Posted on June 29, 2022 by Cory Benson

Shimano 105 goes electronic with a Di2 overhaul that brings the same lightning-fast semi-wireless shifting, 12-speed drivetrain, and upgraded disc brakes as Dura-Ace Di2, but now at a price level less than half of the top-tier R9200 group. It’s even almost 1/3 cheaper than Ultegra Di2, with a scant few hundred extra grams penalty to show for the savings to your wallet…

On the 40th anniversary of 105’s original debut, Shimano gives their popular affordable performance road groupset a massive trickle-down electronic upgrade in this new R7100 105 Di2 series. The same concept of wireless electronic shifters, fast and reliable electronic front & rear derailleurs wired to a single smart seatpost battery, and an upgrade to 12-speed out back… just like Dura-Ace/Ultegra Di2.

The hallmark of 105 has always been its cost:performance ratio, making it the solid entry-level choice of performance road bikes for much of those 40 years. So, is 105 Di2 really affordable?

It’s not exactly cheap at $1887 for the complete suite of individual components. That’s a full 78% increase vs. the previous $1061 mechanical 11sp 105 R7000 generation, although that pricing is based on when it was introduced 4 years ago when everything was cheaper.

But compare 105 Di2’s $1887 build pricing to last summer’s Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 at $4312 or Ultegra Di2 R8100 at $2643, and you are looking at cost savings of 56% & 29%, respectively.

On the other hand, SRAM Red AXS is listed at $3648, Force AXS at $2678 & Rival AXS $1420 for a similar 2x disc setup. Or $4636 for Campagnolo Super Record EPS.

So by comparison of electronic groups, 105 Di2 is much more affordable than other Di2 or EPS. And it’s in between SRAM’s two lower AXS offerings.

(Comparisons include: front & rear derailleurs, cassette, chain, crankset, BB, shifter sets with brake calipers, rotors, batteries & wires.)

Now that you have a good idea of how affordable or not upgrading 105 to Di2 is, let’s look at the details..

Digital Integrated Intelligence (Di2) has been delivering fast, electronic-actuated shifts since 2009. It’s since evolved to a wireless cockpit that’s easier to set up, and a wired derailleur pairing that stays charged longer, running smoothly & precisely for years. The wireless communication also means it’s easy to tweak your setup, simply from your smartphone and the E-Tube Project app.

105 Di2 still gives you tuning & customization options like shift speed, multi-shift function, or even semi-automated Syncro shifting. It also pairs with 3rd-party GPS devices like Garmin & Wahoo to monitor shifts & remaining battery (but no longer Hammerhead).

Brifter hood & body ergonomics look almost identical to Ultegra, including the same 16.4mm of lever reach adjust. Interestingly, each of the shifters feature two CR1632 batteries vs. the single one in the other new Di2 groups. Shimano already describes their semi-wireless solution as offering “faster shift speeds and longer battery life” but perhaps now 105 Di2 will require less frequent shifter battery replacement.

There’s also the small LED indicator to let you know how much life is remaining.

Unlike Dura-Ace & Ultegra, 105 Di2 does not get extra control buttons on the top of its hoods.

The shift to 12-speed gives 105 the wide overall gearing spread, but smoother more natural steps in between. Chainring combos are offered in mid-compact 52/36 & compact 50/34 combined with 11-34T or soon 11-36T cassettes, for the options of lower than 1:1 ratios.

Like the previous Di2 12sp, cassettes are backwards compatible with standard HG 11sp freehub bodies on existing wheels.

The new Shimano 105 Di2 RD-R7150 rear derailleur features a low-profile Shadow layout, coming in just one long cage length to max out at a 36T cassette cog.

It also gets the easy-to-access charging port for the internal battery, and its own D-Fly wireless connectivity.

Brakes get better too, just like Dura-Ace & Ultegra. The new brakes are said to be “quieter, easier to maintain, more controlled,  and more powerful”. The real upgrade which we saw firsthand in our Dura-Ace review is the better braking experience. Shimano sped up the initial contact point of pads-to-rotor while increasing the clearance when the brakes are retracted by 10%.

It’s a relatively small change considering how tight this area is. But 105 Di2 getting the same upgrade means this groupset should be getting the best road disc brake experience on the market, and at less than 1/2 cost of Dura-Ace.

Pro & Amateur mechanics alike will also appreciate easier brake bleeding than the previous generation, too.

Here comes the tough questions… when can you get a new electronic 105 groupset and what about mechanical 105? Well, we don’t really know. Shimano hasn’t given us any concrete timeline of when the new 105 Di2 groupsets will actually be available to consumers, but we do expect it to start showing up as OEM on complete bikes later this summer, at least in limited numbers.

Update: Some bike companies say they already have select 105 Di2 bikes in stock, like Ribble for example.

105 has always been a huge seller as original equipment on complete bikes, and manufacturers have been begging for more affordable electronic groupsets to build up their latest bikes… especially all of those new aero bikes with fully internal cable routing that works best (or only) with electronic shifting.

As for mechanical 105…it doesn’t get a 12-speed upgrade. For now R7000 isn’t gone yet. But it likely will be soon, perhaps getting trickled down to the next Tiagra 11-speed upgrade.

Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.

Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking on and off for over 25 years, since before several of these even had names in our industry.

Prior to that (and at times, concurrently), Cory worked as an Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, a IBD bike shop designer & consultant, an independent product designer, a bike shop mechanic, and a mountain biking instructor.

Based in the Czech Republic for over 15 years, Cory spends much of his time traveling around Europe, riding bikes, and meeting directly with many of cycling’s key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next. A technical off-road rider at heart since the 1990s, Cory’s cycling has evolved to cover everything from the wide range of riding aero road bikes on dirt roads to thrashing enduro bikes in the European bikeparks & trail centers, with plenty of XC, CX & gravel in between.

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How are we still designing new products with throw-away batteries in 2022?

How are we not recycling our batteries in 2022?

Actually, battery cells in Di2 battery assembly can be replaced, but this voids the warranty To do that, you slice the case open, re-solder the cells and tape the case back together.

Agree that Shimano could have easily made these replaceable, like in a flash light.

Are you referring to the coin cell batteries in the shifters? Why would they design and manufacture a rechargeable battery for something that might see 5 charge cycles in its lifetime? (Estimated 2 year lifespan).

2- year lifespan? None of my shifters is less than 7 years old…

Whoops – forgot about the fat bike – those shifters are only 3 years old

Please Shimano, give us 12 speed road MECHANICAL group!

Why? Do you see cars and motorcycles going back to cable throttles?

Plenty of motorcycles have cable throttles. Which motorcycles have electronic shifting?

Because it works 95% as well as Di2 and costs half as much. If you want to compare cars and motorcycles to bikes, look at the mess the car market is in now, lack of chips means you can’t get many cars when you want them unless you pay ridiculous markups. Those higher prices do not translate to higher wages for the workers, it goes straight into giant corps pockets.

Campy has 6! 12-speed mechanical groupsets.

I’m guessing there is no rim brake 105 Di2 groupset?? Would love to put this on my Allez Sprint.

R7100 offers no rim brake options.

Of course not, Shimano doesn’t want you to use your old stuff to do an upgrade. They want you to toss your perfectly good stuff away and buy their new stuff.

Two thousand freedoms is hardly ‘affordable’. Cassette options are meh. Crankset options are meh. So – OEM friendly groupset.

~$1900 total? $185 for the battery? affordable? I think not! I guess it doesn’t matter anyway, as I’m sure it’s jsut as available as the rest of their components! (That’s sarcasm for some of you). I will stay with what I have.

Exactly. Shimano screwed over their customers to make a buck. They could have easily used a standard rechargeable batter that would cost under $10. Instead they want you to spend $175 on a proprietary battery.

I have been waiting on this since twenty ten when I saw my first dei2 bike. that was on either a madone or a dogma., I rode it and oh my how it shifted, and now to bring this price down to the everyman is just a wonderful thing. way to go. get a madone with 105 di2 not dura. good stuff

You should try the latest mechanical shifters. They shift just was well can cost dramatically less.

So. Cable shifting and rim brakes will be completely obsolete by 2025

It’s amazing how quickly the price of groupsets has escalated. $1900 for 105? I get that it’s electric shifting, but I’d still have a hard time shelling out that much for any groupset, let alone a third-tier offering.

I hate to say it, but SRAM can be had for less and is truly wireless.

Another electronic group that will probably lose connectivity soon with various head units. Shimano pulled the plug on Hammerhead, is Garmin and others they see as competitors next? Watch where you spend your money … if you can even find this in stock anyway

There is this dichotomy I’ve noticed when it comes to the current sentiment from the cycling industry around weight doesn’t matter. We should not be concerned with total bike weight. It doesn’t matter much. But if you are concerned, you can pay 130% more (or over 2K) for a weight savings of a little over a pound to ride dura-ace. A very premium price for weight savings which doesn’t matter much; except it must because they have these separate tiers. On the flip side one could choose not pay that premium, save 78% (by buying the older 105 mechanical), and achieve the same pound in weight savings by going with rim brakes. Rim brakes aren’t perfect but then how much is perfect worth when you are opening up your wallet?

Higher end groups get you lighter weight and better materials that can last longer. So you get two benefits. Rim brakes can be just as good as disc brakes. A good rim brake is better than a poor disc brake. So you are not giving anything up sticking with rim brakes. Also, Shimano is forcing you to buy another set of wheels if they force you to use disc brakes, so more money out of your pocket into theirs.

$1900 for a 3000g groupset? No mechanical or rim brake options? No more Shimano for me… and I have owned a ton of Shimano since 1987 when I got my first road bike that came with 105. You can get a DA9100 group for the same price and it is 2.5lbs lighter… 2.5lbs.

Almost twice the price of the prior group. Hard to use the word affordable in that context. Not to mention it is much more expensive than Rival eTap. The SRAM is also easier to install and maintain as there are no wires. Not sure what Shimano was thinking.

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