As gravel became its own segment, riders sometimes had to decide what components to equip your bike with. There were options, but there was nothing which would be intended solely for gravel riding and racing which left riders to choose between a selection of road groups cyclocross specific groupset or mixture of components which even included mountain bike parts. Fortunately Shimano has spent the last two years developing the new GRX groupset specially designed for driving on dirt roads and single-track roads on drop-beam vehicles and along the way they took a lot of feedback from dedicated gravel racers and enthusiasts into account. The GRX ST-RX600 STI's shifter and disc brake caliper are a key component of the new group and are located just below the RX810's premium levers , representing a more cost-effective approach which still provides gravel-like ergonomics and excellent braking performance.

The RX600 mechanical derailleurs are very similar in design to Shimano's current road derailleurs , offering the same easy gear shifting which is so familiar and loved by racers. The changes include an improved lever shape , increasing comfort when driving on mixed terrain and also in the textured anti-slip surface of the levers which improves grip and control when braking. The RX400 hydraulic calipers are essentially the same as Shimano's flat mount road calipers, delivering powerful braking performance thanks to heat dissipating Ice Tech brake pads , and are also easy to set up and maintain thanks to One-Way Bleeding technology.