If you are curious about a little bit of history regarding electronic shifting, you have to know that SHIMANO first introduced it to road cycling in its Dura-Ace 7970 groupset. This was happening in 2008. Three years later, it became available in the Ultegra line. Ultegra provides high quality for a larger audience outside professional racing. Another important step was made when Di2 (SHIMANO’S electronic shifting technology) was integrated in the Ultegra 6800 groupset. Where the 6800 set uses the well-known mechanical parts and cables, Ultegra 6870 (Di2) uses an electronic shifting system.

Many improvements have been made since the predecessors not only in ergonomics, but also in shift buttons, derailleurs, weight, form and functionality. All these assure the new product a great success on the market.

The Ultegra 6870 products are built based on the E-tube platform and can be adjusted with the dedicated E-tube (project) software. E-tube is SHIMANO’s electronic shifting program where shifting functions can be customized; for example, all the shift buttons can be individually programmed. Besides customization, E-tube offers the possibility to upgrade components with firmware upgrades after purchase. Because of the E-tube compatibility, other shifting functions are available to Ultegra 6870 similar to Dura-Ace sprint and Roubaix shifters.

It is yet to be seen how much market it will gain and what is the future of the electronic shifting for everyday bike riders. However there is no question about it, SHIMANO will have an important word to say about electronic shifting and its footprint will influence the path to the next level of cycling. Let’s not underestimate the twenty years of index shifting development that SHIMANO has next to its name.

For more information about SHIMANO’s electronic shifting please read here.

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