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TECH NEWS
Shimano launch Tiagra 4700 groupset
Incoming! Everyone loves a new Shimano groupset, right? And you were probably counting off on your fingers what was most due an update. And give yourself a slap on the back if you worked out it was fourth-tier Tiagra that's next in line for a brush-up and polish. Or, in this case, quite a lot more than that.
When Shimano 105 went 11-speed and double only last time around it moved it very firmly into the racing/fast riding sphere where before it was very much on the watershed between that and touring, commuting and the like. So what's happened with the new Tiagra release? Well, lots. But the headlines are that it's still 10-speed and there's still triple and flat bar options, but there's a lot of trickle-down from the dearer groupsets too.
What's immediately obvious is that Tiagra has adopted the four-arm chainset design that has made its way down all the way from Dura Ace. Shimano have ditched the 53/39 as a standard option, opting instead for the mid-compact 52/36 and the 50/34 standard compact. What's different about the Tiagra chainset however is that it's also available as a 50/39/30 triple as well, which will please the many advocates of the triple; there's still plenty who'd prefer one over a compact double. The inner ring bolts on to the middle ring, and then both are attached to the spider. So there's no second bolt circle in the spider.
The design of the shifters is also very much like the more expensive groupsets. The neat under-tape cable routing is new for Tiagra, which until now had the gear cables exiting from the side of the lever. The new lever doesn't appear to carry over the gear indicator window, which some users may miss.
Derailleur-wise there are two options, a short cage and a mid cage. The short cage should see you right up to a 28T sprocket on the back, whereas the mid cage is good for anything up to a 34T. That's great news if you're planning a touring setup as the triple and wide cassette would give you a 23" gear on a 700c wheel which should be low enough for most loads and hills. That's assuming the mid-cage mech has enough capacity for that setup; we'll check.
The derailleurs, again, move towards the look of the more expensive groupsets. The cable pitch on the rear has been revised, and Shimano say it "offers precise and long-lasting shifting performance". But then they would. The front is redesigned too, with double and triple chainset versions available.
The brakes don't get the symmetrical pivot design of Shimano 105 and above, but Shimano say they're still a 30% improvement on the last incarnation in terms of braking power. Most likely they're a rebadged version of the last Ultegra brakeset; that's certainly what they look like.
As well as the drop-bar kit, Tiagra will be available with flat bar levers and shifters. The levers look like pretty standard Shimano units and we're not sure they're much changed from previous ones. The 10-speed shifter has a gear indicator window and two-way release on the downshift: you can push or pull the downshift lever to switch gears.
Shimano say the groupset will be available in June, so we'll expect to see it on plenty of bikes come the Eurobike show in September. We don't have UK prices, or weights for any of the components as yet. When we do, we'll let you know.
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.
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46 comments
I put a Shimano Deore long cage rear mech and an 11-36 tooth 10 sp cassette running with a compact double on my Croix de Fer, it works well for me, unfit 50 plus with an aversion to hills!
the chainset that would make a Parlee look ugly has been vamped and now looks lovely. Chapeau to Shimano for doing this.
Does the revised cable pitch now mean it won't be compatible with old Tiagra? Could be annoying and confusing!
The only time a gear indicator is useful is with a hub gears, so you can change down to the right starting gear after braking quickly for lights.
So of course the Versa shifters for Alfine hubs don't have them.
glad they kept it 10 speed. I 'd be annoyed if i wasnt ble to buy replacement parts for my ageing 105 5700 groupset
True, it is their only 10 speed groupset. Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105 are all 11 speed, and then you've got Tiagra, Sora, Claris and Tourney with 10, 9, 8 and 7 respectively. I don't think they could reasonably get rid of their only 10 speed groupset - they'd have to move everything up a notch and let 7 speed fall off the bottom.
I recently upgraded my 2300 shifters on my hack bike to Claris 2400 8 speed shifters, which was a much easier way to get to proper twin lever shifters than buying old 8 speed Tiagra parts or upgrading the whole groupset.
"The new lever doesn't appear to carry over the gear indicator window, which some users may miss."
No. No they won't. No-one will miss these. Never, ever. I'll stake the life of my firstborn* on no-one having ever looked at these things in any meaningful, useful, now-I-know-what-to-do-next way.
What a great update. Can't fault it on first think. If the price is around £220-230 in the real world and within 250g of 105, that's a whole new dogfight* right there.
* other mammals are available.
Agree regards optical display. Looks like a neat groupo!
You obviously do not have children - what a stupid, pathetic thing to say on a bike forum.
I have three. Please do clarify your rationale for making your 16th post so abusive. I genuinely can't tell if you are:
a. For real
b. Having a very bad day
c. Totally lacking any appreciation for 'humour' of any sort*
* if it's c. I politely suggest this is the wrong forum for you.
a.
Nothing wrong with 'humour', but the rationale is that joking about a childs life/death in the context of shimano shifter indicators may be offensive to some readers. We should never joke about the death of children, especially your own..
Anyway, back to the topic of bikes... I miss my Tiagra indicators, since upgrading to Dura Ace.
Having watched my own firstborn go having to go through emergency resuscitation with half a dozen medical staff hurriedly working around him, I really think you might be over-fussing here.
That said, I think Mike did overstep the mark in offering his firstborn in the context of a Tiagra groupset. I'd want hidden cables and disk brakes in return for mine.
I politely suggest this is the wrong forum for you.
Or, restrain your commentary to the subject of bicycles and not deliberately offensive statements on the motives/morals of others. Please don't reply, we're done here.
You're to be commended for replying so politely, KiwiMike! Aloadofpants needs to do a reality check.
I've got bad news for your firstborn...
Having come over from mountain biking, I'm very used to having the indicators, and find them useful. I could easily ride without them but for me it makes planning shifts (particularly changing rings) quicker. I prefer not to try shifting up/down only to find there isn't another gear on the cassette, as by then my shift may be late and I'd have eased off power slightly for nothing. When on a long ride, I don't always remember which gear I'm in and there's no point poking your head between your legs if you don't need to!
I think Shimano can't do aero cable routing and gear indicator, which is the only reason they've dropped it. I think I would probably choose the aero cables over the indicators given a straight choice, as not only do the cables coming out the sides cause additional drag, they also get in the way of lights.
(Expects flaming from people who think that gear indicators are not for "real" cyclists.)
I'm more than happy to hear that some might have worked indicators into their riding style - it's new on me, and I've often removed them from friend's bikes after they've been damaged or stopped working. Hey ho.
Re drag, the first iterations of 105 were notorious for drag with under-tape cables. To the extent that some stuck with Tiagra. All things being equal, the sideways-exit cable route will always be smoother, as the bending radius and number of turns is less than the under-tape option. What has happened is that cable technology has advanced to the point it can and does work, under tape, reliably.
I totally agree re not being in the way of lights.
Although I will have now lost my Ghetto Aerobars.
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