Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset £4,271.87 | 2,438g

It’s fair to say that the shift to 12-speed has been a long time coming for Dura-Ace. First to the mark for roadspecific groupsets was Campagnolo, offering that extra sprocket as early as April 2018. Back then, even Shimano’s mountain bike groupsets were all still running 11-speed.

But although the wait has been long, at least the update hasn’t been just incremental. Beyond just tweaks to the gear ratios, there have been big changes across the groupset: from the braking to the ergonomics to the cable routing.

Shimano is still producing a rim-brake version, but it was the hydraulic disc brakes that we had on test. Whether you like it or not, it’s pretty clear that this will be the model you’ll be seeing most of.

The shifters

Following Shimano’s, shall we say, bulbous first forays into drop-bar hydraulic braking, the Japanese brand put a lot of work into refining and shrinking the size of the hoods.

Perhaps too much. Notably smaller than those of SR AM or Campagnolo, feedback from