Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical leaked

By Stan Portus

Published: Friday, 06 January 2023 at 12:00 am

Information published on KHS’s website appears to confirm a mechanical version of Shimano 105 12-speed is on its way.

When Shimano launched the latest version of its third-tier groupset in June 2022, many were surprised to see the groupset manufacturer had only released an electronic version of 105.

While the new electronic groupset followed in the footsteps of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 and Ultegra Di2 R8170 in going 12-speed, the move away from mechanical shifting seemed at odds with 105’s position as a more budget-friendly groupset option.

Notoriously tight-lipped, Shimano said nothing at the time about the possibility of a mechanical version of 105 Di2 R7100, despite speculation a mechanical version would be in the works.

However, the listing published on KHS’s website appears to confirm we can expect a mechanical version of 105 R7100 this year.

What do we know about Shimano 105 R7100 so far?

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The specification shows 105 components that aren’t currently in Shimano’s range.
KHS

First reported by Bicycling, the listing on KHS for its 2024 Flite 700 showed a specification listing Shimano 105 R7100 derailleurs and ST-R7170 shifters.

Looking at the listing, we could see the cable running to the front derailleur, implying this is a mechanical rather than an electronic groupset.

The components look as if they’re from the previous Shimano 105 R7000 groupset, but the component names listed don’t currently exist in Shimano’s range.

The listing also showed an 11-36 cassette. The R7000 version of 105 could only fit cassettes up to 34 teeth.

Finally, the listing showed a 12-speed chain, and of course, the previous generation of 105 was an 11-speed drivetrain.

‘This is somewhat embarrassing’

Since the KHS listing was first reported, the brand has removed the Flite 700 listing from its website. The website address now leads to a “Page not Found” with the message ‘This is somewhat embarrassing isn’t it?’.

BikeRadar has approached KHS to ask for comment, however we hadn’t heard back at the time of publishing.

We speculate either KHS saw the reporting and is looking into what’s happened or Shimano has approached the brand and asked it to remove the listing for the time being.

What will the groupset be called (and will there be rim brakes)?

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Will we see rim brakes?
Russell Burton / Immediate Media

All previous-generation 11-speed 105 components were lumped under the R70XX moniker:

  • R7000 – 11-speed rim brake components
  • R7020 – 11-speed hydraulic disc brake components

Given Shimano follows predictable naming conventions for all of its products, we expect 12-speed 105 mechanical will follow the same pattern as 105 Di2:

  • R7100 – 12-speed rim brake components
  • R7120 – 12-speed hydraulic disc brake components
  • R7170 – 12-speed Di2 hydraulic disc brake components
  • R7150  – 12-speed Di2 electronic shifting components

Note that 12-speed 105 Di2 is not available in a rim brake variant. We expect there will also be no rim brake components available for mechanical 12-speed 105.

Rim brake-equipped bikes make up a very small part of the complete bike market these days. Given 105 is specced primarily by OEMs, it feels unlikely Shimano will look to serve this niche part of the market with a consumer-focused groupset.

For Shimano riders who swear by rim brakes, Ultegra or Dura-Ace has you covered.

What we expect from Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical

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Shimano 105 mechanical will likely share much in common with its Di2 equivalent.
Russell Burton / Our Media

We expect the mechanical version of Shimano 105 12-speed to share much in common with its Di2 equivalent.

In keeping with previous-generation groupsets, Shimano will use the same crankset design and offer the same 50/34t configuration.

This is currently the only crankset available for Shimano 105 R7100, but Shimano has said a 52/36t version will be available at an unspecified date.

Elsewhere, we expect to see the same disc brake calipers with the bleed port on the outer side for easier access. Like the latest Dura-Ace and Ultegra calipers, these are said to retract 10 per cent further than previous Shimano disc brake calipers.

Rotors are likely to stay the same too, as are cassettes and the 12-speed chain.

Shimano will likely move the revised hood shape of the 105 Di2 shifters over to the mechanical version of 105, too.

How much will Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical cost?

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105 Di2 costs £1,730 / $1,890 / €1,869.
Shimano

Shimano 105 Di2 R7100 has a retail price of £1,730 / $1,890 / €1,869.

The mechanical version of the groupset will cost less than its electronic equivalent.

While there is no direct price comparison between Di2 and mechanical versions of 105 from previous generations of the groupset – this being the first Di2 version of 105 – we know mechanical versions of Shimano’s other groupsets have cost less than the Di2 equivalents.

This as-yet-unreleased groupset should sit between 10-speed mechanical Tiagra and 12-speed 105 Di2 in Shimano’s hierarchy. Therefore, the pricing should reflect this.

A full Shimano Tiagra 4720 groupset has an RRP of  £749.99 / €869.99 / $917.99 / AU$1,343.98.

There’s a considerable step up to Shimano 105 R7100 Di2 at £1,730 / €2,006.80 / $2,117.52 / AU$3,100.76 for a complete groupset at full price.

Quite where its mechanical counterpart will slot in is anyone’s guess.

Given that mechanical Ultegra costs about half as much as its Di2 equivalent, it’s possible that 12-speed mechanical 105 will be closer to 10-speed Tiagra in price.