In a Shimano patent uncovered by Better Shifting and detailed on its Instagram account, a new, fully wireless, 13sp groupset is hinted at that could well be the new Dura-Ace.
While a patent doesn't in any way guarantee a product will go into production, it at least hints at the general direction. In wireless terms, Shimano currently lags behind Campagnolo and Sram in that its electronic groupsets still rely on a partially wired connection. Bringing true wireless to Dura-Ace would bring parity on that front, and a 13sp rear cassette would also bring it level with Campagnolo as far as the number of sprockets go.
13 speeds and 2x: 26 overlapping gears
Both Shimano's road and gravel groupset top out at 12sp currently. The same can be said of Sram, it must be said. Campagnolo has gone to 13sp, but only with its Ekar gravel groupsets, which are exclusively 1x.
The Patent clearly shows a derailleur which bears a visual resemblance to the current Dura-Ace with a cassette with 13 sprockets. This would make it the first 13sp road groupset, and the first 2x13 setup too in one fell swoop.
We have seen aftermarket Shimano road 1x setups in the past, but nothing official, with 1x being reserved solely for the GRX gravel groupset. The presence of a front derailleur in the patent doesn't necessarily forego the presence of an official 1x setup, but it certainly shows 2x isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
True wireless
As it stands Shimano groupsets still involve some wiring. There is the battery, for one thing, distinct from both derailleurs and requiring a hard connection to both, with the rear derailleur acting as the master unit for charging.
This latest patent shows both front and rear derailleurs housing internal batteries, though while the rear shows a charging port that looks like the current generation, the front doesn't appear to have a port - or at least one is not shown.
Sram has a patent for interchangeable batteries, which is why the latest wireless Campagnolo Super Record groupset uses distinct batteries for the front and rear derailleurs. It's possible that the rear derailleur may be charged via the current generation lead, and the front either by removing the battery, or using a new charger design which is also outlined.
There is no indication of development timescales or a potential launch within the patent, but as this is new tech it is reasonable to assume it will enter at the Dura-Ace tier and then trickle down. The current Dura-Ace came out back in 2021, and so an update in the near future wouldn't be out of the question.
