- Shimano have just launched the world's first gravel
and adventure riding specific groupset.
Shimano GRX.
Here it is.
Now in this video, I'm going to give you a first look at it.
I'm going to go through all the features and options,
there are quite a lot.
And crucially, I'm going to explain
what makes it different from a road-specific groupset.
But before I do any of that,
if you appreciate our content
then please subscribe to the channel
and also click the bell icon to get notifications
as this really helps support the channel.
(relaxed hip-hop music)
Shimano GRX is the first groupset
that is specifically designed for mixed-surface riding,
gravel, and adventure riding on drop-bar bikes.
The fact that it exists at all is a testament
to the growth of this kind of riding.
Being able to take your bike off roads,
allowing you to explore and go on adventures
is great fun, and comes with an amazing feeling of freedom.
Essentially, what you have is Shimano's road groupset
merged with its mountain-bike ones.
And firstly, there are different tiers,
like other groupsets.
So, you've got RX800, RX600, and RX400.
Think of it like Shimano Ultegra, 105, and Tiagra.
Now RX800 and 600 are both 11 speed,
and RX400 is 10 speed.
This is the RX800 mechanical groupset.
And along with the RX600 version,
it's both available in a one by 11 setup
that you can see here,
but also with two by double chainsets as well.
Now the 10 speed RX400 groupset
is only available with two by chainsets.
Oh, and there's also a top of the range electronic version
with Di2 called RX815.
There's loads of cool and interesting tech
built into the new groupset, which I will now explain.
Firstly, the levers, they've been completely redesigned.
And this is because Shimano did some research
and they found that riders preferentially
are in the hoods rather than the drops
when negotiating descents and technical sections on gravel.
So they've improved the braking
when you're in the hoods.
And they've done this by raising the pivot point
of the brakes 18 millimeters.
And it means you have even greater leverage
than riding in the drops, too.
Making one-fingered braking easier.
Riding in the hoods is actually
something I found myself doing when I was in Iceland.
There's a revised shape to the hoods
and the levers as well for better ergonomics
in that off-road riding situation.
And you've also got a textured pattern
on the hood, and a matte finish on the lever
which is designed to give a bit more grip.
So it's less slippery when wet.
There's also Servo Wave technology
borrowed from Shimano's top of the range
mountain-bike groupsets in the Di2 levers,
these are the mechanical ones.
And the Servo Wave technology
results in a non-linear brake pull.
The idea is that when you pull the lever,
the first part of the lever stroke is quicker
and then when it engages the brake pad
it comes on slower, and this is designed
to give you greater modulation when braking.
However the calipers and the discs
are essentially the same as what you'd get
on a Shimano road groupset, you can use
the mountain-bike disc rotors if you want.
But they're just badged up differently
with the GRX logo on there.
Interestingly though, you can fit
in-line, cyclo-cross style brake levers
on the tops now, if you want.
Which in a hydraulic groupset, that's really cool!
(rhythmic hip-hop music)
We need to talk about gears,
because there are loads of different options.
Essentially though, what you have
is easier gears than what you find
on most road bikes.
And this is designed to help with riding off-road,
on rougher terrain, perhaps up steep, short climbs
or when the bike is loaded up with kit.
Also, you have bigger spread of gears
than you find on most road bikes too.
And this is designed to help with mixed-surface riding.
Because sometimes you might need or want to go faster
because you're on tarmac, and then other times
you'll be off-road.
Our bike is fitted with the one by 11 drive train.
And we've got a 40 tooth cassette at the front.
But there's also a 42 tooth option
if that's what you want.
And at the back I've got an 11 40 cassette.
But again, there's an 11 42 tooth.
And you can use other Shimano cassettes as well,
any 11 speed cassette will in theory be compatible
so you could use an 11 30 if you wanted.
And the rear mech has been completely redesigned as well.
So, I really like the way this looks.
It kind of blends the aesthetic of Shimano Ultegra
with their mountian-bike tech
and you've got that direct mount linkage
and the long cage, but it looks really cool.
And it also has a clutch built into it as well.
Similar to the Ultegra RX rear derailleur
we did a video on last year.
The clutch is there to keep the chain tight
and stop it slapping when you're going over bumpy terrain.
And as mentioned, there are Di2 and mechanical options.
And the one by rear derailleurs like this one
have a longer cage on them to accommodate that bigger spread
of gears in the cassette.
The two by rear derailleurs are officially rated
up to 34 tooth cassettes.
If you go for the two by option,
you've got a choice between two chainsets.
A 48 31 and a 46 30,
and good little tech nerd fact for you here,
48 31 is the biggest spread
or range of gears that Shimano has ever offered
in a chainset.
Cool.
There's also another interesting bit of tech about it.
So, the chainset and front derailleur
are actually shifted outboards by 2.5 millimeters
to be precise, making them slightly wider.
And the idea behind this
is to give you greater tire clearance potential
and also improve the chain line
with those wide ranging cassettes.
It's a very similar feature to the boost concept
that you find on some mountain-bikes
but with that the cassette is also shifted outboards
as well, and that's not the case here.
You just use a standard hub, a standard cassette, easy.
But you do need the specific front derailleur
because it is shifted that 2.5 millimeters outwards.
Essentially the GRX front derailleurs are exactly the same
in terms of their mechanical workings
as the road ones, they're just shifted slightly outwards.
And this means the GRX has a slightly wider Q Factor
than the road groupsets.
The Q Factor is the distance between the pedals.
It's 151 millimeters here, rather than 146 millimeters
on the road groupsets.
Now, Shimano reckons that this helps
with greater freedom with frame design
and also helps stopping your heels
catch the chainstays as well.
(relaxed ambient music)
Overall, the key differences
in the new groupset are as follows.
You've got one by and two by options,
you've got a bigger range of gears at the back
with a wider spread in the cassette.
You've got a revised lever design
on the brake levers and also improved ergonomics
on the hoods.
You've got a clutch equipped rear derailleur
and you've got offset chainrings at the front.
Anything else?
Oh yeah, if you've got a redundant left hand shifter
such as we have with the one by set up,
you can use that to control a Shimano dropper post.
Shimano now has some dropper posts, cool!
As for weights and prices, well,
at the time of making this video,
the pricing is still to be confirmed.
But as mentioned earlier on, the RX800 top of the range
is said to be roughly equivalent to Shimano Ultegra,
which should give you an idea of what you can expect.
Regarding the weight of RX800 mechanical and Di2 groupsets,
they're roughly similar to Shimano Ultegra.
So for example, the chainset is a little bit heavier.
The one by chainset we have here
is 655 grams, and the two by 48 31 tooth version
is 722 grams.
If we compare this to Shimano Ultegra
with a compact chainset, 50 34,
that's claimed to be 676 grams, so, there or thereabouts.
As for the shifters,
well there's a bit more difference there,
so for the Di2 gravel shifters, they're 565 grams
for a pair, and this is compared to 458 grams
for Ultegra Di2 shifters, so, about 100 grams.
The rear derailleur's much closer though.
So the GRX rear derailleur we have here
with the clutch built in, is 251 grams claimed.
Versus, 248 grams, so just three grams,
for Ultegra RX, also with a clutch in.
So there you have it.
I hope you've found this video informative.
And if you have then please give it a thumbs up
and share it with your friends.
And let us know in the comments section
what you think of Shimano's new GRX groupset.
And also, what gearing option you'd go for
if you were speccing in on a bike.
Now to watch another video on Shimano's clutch mechanism
that it has here in the GRX mech
and how it stops you getting chain-slap
when riding over bumpy terrain,
we've got one in more detail down here.