First image of the new Ultegra R8000

[baabaa]

Oh, why so dull Mr Foo?
Main four day-to-day bikes....
Tomatilla Green paint with black ss cranks, hubs and rims, bars, stem, ATACS and post with bright green saddle, ano bits, housings and tape.
Orange Pop with 5750 silver cranks, stem, ATACS, bars and orange ano bits and housings, with blue hubs and tape, but black saddle, seat post and rims.
Stone Bridge Grey with 6650 silver and blue ano bits, housing and tape but with black saddle, hubs and rims, stem, bars and post, sort of a fancy beige ATACS or sometimes 6700 silver spd-sl.
Red & White fade with cx50 silver and bars, stem and post, really old red ATACS, housing, tape and ano bits but with black saddle, hubs with black and silver rims which can get swapped to silver hubs and rims if the mood suits. (And wantyng the new ritchey wsc wanty red stems and maybe a white post....)
If it makes you feel any better, all of the bells are black.

[Duck!]

Oh, and Duck have you seen this....
http://www.celebrazio.net/bicycling/shi ... tml#charts
The click on box works for me in the weird world of shimano nomenclature and combos.

I hadn't, but pretty well covered the same ground here.

[Duck!]

OK, so went to the dealer launch the other day & got to see most of the bits in the flesh. Not a great deal to add, as all the meaty stuff was announced in the media releases the other week.

Seen in 3D the crank isn't doesn't seem quite as huge; images emphasise the width of the arms, but when you can see the depth it puts it back into perspective a bit, so it doesn't look like a plank strapped to the side of the bike. The groupset colour is very similar to both 6800 and the dark grey option of 6700, so if you've got a Stages power meter from either of those groups it will not look too out of place.

The shifter shape is a subtle refinement of 6800, with the inner workings tweaked to reduce the lever stroke slightly, with a nice definite indexing click. Cable pull retains compatibility with Gen 1 (9000/6800/5800) 11-sp. derailleurs, and of course R9100. The R8000 full mechanical, R8050 Di2/mech brake and R8070 Di2/hydro brake levers are all virtually identical in size, while the R8020 mech shift/hydro brake levers are slightly larger, but smaller than the non-series RS685 levers they effectively replace.

The rim brake calipers, like everything else, draw a lot of design from R9100 Dura-Ace, with the caliper arms scalloped out to fit around 28mm tyres. Like the D-A grabbers, a small bridge plate is fitted between the brake arms to tie the pivots together, apparently to reduce deformation under hard braking, thus improving power. Better ride it to feel if it works I guess. Calipers are offered in both standard and direct-mount, for those who like impractically-placed rear brakes.... Hydraulic calipers are flat-mount only, and will effectively replace the RS805 units released a couple of years ago. The RS785 caliper will remain to cover post-mount duties.

Derailleurs, as seen with Dura-Ace last year, move to the low-profile Shadow design, which has been around the MTB scene for a decade. As always, standard and long (or medium, depending on who you're talking to; they're the same thing) lengths are offered; officially at least the standard is for use with up to 30T sprocket, with the long option advised for at least 28T & up to 34T large sprocket. But I reckon the shortie can still comfortably fit the 32 with sufficient chain length, but probably won't do the 34 unless you're on the tight-range CX crank. The front derailleur is the new compact "toggle" design; the main reason - at least officially - for moving away from the 9000-derived long-arm design was because that suffered clearance issues with wider tyres. But let's face it, it's not the easiest thing to tune either..... As mentioned somewhere previously, 105 also gains this front derailleur design as a late-model update in the otherwise unchanged 5800 series.

Gearing options are ample to say the least. Four chainring combinations - 46-36, 50-34, 52-36 and 53-39 - and cassettes in 11-25, 12-25, 11-28, 14-28 for the kids, 11-30 and 11-32 in the "proper" R8000 range, with the 11-23 carrying over from 6800, and the 11-34 in a new "non-series" HG800 model; this gets its own model designation 'cos it's a little bit funky - like Shimano's MTB 11-sp. cassettes, and unlike every other road 11-sp. cassette, this one is recessed in the back so it fits on a standard 8/9/10-sp. hub, and accordingly uses a spacer (supplied) to fit on a road 11-sp. hub.

Pedals ae refined a bit, mainly shaved a bit off the top, so if you're fitting a new pair you'll need to drop your seat by .07mm to keep the same height..... as well as standard, they're also offered in a wide Q-factor option with a 4mm longer spindle. Cleats are unchanged.

Think that about covers it.....

[wombata]

Terrific report Duck. One question....are the r8000 cassette designs the same as 6800 or are there improvements. I suppose the same question applies to the r9100 dura ace cassettes too. Many thanks.

[Duck!]

As far as I can tell the only real change from 6800 is the range of gearing options; construction-wise they appear similar, and certainly nothing was mentioned about redesigning anything. Similarly with R9100, the changes from 9000 are more in the ratios offered than construction - noting of course that there was a redesign during the run of 9000 due to the original carbon spider design blowing up!

[warthog1]

and the 11-34 in a new "non-series" HG800 model; this gets its own model designation 'cos it's a little bit funky - like Shimano's MTB 11-sp. cassettes, and unlike every other road 11-sp. cassette, this one is recessed in the back so it fits on a standard 8/9/10-sp. hub, and accordingly uses a spacer (supplied) to fit on a road 11-sp. hub.

Thanks Duck

Now I have a use for the 3 or 4 rear wheels I have lying around in the garage

[MichaelB]

(AT) Duck! - have the new R8020 sets hit the wild yet ? Curious to see what differences in real world use you've seen (or played with) when comparing the RS685 levers to the new R8020 units.

Interested, as I'll soon be building up a second disc roadie and looking at options. I'd love the R9120 levers, but the budget probably won't stretch that far ...

[queequeg]

(AT) Duck! - have the new R8020 sets hit the wild yet ? Curious to see what differences in real world use you've seen (or played with) when comparing the RS685 levers to the new R8020 units.

Interested, as I'll soon be building up a second disc roadie and looking at options. I'd love the R9120 levers, but the budget probably won't stretch that far ...

You can already buy the R8020 levers and calipers. The bundled kit (levers + calipers + cables) has just come into stock on Bike24 today.
I am doing an R8020 + BR-R8070 Build on my Mason, which has a February ETA.

The R9120 levers look nice, but they are 705EUR vs 462EUR (for the bundled kit).

[MichaelB]

Mason frame - saw those and they look nice.

Yep, saw those on Bike24 (and others like bike-components.de where the bare levers are about Euro 375 + delivery, but in the end, I'll be ordering bits here and there as I will be using different calipers (frame is post mount), already have a crank, so not sure what I'll do in the end.

Also saw the same groupset at a 6800 version for about 200 Euro cheaper and wondering if it's worth it.

Even debating a 1x setup, but that's a bit far fetched. Even looked very briefly at eTap, but that faded quick.

[queequeg]

Mason frame - saw those and they look nice.

Yep, saw those on Bike24 (and others like bike-components.de where the bare levers are about Euro 375 + delivery, but in the end, I'll be ordering bits here and there as I will be using different calipers (frame is post mount), already have a crank, so not sure what I'll do in the end.

Also saw the same groupset at a 6800 version for about 200 Euro cheaper and wondering if it's worth it.

Even debating a 1x setup, but that's a bit far fetched. Even looked very briefly at eTap, but that faded quick.

I considered a 1x setup with SRAM, but the block on getting the groupset at a decent price online put me back in Shimano territory (My Lynskey is SRAM Rival, but I ditched the Avid BB7 brakes on the rebuild and went TRP HY/RD). Instead, I am fitting the long cage R8000 Rear Derailleur in combination with a 50/34 2x setup. So, I can run 34/34 which should be enough for getting up anything I am likely to encounter on gravel/dirt roads.

For practical reasons, I ruled out anything electronic, as this frameset is meant to be for self supported multi-day rides in the middle of nowhere. Let's just hope the Hydro brakes don't cause an issue.

I'll be running the p2max NGeco spider with Praxis Buzz Rings & a Rotor 3D24 crankset, plus a Hunt Wheels SuperDura Dyno Disc wheelset. I'll pair those with a nice Dyno light and USB recharger, then I should be set. I think the initial setup I am going to do is for gravel so I can do some exploring off the beaten track.

[queequeg]

I've ordered the R8020 + BR-8070 Kit + the ST800 Rotors today

Hopefully they have a nice feel to them. I have never had Hydro brakes before, so really not sure what to expect.

[biker jk]

I've ordered the R8020 + BR-8070 Kit + the ST800 Rotors today

Hopefully they have a nice feel to them. I have never had Hydro brakes before, so really not sure what to expect.

I have the ST-RS685 brifters and they're are fine. Quite happy with the modulation, reach and stroke adjustment. The new models are less bulky and lighter.

I did note that the pro bikes are not using the Dura Ace rotors but the old RT99 non-series rotors due to reports that the closed design of the new Dura Ace and Ultegra rotors works to catch mud and sling it into the brake calipers.

[Duck!]

(AT) Duck! - have the new R8020 sets hit the wild yet ? Curious to see what differences in real world use you've seen (or played with) when comparing the RS685 levers to the new R8020 units.

The refinements are pretty subtle. The R8020 units are a little slimmer around the peak than the RS685s, but still a little larger than the full mechanical shifters. The inner workings have been tweaked slightly, so the shift stroke is a little shorter than 6800/RS685, but you probably wouldn't notice unless you tried the two together. Brake performance, as far as I can tell, is pretty much identical.

[MichaelB]

Ta. Price will be the key driver then for me

[queequeg]

Ta. Price will be the key driver then for me

There's not much in it as far as the price goes (Bike24)

The Kit for the RS685/BR-RS785 (Postmount)+cables is 420EUR. The Kit for the RS685+RS805+cables (Flatmount) and the R8020+BR-R8070+cables are both 462EUR

[MichaelB]

Ta. Price will be the key driver then for me

There's not much in it as far as the price goes (Bike24)

The Kit for the RS685/BR-RS785 (Postmount)+cables is 420EUR. The Kit for the RS685+RS805+cables (Flatmount) and the R8020+BR-R8070+cables are both 462EUR

I'd be just getting the levers. I'll either be doing Zee/Saint calipers or the Hope RX4's. R2 has the R8020 levers for 342 Euro (ex-Vat + delivery), but doesn't seem to have the RS685's without calipers.

EDIT : BikeBug also have the plain RS685 levers (w/out calipers) (AT) $220 ea

[queequeg]

Ta. Price will be the key driver then for me

There's not much in it as far as the price goes (Bike24)

The Kit for the RS685/BR-RS785 (Postmount)+cables is 420EUR. The Kit for the RS685+RS805+cables (Flatmount) and the R8020+BR-R8070+cables are both 462EUR

I'd be just getting the levers. I'll either be doing Zee/Saint calipers or the Hope RX4's. R2 has the R8020 levers for 342 Euro (ex-Vat + delivery), but doesn't seem to have the RS685's without calipers.

EDIT : BikeBug also have the plain RS685 levers (w/out calipers) (AT) $220 ea

I'd forgotten about R2...should have checked there before I ordered. They have the BSA30 BB I have been after, so I might give them a try for some a smaller order and see how they go. I have parcels coming from four different places right now so I can stay under the import threshold.

[biker jk]

There's not much in it as far as the price goes (Bike24)

The Kit for the RS685/BR-RS785 (Postmount)+cables is 420EUR. The Kit for the RS685+RS805+cables (Flatmount) and the R8020+BR-R8070+cables are both 462EUR

I'd be just getting the levers. I'll either be doing Zee/Saint calipers or the Hope RX4's. R2 has the R8020 levers for 342 Euro (ex-Vat + delivery), but doesn't seem to have the RS685's without calipers.

EDIT : BikeBug also have the plain RS685 levers (w/out calipers) (AT) $220 ea

I'd forgotten about R2...should have checked there before I ordered. They have the BSA30 BB I have been after, so I might give them a try for some a smaller order and see how they go. I have parcels coming from four different places right now so I can stay under the import threshold.

It may be apocryphal but I heard about someone who was pinged on the $1,000 threshold even though he ordered from different online sellers because the packages were sent to the same address and arrived close together.

[queequeg]

It may be apocryphal but I heard about someone who was pinged on the $1,000 threshold even though he ordered from different online sellers because the packages were sent to the same address and arrived close together.

I guess we'll see how I go. Officially the rules say same sender to same recipient. Sure, all my parcels are going to the same place, but they are from four different countries sent over a period of a week all using different carriers. I don't think Australia Post and/or Customs are that organised I would need to have all four parcels get stopped together to go over the limit. I don't believe that the online delivery gods have ever been so kind to me as to have all my parcels arrive at the same time.

[queequeg]

I'd be just getting the levers. I'll either be doing Zee/Saint calipers or the Hope RX4's. R2 has the R8020 levers for 342 Euro (ex-Vat + delivery), but doesn't seem to have the RS685's without calipers.

EDIT : BikeBug also have the plain RS685 levers (w/out calipers) (AT) $220 ea

I'd forgotten about R2...should have checked there before I ordered. They have the BSA30 BB I have been after, so I might give them a try for some a smaller order and see how they go. I have parcels coming from four different places right now so I can stay under the import threshold.

It may be apocryphal but I heard about someone who was pinged on the $1,000 threshold even though he ordered from different online sellers because the packages were sent to the same address and arrived close together.

Can you believe it...three parcels from three different suppliers in different countries, ordered over a period of a week...all go through Customs on the same day in Sydney.
Anyway, they all went through without a hitch

[MichaelB]