Spotted: New Shimano Dura-Ace R9300 groupset breaks cover at La Vuelta a España

While SRAM Red (the road-going version) is 12-speed, its XPLR range is 13, and both Campagnolo’s Record and Super Record groupsets are too, as are its Ekar off-road components. As expected, the latest Dura-Ace has caught up, offering that extra sprocket at the rear.

The image above clearly shows 13 sprockets on the cassette. What can’t be deciphered, however, is how big that small sprocket is. When Shimano launched XTR for its MTB riders last year, it offered a 9-45t rear cassette (also 13sp), and while we don’t expect to see a 9t sprocket on the road as the UCI commisaires may really get antsy with gear restriction, a 10t is far from out of the question to match SRAM.

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What we also couldn’t see, but do understand from reports online, is that this bump up from 12 to 13 speed necessitates a new freehub body, so if you’re running a standard Shimano HG freehub you will need to factor that change in.

Aside from the missing branding and the newly designed power meter, the cranks look a lot like the existing ones. While SRAM and Campagnolo have both moved to carbon fibre for their top-end cranksets (and other bits besides), Shimano has remained steadfast in its use of alloy, despite an extremely high-profile crankset recall in recent years.

This bonded alloy construction has been the norm since it appeared on Dura-Ace in 2010, despite a brief flirtation with carbon for a special-edition Dura-Ace crankset a few years before, and things don’t seem to be changing in any way for 9300.

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Unusually in the image above, the crank is paired with what appear to be aftermarket rings. Shimano has long used hollow forged chainrings that meet the crank spider smoothly, but here, it appears the chainrings aren’t made to be used with the R9300 chainset, because they are fitted with bolt covers.

This could merely be a case of a prototype product, not quite being finished yet, or it could suggest the brand is looking more at standard machined chainrings and a better compatibility with 1x.

In perhaps the most unexpected news of this leak, it appears the new Dura-Ace isn’t following in the footsteps of XTR, which many expected to pave the way for fully wireless Shimano road groupsets, and appears to be sticking with ‘semi-wireless’.

Assuming it retains the same setup as 9200, that means the system is wireless from the shifter hoods, but the front and rear derailleurs are connected to each other by a battery, usually placed inside either the down tube or the seat tube.

This is evidenced by the short length of cable emanating from the driveside chain stay, connecting to the rear derailleur, meaning you’ll still have to charge your bike in-situ, and fiddle with internal cable routing to some degree on setup.

This also means the dream of true intercompatibility between road, gravel, and MTB components, given that top-end GRX components have also gone fully wireless for their latest iteration, could well have to wait further still, which feels like a mis-step given the direction of travel for the industry.

Riders do currently routinely use Dura-Ace shifters to shift wireless XTR or GRX rear derailleurs, however, so all is not lost.

UDH, or Universal Derailleur Hanger, is a SRAM thing, but Shimano appears to have a similar version. Reports online show a design that includes an ‘anti-rotation pin’ inside, but that’s not possible to see here, of course.

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The hood shape is similar, but there are subtle differences in the hood and shift paddles

(Image credit: Cyclingnews)

The ‘V’ shaped button indent has been removed and replaced by a proper button protruding from the inside of the hood

(Image credit: Cyclingnews)

Here’s another angle at that new button

(Image credit: Cyclingnews)

There’s what looks to be a small LED light behind it too

(Image credit: Cyclingnews)

Aside from the jump to 13 sprockets, this is the talking point. Instead of 9or perhaps as well as) the hidden button underneath the rubber of the hood, there’s a new protruding ‘thumb’ button on the inner face of each hood.

This matches the latest SRAM Red hood, but presumably takes the tactility even higher; often one of the complaints about both SRAM’s and Shimano’s ‘hidden’ buttons.