Gravel riders rejoiced when Shimano launched into its new GRX groupset, and its easy to see why when we've been stuck piecing together our groupsets from mismatched elements of road and mountain components for years. But we'd wager that even if we'd had other options in the past, we still would be ecstatic to see Shimano's GRX FD-RX815 Di2 Front Derailleur hit the market, offering electronic shifting to the front-end, plus extra clearance for running lofty tires that soak up chatter from poorly-graded gravel and rowdy singletrack. As you would expect from anything holding Shimano's Di2 designation, the Fd-RX815 front derailleur can be programmed with trim settings, and can be used in either full or semi SynchroShift modes for near-fluid feeling shifts. While internally the GRX Di2 front derailleur works similarly to its road counterpart, where it differs is firstly in its placement. It offers 2. 5+ millimeters of extra space for your rear tire, enabling you to roll on bigger tires without risk of component hang-ups. Secondly it also offers a wider, 17t front range, so you can run a big ring between 46 and 50 tooth, with a much smaller inner ring to give you some much needed respite on the major climbs when you're a hundred miles from anywhere and searching your core for energy.
Price: $179.72 from Backcountry
| Merchant | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| $179.72 | Visit Store |
While 1x has pretty much become the go-to drivetrain choice for mountain bikers and is becoming the preferred 'cross and gravel set up too, double chainrings still rule on the road. One reason the front derailleur has fallen out of fashion with the off-road...
Gone are the days of deciding between road and mountain bike components to throw on your gravel rig — instead, Shimano's GRX groupset offers a whole slew of new components that are tuned specifically to those of us who prefer the any-road life. The...
We know we can rely on Shimano Di2 for crisp, clean shifting, and now the 105 FD-R7150 Di2 12-Speed Front Derailleur brings that technology to the masses at an approachable price point. This weatherproof front derailleur provides us with ultra-reliable...