OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — Shimano announced an updated Acera mountain bike group and a new $400 11-speed road wheelset on Saturday.
New Acera
The news Acera M3000 group has trickle-down features from its higher-end parts. It has a compact triple crank (40-30-22 chainring) a Shadow rear derailleur and integrated shift/brake levers (separate shift levers also are available). The company said the group features "a new, aggressive look most obvious on the compact crank and rear derailleur."
The group's gearing was designed with larger wheel sizes in mind. Also, the redesigned front derailleur provides additional clearance for larger wheels.
An enlarged gear display allows entry-level mountain bikers to instantly see what gear they are using. Note that a separate shifter is also available.
The group has hydraulic disc brakes with Shimano’s One-Way bleed feature. The company did not release pricing information. It said the Acera M3000 group will be followed later this year by an updated Acera T300 group of fitness and pavement bikes.
New wheel
The new WH-RS330 wheelset features an aluminum 30mm-tall rim, a 2:1 spoke lacing pattern, cup-and-cone bearings, oversized alloy nipples and 10- and 11-speed cassette compatibility.
The front wheel has 16 radially laced spokes while the rear has 21 spokes — 14 drive side and seven non-drive side. The wheels weigh 845 grams (front) and 1,179 grams (rear).
