Drivetrain Components Archive

With older Dura-Ace chains, we thought that Shimano had reached the limit of refinement for the lowly bicycle chain. After all, what more is there to accomplish than to ensure that it shifts crisply and runs quietly? To our surprise, this Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7901 Chain is better. This improvement comes in a number of ways.First of all, the 7901 Chain is over 11g lighter than its predecessor. This is thanks to perforated inner and outer plates. Both chains share the same hollow pins, and it uses the same tried-and-true connector pin that Shimano has relied on for so long. The second improvement is a slight tweak to the shaping of the individual inner and outer plates. Shimano was the first company to build an asymmetrical chain. The point of it all was to decrease the workload to get the chain to climb to the next biggest cog in the back or bigger chainring in the front. Their efforts also produced a chain that does this faster. So lighter and faster shifting, with less potential for chainsuck — we like that.With the asymmetrical chain design, it is of utmost importance to install the chain as instructed. This way, the beveling and overall shape of each inner and outer link can perform as designed. These new plate shapes mesh together with the Dura-Ace chainrings and cassette with unprecedented precision — reducing mechanical drag (which, behind aero drag, is the greatest enemy to your efficiency.) The net effect is smoother and quieter shifting, whether the shift is on a casual endurance ride in December, or in a 1200 watt herky-jerky maelstrom coming out of the final corner of a crit.The Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7901 Chain is compatible with the Shimano Dura-Ace FC-7900 and FC-7950 cranksets and Shimano Dura-Ace FD-7900 front derailleur. According to Shimano it is not compatible with the Dura-Ace 7800 series crankset and front derailleur.

Developed for maximum chain control, each tooth’s thickness is precisely CNC-machined to support the chain’s inner and outer links perfectly.

Utilizes Race Face proprietary spline design featuring narrow wide tooth profiling that ensures ultimate chain retention.

Lighter, stiffer and with re-engineered tooth profiles, the Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900 10-speed road bike cassette delivers fast and crisp shifting performance with a lighter aluminum carrier.

The best 9-speed bicycle chain Shimano has to offer! The Shimano Dura-Ace/XTR CN-7701 9-speed Chain will help give your road or mountain bike precise, accurate and worry-free shifting.

The new SRAM PG1170 Power Glide cassette is light and delivers an undeniable performance advantage. It’s the final piece in the drivetrain puzzle, paired with the new SRAM FORCE22, 11 speed, rear derailleur, delivers ultra-fast, ultra-quiet shifts that will always put you in the right gear.

New Shimano 105 is new for 2011 and incorporates many of the benefits that were originally developed for Dura-Ace 7900 series and integrated into Ultegra 6700 series. The new group is available in Sterling Silver for a classic road cosmetic or Lodestar Black for a more contemporary look. Overall, performance and durability is enhanced while the entire group manages to drop almost 30 grams from the prior generation. Shimano’s proprietary HOLLOWTECH II design provides an optimum balance of light weight and stiffness, while Dual SIS front index shifting has long been the industry benchmark for instantaneous and assertive front shifting performance. Additional improvements include increased spacing between the inner and outer chainrings to reduce chain interference in cross-chain situations. Available in double, triple, and compact chainring configurations: FC-5700: 52-39T, 53-39T / FC-5703: 50-39-30T / FC-5750: 50-34T.

The Shimano XTR CS-M9000 11-speed Cassette uses computer-designed teeth and gates to ensure that your chain is able to smoothly shift across the entire range. The four carriers are carbon fiber and the range is from 11-40 teeth. To reduce weight, the 19,21,24,27,31, and 35t cogs are machined from titanium. This was done to decrease weight and increase durability. All of the cogs have also been drilled to further reduce weight. But don’t worry, no strength was compromised in the machined designs. As far as usability, the M9000 fits on 8-, 9-, and 10-speed hubs in addition to 11-speed. It is designed to work with a standard dual chainring, but has been thoughtfully designed to accommodate a single one-by configuration as well.

After two years of engineering work and rigorous testing, the all new Turbine chain rings are ready to ride. Completely redesigned from the ground up, these rings shift like nothing else. As with the previous Team and Race rings, the new Turbine rings are.