SRAM Taking it to 11?

SRAMWas it an April Fool’s joke last week or did someone at SRAM just watch Spinal Tap? We ask because the company seems to be ready to release a new 11 speed cassette, which isn’t surprising as both Campagnolo and Shimano have 11-speed road groups.

This isn’t actually just one better than the old “10 speeds” either – as technically those had five speed cassettes – so this is technically a 22-gear system, which brings up the other interesting point. SRAM released a 22-second video with numerous references to 22. In other words half of 11. We’ll just have to wait and see.

[Via BikeRadar.com: SRAM to go 11-speed?]

Is 11-Speed Dura Ace Shifting into Gear

Japanese bicycle component manufacturer Shimano continues to drive innovation. The company was the first (at least successfully) to introduce electronic shifting for bicycles, with its high-end Dura Ace groupo. Now the company could be shifting gears again, as it looks to introduce an 11 speed version.

Photos surfaced this week on a Japanese website of what appears to be the Dura Ace 9000 groupo, and it will be interesting to see if any of the pros will take advantage of the extra gear this season – or it will even be allowed by the UCI? Addition photos after the jump