Victory. There is nothing like it.
Olympic gold. Grand Tour jerseys. World championships. For more than fifty years, at the biggest stages in cycling history, victory has been a seven-letter word:
DURA-ACE.
Durability, Duralumin—plus Ace
We say it’s For Those Who Never Compromise. That’s because we are just as uncompromising when it comes to our pinnacle groupset—with the lightest materials and the latest technologies, providing peak performance consistently.
DURA refers to the duralumin used in the groupset’s 1973 iteration, alongside its unparalleled durability. Today, the DURA-ACE R9200 groupset is made of titanium and carbon fiber, equipping 14 of the 18 teams in the Men’s WorldTour with stage- and Grand Tour-winning components. DURA-ACE was equipped on the bikes of all gold medal winners of the Paris Olympics in 2024.
That is the ACE part.
Shimano Total Integration
Let’s dive into an important bit of DURA-ACE history. Under the Shimano Total Integration (STI) concept, the Dual Control Lever system, which enables shifting operations and brake control with a single lever, was released in 1990.
Shifting operation enabled while keeping the hands on the handlebar significantly changed the road racing scene. In 2009, we introduced an electronic control system for shifting operations. The shifting control by Digital Integrated Intelligence (Di2) achieves a “complete stress-free” operation and has gained great favor with many racers.
Di2: Fastest shifting ever
It was a much anticipated and widely speculated-about affair. With spy shots circulating the internet, prototypes going around and much debate on the technology’s value, Di2 was introduced in 2009. The original DURA-ACE R7970 marked the first fusion between Shimano’s metalworking technology in road racing and electronics. It was also the first time a manufacturer successfully marketed electronic shifting to the public.
With one lightning-speed shift to the future, we have arrived at the DURA-ACE R9200 groupset. It is a largely wireless, lightweight, and hyper-precise system designed for one purpose: speed.
The current DURA-ACE R9250 rear derailleur has a 58% faster shifting speed than its predecessor. The front derailleur is 45% faster than the R9150 model. The frontal area of the FD-R9250 is also reduced, decreasing aerodynamic drag.
Battery life is also best-in-class, with a centralized battery that delivers approximately 1,000 kilometers of worry-free riding on a single charge.
How to customize Di2?
Your Di2 system is easily customizable using the E-TUBE PROJECT Cyclist app. With this app, you can set up your drivetrain just as you like, adjusting shift speed, altering the number of shifts per button actuation, or activating synchro or semi-synchro shifting functionality.
Di2 is programmable to allow you to shift through multiple gears simultaneously by holding the shifting button. It’s the perfect set-up for wide gearing swings like a quick transition from a descent to a climb or when attempting a chase during a road race or spirited group ride. The Synchronized Shift functionality allows you to program the system to change from your smallest gear to your biggest gear without doing the math in your head.
R9200: More than fifty years of refinement
We have worked on DURA-ACE for more than fifty years. And when you’ve refined something for that long, its legacy starts influencing generations.
Mathieu van der Poel and DURA-ACE
In the words of Mathieu van der Poel: “It always works,” Van der Poel says. “And maybe that’s the biggest compliment you can give a groupset. I’ve been riding all my life on DURA-ACE, and that means something. It’s something I find pretty perfect.”
Mark Beaumont and DURA-ACE
We asked ultra-endurance legend and longtime Shimano Road Ambassador Mark Beaumont to tell us why he prefers DURA-ACE. “DURA-ACE is synonymous with road racing, so perhaps I have taken it where most wouldn’t, on ultra-endurance record-breaking rides and on events where the only person you are racing is yourself.
“I’ve been riding DURA-ACE for over 15 years, and it has evolved a lot in that time, especially around the dawn of Di2. DURA-ACE was launched 10 years before I was born, so I can’t claim to know the whole story, but it has been cool to write part of the latest chapter.
“What sets DURA-ACE apart? For me it is the refinement and precision of DURA-ACE that wins. You can argue over more subjective matters, like aesthetics, but for me it’s how that design relates to ergometry and the rider experience that matters.”
Mark shared a little of his personal experience with DURA-ACE. “The last record I broke was the North Coast 500. 28 hours and 34 minutes, racing over 800km, with a normalized power of 270W. I was off the bike for 16 minutes in that time and took half an hour of the previous best. That bike was a fighter jet and I was completely at one with it. Pure commitment for a race to fail. It was everything I had learned as a bike rider in one non-stop effort.”
Your next bike
You may find yourself at the start of a big cycling adventure or starting in your first big race. You may be an experienced hand in the Gran Fondo community or looking to re-ignite the flame of high-end road riding. Browse through some beautiful DURA-ACE-equipped bikes and experience what it’s like to ride the fastest-shifting groupset in history.
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