Last week in a hotel somewhere near Birmingham we were shown the latest from Shimano, and without further delay here’s the highlights of the presentation.

Shimano’s 10-speed Dyna-Sys, first introduced to the XT groupset a couple of years ago, has now trickled down to the mid-level Deore groupset.

A Deore 42-32-24t chainset and 11-34t/36t cassette will now be available along with a new 10-speed directional HG-X chain. The Deore brakes have been updated, boasting more power with Servo Wave technology with better power modulation and easier maintenance the main benefits.

Dyna-Sys is Shimano’s tag for its 3×10 groupset, and is based around a new chainset with a 24t granny ring with a choice of wider ratio cassettes, which in a nutshell means you can spend more time in the middle ring in most scenarios, barring the steepest of hills.

Shimano SLX brakes get upgrade with Servo Wave tech, along with the Ice Technologies first seen on XTR. The brake levers have been restyled to resemble, rather closely, those on the flagship groupset with the same shorter brake lever stroke for more positive braking and tool-less reach adjustment.

The really interesting stuff happens at the caliper end, with the Ice-Tec designed to improve cooling and therefore reduce heat build-up. This has been achieved by a unique aluminum radiator fin with a stainless steel two layer back plate structure, which you can better see in the pics below. Rotors will be available in 160, 180 and 203mm sizes.

New also is a new medium range wheelset, the WH-MT55, weighing in at 1920g a set. They’re disc only with Centre Lock rotor mounts, 24 straight pull spokes and available with black or white rims.

It’s sometimes too easy to forget about Shimano’s entry-level groupset, Acera, but it’s a solid workhorse of the range, and gets updated with many features found higher up the ladder. There’s replaceable chainrings on the chainset and a low-profile rear mech and new gear shifters with clearer indicator windows.

Last up is a new trail pedal, the PD-M530. It’s been based on the XTR trail pedal (PD-M985) released last year but with a more affordable price tag. Shimano claim a 170% increased pedal-shoe interface for better grip and more assured support, and is also handy during those sketchy moments when you can’t, or don’t have time to clip in. Available in black or white and weighing 456g a pair.

Don’t go rushing to your bike shop asking for these new products just yet, they’re not released until May at the earliest.

www.shimano.com and www.madison.co.uk for more info.