Shimano R700 Crankset

This should have been out this past season.  Shimano would have sold boatloads.  This is the long-awaited entry into the compact road crankset market.  Shimano has dubbed it the R700.  The suggested retail is still to be determined.  All standard lenghts are being produced.  The rings are the standard 50/34 but modified for better shifting performance (because of the large size difference between the two rings) AND designed to work with a standard front derailleur.  No need to get a compact-specific front derailleur.  I will be watching for when the rings become available.  These will be a great upgrade to the current Shimano compatible compact cranksets that have been in the field for the past 1+ seasons.  It's hard to beat the performance of Shimano chainrings. 

Comments

[RogueMechanic]

Dan- Yep, should work just fine! Enjoy! -John

[Dan]

I'm going to leave the world of triples and go to this crankset. I'm replacing a 105 triple (5600) with the R700. Do you know if I can reuse my Shimano 105 bottom bracket?

[RogueMechanic]

Hello Eric,
The 10 speed chainrings will work just fine with your 9 speed Dura Ace set up. Hope that this helps. Thanks for writing! -John

[Eric Redrup]

I currently have a Shimano 9 speed Dura Ace set up and would like to upgrade to the Dura Ace 10 speed crankset. Will my 9 speed chainrings 53/39 work on the 10 speed crankset or are the 10 speed chainrings compatible with 9 speed chain?

[STAMO]

The R700 is 50/34. That makes for a 16 tooth gap. The web advises that 10spd Dura ace and Ultegra Rear derailers are only good for 14 tooth front chain ring variances, which is what you usually get with a normal 53/39. So am i to believe that if you run a compact 50/34 , it means I must run a particular rear derailer specific for compact front chainrings. ???

[Jono]

Hi,

Just wondered if these could work on a bike with only an 8 speed shimano?

[Steve]

Regarding the R700 compact crank. I want to get rid of my triple and I have Ultegra STI triple shifters. do I need to replace the shifters as well?? I know I need to put a double front derailler(I can never spell that), but the shifters? Pretty expensive.

[RogueMechanic]

Good points MarvinK. I agree with you that Shimano should just come out with Dura Ace, Ultegra, and 105 versions and be done with it. Thanks for writing. -John

[MarvinK]

I wish they didnt put that big ugly Shimano logo on it that makes it look like it might be RX100-class or something. In addition to looking too generic, it also is heavier than Ultegra (only 20g)... so I'm not sure who would argue its ABOVE Ultegra quality.

Shimano is supposed to release a 9spd-specific and a lower-quality 10spd compact later this year. Frankly, I think they need a Dura Ace, Ultegra and 105 version... and skip the generics.

[RogueMechanic]

Hello ts,
Officially, Shimano says that it's only compatible with a 10 speed chain. That's not completely true. It will work just fine with 9 speed....I'd recommend a Shimano 9 speed chain in this case because it's more narrow than a SRAM and would be less likely to rub the outter ring when in the 34x12. I hope that this info helps. Thanks for writing! -John

[ts]

can you use the r700 with ultegra 9 or does it have to be 10?

[uber]

yea, i heard that that badboy is supposed to be between dura-ace and ultegra. i am very interested because i have been considering a switch to compact (i have NEVER run out of top gear) and i you're right, shimano knows their sh!t with chainrings!