I don’t have time for a full post today, but I want to quickly mention the new 2009 redesign of the Dura-Ace group. Overall, I think the 7900 series Dura Ace group looks good; I especially like the new brakes. The new crank, which includes a compact option, looks nice as well. I like the way the crank arm flows into the chainring, but it might take me a while to get used to the new Dura-Ace crank, which looks like it took a few cues from XTR. I loved the 7800 series Dura-Ace crank when that design debuted about 5 years ago, so I consider that one a tough crank to improve on (speaking strictly about aesthetics).
The total weight of around 2000 grams is lighter than the previous Dura-Ace group, but still heavier than SRAM Red. I imagine the popularity of the Red group was a big consideration with this redesign from Shimano, which includes carbon fiber on the rear derailleur and shifter/brake levers. Speaking of the shifter levers, something else that I am happy to finally see is the rerouting of the shifter cables under the bar tape. That is one detail where Shimano has been trailing Campy and other competitors for quite some time.
If you are interested, read more about the new Dura-Ace group here, here, and here.
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