@gpl
Are bad news bears excluded from review samples? 
Functionality >>> looks.
Shimano has had quite a few problems with its recent cranksets (right side power meter accuracy and delamination).
Yes, I’m glad to see they finally adopted a taller hump like SRAM did.
I find this so much better in terms of functionality, I feel much more secure when in the hoods (aero or not) and I’m going over bumpy terrain. Functionality >>> looks.
Between my Shimano post this past Friday, and my past Shimano R9100P Power Meter In-Depth Review pointing out the inaccuracies, I suspect I’m in the same camp as Lama.
Judging by Instagram comments this might be an unpopular opinion, but I think it looks awesome. That crank in particular. Post disagreements below 
I’m with you, I like it…
I don’t agree haha I like the R9100 crankset better. But I wayy more strongly disagree with the comments on the Cycling Tips article that say they prefer the silver 7800 and 9000 cranks. I think the gunmetal gray looks way better.
I don’t really care about the look of the crank, just that they fix the design so that dual sided power meters are accurate. Unlike with the current 4-bolt design.
Looks wise I prefer the current 9100 series crank. That new one reminds me of a campy crank and I’ve always thought they look really cheap
I actually quite like the look of the new crankset, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the current gen ones. For those who don’t like it, I think it will look a lot better when they roll out the hollow chainrings like they use on the current models.
Looks aren’t that essential, I think. There will always be designs that appeal to some more than others.
What is much more important in my opinion is when a 12-speed Ultegra mechanical group set is released. Otherwise only very, very few will enjoy the benefits of 12-speed Shimano group sets.
There will be no mechanical 12speed apparently, they will keep 11 speed for that…so DI2 for 12s only.
Where’s that info from? Kinda makes sense considering Di2 has been lighter, more reliable, and more precise than mech for a while now, but still curious.
Has there been any insight yet into whether it will need a new freehub body to take 12-speed? Similar to XD Driver. I’m assuming the answer is yes, but I haven’t see anything really on that part.
I doubt it since they don’t seem like they will go to a 10t for the smallest cog, which was the driver (nice pun) behind XdR and Micro Spline
@Cleanneon98 - it’s from the owner of my LBS who’s not been wrong so far on various rumours and is one of the biggest high end retailers in our region (they are very well connected in the industry) - I explicitly asked about mechanical and rim brakes as I still like both myself…
The speculation is that there will be no mechanical Dura Ace (but not confirmed). No one has said anything about 12 speed Ultegra, let alone whether there will be a mechanical option. Ultegra mechanical is one of Shimano’s biggest OEM sellers and eliminating it may not be a wise move financially.
Shimano has never released updated DA and Ultegra in the same year…doing so just undercuts sales on DA as most people would opt for the less expensive Ultegra. If you only have a DA option for the first year, early adopters have no choice but to pony up for DA.
The wild card in all this is COVID and the massive delays it has wrought on the industry. Whether that forces Shimano’s hand to release both groups in the same year remains to be seen. But I have not seen / heard any rumors of 12 spd Ultegra being imminent.
Agree nothing confirmed but I was told basically, no 12speed mechanical at all. If you want mechanical you will have to buy 11s which will continue (even if right now it really doesn’t feel like it with current supply issues). But anyway, I’m just sharing what I heard from what I consider a very reliable source. Who knows, maybe (hopefully) they have themselves been misinformed by their distributors.
That seems to be what SRAM is doing, so I think your argument has merit. Nevertheless, for the sake of customers, I hope you are wrong.
Yes, although they were pressured into releasing 12-speed Deore SLX and Deore at the same time, which was somewhat unusual. But more and more off-the-rack bikes came with SRAM 12-speed 1x drive trains. It’ll be curious to see how mechanical Ultegra fares against SRAM’s Rival AXS eTap in the market. I know I’d rather go for SRAM in that head-to-head: more range, more options, a cheap native power meter, one more gear and electronic shifting. Seems like a no brainer.
As a Di2 and AXS owner, I would still go Shimano mechanical over AXS road if those were the only options. The only thing that pushed me to Eagle was a lack of FD plus I got a good deal through LBS. Sometimes it shifts beautifully, other times it sounds like 5 sticks of TNT in a piano, granted it’s making bigger jumps on 10-50 than a road cassette but I can hear every shift on the AXS road guys’ bikes I ride with, and I prefer the more “refined” Shimano shifting
I would be very surprised if DA came Di2 only. I can see disc only being true, but the price jump to Di2 within DA would really put off a lot of consumers, and also manufacturers who won’t be able to offer bikes in that “lower high end market”
Do wish there was a flat top chain for Shimano though, it looks very nice and the new SRAM chains are incredibly robust.