In 1973 Shimano starts its own cycling team, after previous sponsorship of teams in Europe. The Shimano Dura Ace group was successfully launched the same year. Dura Ace is still Shimano’s best group to date.

The Shimano 600Ex Arabesque group was also released in the late 1970s, for many Shimano enthusiasts the most beautiful group ever released by Shimano. The name was changed to Shimano Ultegra in the late 1980s.