Shimano
Shimano has expanded the GRX family with a more affordable Di2 option, but really, the RX717 is less about all-new parts and more a reshuffling and rebranding of existing components to fit into the Japanese company's gravel lineup.
In fact, the RX717 components follow a pattern Shimano started when it launched the 1×12 GRX RX827 Di2 groupset in June. We pointed out that it wasn't a ground-up drivetrain so much as a gravel-focused remix of XT Di2 – XTR tech trickled down, new graphics, and finally a fully wireless build. Before that, GRX Di2 RX825 brought 12-speed and a semi-wireless format, but only in 2x guise.
Shimano’s wireless avalanche: XT and Deore Di2 follow XTR
You wait seven years for an update to XTR, and then wireless XT and Deore arrive two weeks later. The trio of releases rounds out the brand’s cable-free catch-up across a range of price points.
Alex Hunt
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