Small-wheeled bicycles and folding bicycles became popular in the 2000s due to their compactness, light weight and crisp acceleration. To cater to this trend, Shimano developed a components series for small-wheeled bicycles named CAPREO, which means “fawn” in Latin. It was designed especially for small-wheeled bicycles to suit their special characteristic of having small wheels to achieve optimum usability. To respond to the characteristics of small-wheeled bicycles, Shimano adopted a 9T top gear on the 9-speed cassette, offering both a wide gear ratio and compactness. A crankset with chain guard, to prevent clothes or hands from being soiled with chain oil when the rider mounts/dismounts or folds the bicycle, was also included. Mountain bike-style V-BRAKES were adopted, with the brake shoes scaled down for small-wheeled bicycles. SHIMANO CAPREO is a components series that Shimano introduced into a new category, aiming to achieve both practical utility for daily use and high ground-covering ability for sports.