Designed in conjunction with FOX, Shimano has developed a new 15mm Thru axle system. Aimed at the XC/AM/Enduro athletes, the new system aims to bring some of the joy of a solid thru-axle to the dated front 9mm quick release system.

Expect to see other fork/hub manufactures on board with this E-Thru 15mm system.

The E-Thru system like a convetional 9mm quick relase uses 100mm OLD spacing. Shimano says that it is 15% stiffer torsionally, and 25% stiffer in transverse shear when compared to a traditional quick release system. This new system also doesn’t add much weight (upto ~20g) and in some cases is lighter by over 20g in a comparable qr setup.

This will only be a good thing provided enough manufacturers get on board as it will bring some of the stiffness of a thru axle to the AM/XC/Enduro market that they’re missing out on. Its not only a safer system, but will increase the confidence of the 4x/AM/XC/Enduro rider if they’re not already running a 20mm axle.