We could've known about DURA-ACE R9250 way back in October 2020
Just under a year ago, Shimano released updated E-Tube Project apps. First the mobile apps in September 2020 and one month later they released the new E-Tube Project for Windows - version 4.0.2.
E-Tube Project 4, just like version 3.4.5, consists of a series of dll files (libraries) and executables. Just last week I figured I’d have a look at the dll files to see if there was anything interesting there.
Why? Well why not. I’m a software developer and therefore curious by nature. I’ll look anywhere I can.. and in this case, I can.
Using tools like Microsoft’s Visual Studio or JetBrain’s dotPeek you can see the exposed methods and constants in these libraries. I figured I’d see what was there and perhaps eventually write my own version of E-Tube Project.
When I opened the EtubeData.dll file however, I noticed a very subtle reference to Shimano’s new Di2 groupset, DURA ACE R9250. Inside that file there’s a constants class defined called SeriesNo.. and it is basically a collection of series (groupsets), each tied to a number.
Now.. want to know what else I found? Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
The library also lists all known Di2 derailleurs, but there’s nothing on R9250 or even R8250 there.
Speaking of R8250, that’s not mentioned in the files at all.
It seems that the inclusion of R9250 is therefore just an oversight, a mistake. Way back in October 2020. Still, it does confirm that the next DURA-ACE will indeed be called R9250 - at least internally. Not that you had any reason to think otherwise, really.
More on the next generation Di2 - DURA-ACE R9250 and Ultegra R8250
Want to read more on the soon-to-be-announced DURA-ACE R9250 and Ultegra R8250 Di2 series? The next-generation Dura-Ace thread on WeightWeenies is a good place to start.
I’ll post more on the R9250 / R8250 series soon, preparing for the official announcement. I’m not sure when that is going to be, but it won’t be long, that’s for sure. In the meantime, have a look at the components page for some more information on R9250 components.
