Release Year and Buying Time of Shimano's Current Road Components

Posted at: Mar. 19, 2021

We have compiled a list of the release years of Shimano's current components for road use, the expected announcements of the next models, and when to buy the current models.

Table of contents

DURA-ACE: June 2016

The current DURA-ACE is the R9100 series, and it was announced in June 2016. The previous 9000 series was announced in 2012, so it’s a span of about 4 years.

Going by past trends, the next model is likely to be announced in 2020-2021, so you might want to hold off on buying a new DURA-ACE component now.

ULTEGRA: June 2017

The current ULTEGRA is the R8000 series and was announced in June 2017. The previous 6800 series was announced in 2013, so it was released in a span of about five years, roughly the year after the DURA-ACE upgrade.

Based on the past trend, the next ULTEGRA model will probably be released in 2021 or 2022.

105: April 2018

The current 105 is the R7000 series and was announced in April 2018. The previous 5800 series was announced in 2014, so it was released in a span of about four years, roughly the year after the ULTEGRA upgrade, which was one level higher.

Based on past trends, the next 105 model is expected to be released in 2022.

TIAGRA: April 2015

The current TIAGRA is the 4700 series and was released in April 2015. The previous 4600 series was announced in 2011, so it has been released in a span of about 4 years.

Based on past trends, the next TIAGRA model should be released around 2019, but since it was not announced during 2020, and since it is the only Shimano component for road bikes that is not in the R-series, it may be released soon.

SORA: April 2016

The current SORA is the R3000 series and was announced in April 2016. The previous 3500 series was announced in 2012, so it has been released in a span of about 4-5 years.

Based on the past trend, the next SORA model should be released around 2021, but it may not be because of the upcoming releases of DURA-ACE, ULTEGRA, TIAGRA, etc. in 2021.

CLARIS: April 2017

The current CLARIS is the R2000 series and was announced in April 2017. The previous 2400 series was announced in 2013, so a span of about 4 years.

Based on the past trend, the next CLARIS model should be released around 2021, but since DURA-ACE, ULTEGRA, TIAGRA, etc. will be released in 2021, and SORA, which is higher level than CLARIS, has not been announced yet, it may not be released in 2021.

When to buy Shimano’s current road-oriented components

The following is a summary of the release years of the Shimano road-oriented components we’ve looked at so far, as well as the anticipated release of the next models.

Grades	Current Models	Current Model Announcement Timing	Release Span	Next Model Announcement Forecast	When to Buy
DURA-ACE	R9100	June 2016	4 years	June 2021	x
ULTEGRA	R8000	June 2017	5 years	June 2021	x
105	R7000	April 2018	4 years	April 2022	○
TIAGRA	4700	April 2015	4 years	April 2021	x
SORA	R3000	April 2016	4 years	April 2022	○
CLARIS	R2000	April 2017	4 years	April 2023	○

Based on past trends, DURA-ACE is almost certain to be the model announced for 2021, and ULTEGRA and TIAGRA are more likely, so if you buy a current component in 2021, it will likely be out of shape soon.

On the other hand, 105, SORA, and CLARIS are expected to be released in 2022 at the earliest, based on past trends, so you can buy current components with relative peace of mind.

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