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

DURA-ACE: September 2021

The current DURA-ACE is the R9200 series, and it was announced in September 2021. The previous R9100 series was announced in June 2016, so it’s a span of about 5 years.

Based on the past trend, the next model is likely to be announced in 2025 to 2026, and since there is a long period of time until the new model is released, the new DURA-ACE, R9200 series compo is a “buy” compo for 2 or 3 years.

ULTEGRA: September 2021

The current ULTEGRA is the R8100 series, which was announced at the same time as the new DURA-ACE R9200 series. The previous series, R8000, was announced in June 2017, so it is a span of 4 years. Incidentally, the previous series, the 6800, was announced in 2013, so it was released in a span of about 4 to 5 years, roughly the year after the DURA-ACE upgrade.

Based on the past trend, the next ULTEGRA model is expected to be released in 2025 or 2026.

105: June 2022

Following the upgrades of DURA-ACE and ULTEGRA in 2021, the new 105—known as the R7100 series—was released on June 30, 2022.

The previous 105 lineup, the R7000 series, was announced in April 2018, and before that, the 5800 series was introduced in 2014. This establishes a roughly four-year cycle, with each 105 update typically following the ULTEGRA upgrade by about a year.

The latest R7100 series is the first in 105’s history to feature Di2 (electronic shifting) and 12-speed compatibility. Initially, only the Di2 version was released, but in September 2023, a mechanical shifting model (R7120 series, hydraulic brake version) was also introduced.

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.

As expected, new versions of DURA-ACE and ULTEGRA were released in 2021, followed by the new 105 in 2022. Based on this trend, TIAGRA would normally be next in line for an upgrade. However, since Shimano is reorganizing its 9- to 11-speed road and MTB components under the CUES lineup, the future of upgrades for TIAGRA and lower-tier groupsets remains uncertain.

As for CLARIS, STI levers for drop handlebars have been released under ESSA, a new 8-speed group originally designed for MTB use. This suggests Shimano may continue expanding the ESSA brand instead.

In that sense, the next major upgrade is likely to be the release of new DURA-ACE and ULTEGRA models in 2025.