Shadow RD technology first appeared on Shimano's mountain bike derailleurs, where the low-profile design kept the mechanism tucked closer to the frame and out of harm's way. The RD-R7000 brings that same approach to 105-level road shifting, resulting in a derailleur that sits beneath the cassette rather than hanging outward like older designs. The geometry change does more than reduce crash vulnerability—it shortens the shift throw and creates a more linear movement path, which translates into faster, more precise indexing across the cassette range.

This medium-cage GS version handles cassettes from 11-28T up to 11-34T, with a total capacity of 39 teeth. That capacity matters when you're calculating chainring combinations: pair this derailleur with a compact 50/34 crankset and an 11-34T cassette, and you're at the limits of what the GS cage can wrap. The short-cage SS version tops out at 11-30T cassettes and 35 teeth of total capacity, so verify your gearing plans before choosing between cages. For most riders running wider-range cassettes on hilly terrain or gravel-adjacent builds, the GS is the safer choice.

The R7000 derailleur accepts both conventional hanger mounting and Shimano's direct mount system. The B-link assembly that connects to a standard hanger can be removed if your frame has a direct mount interface, which eliminates the pivot point between frame and derailleur for a stiffer connection. Direct mount produces marginally crisper shifting, though the improvement is subtle—if your frame doesn't support it, the standard mount delivers excellent performance on its own.... Read More