central battery to power the derailleurs and a wireless connection from the shift levers.
It comes in hydraulic disc brake guise, and with 50-34t or 52-36t chainsets only. But all the options we’ve found have a 50/34t, suggesting that semi-compact chainrings may still not be available. You can pair the chainset with either an 11-34t in-series cassette or a non-series 11-36t which gives you more range than either Dura-Ace or Ultegra 12-speed.
Here’s a run-down of Shimano 105 Di2 equipped bikes and the availability date stated by brands on their sites – if there is one.
Bikes with Shimano 105 Di2 and their availability
Ribble is a UK direct sales brand, but will also ship to the US and other countries. It has a dedicated site for Germany (opens in new tab). There’s a range of Ribble bikes available with Shimano 105 Di2, including the titanium CGR Ti, Endurance SL Disc, Endurance SL e electric road bike and aero Ultra SL R.
The CGR Ti is an all-road bike with the clearance for wider tyres, with the standard spec including Mavic Allroad wheels with Schwalbe G-One Allround 40mm tyres. The finishing kit on the standard build comes from Ribble’s in-house brand ‘Level’.
Although all…
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