Originally Posted by
Koyote
Coincidentally, my brand new custom gravel frame was delivered to the shop on the very day that Shimano announced this new GRX groupset -- and they are already building it up with Ultegra Di2. No way am I waiting until they might ship this groupset to shops. Shoot, the RD, brakes, and cassettes are identical to 8070, I subbed in a Praxis 48/32 crankset (so, no need to wait for Shimano's subcompact crank), and, well, those brifters look nice -- but not nice enough to let a new frame sit idle for 3+ months.
Re
red/bold...
The GRX calipers are the same but the levers are completely different.
The hoods are shaped to help hands stay planted over bumps. The lever has texture and a notch for fingers.
Most importantly however, the new levers are progressive. They move lots of fluid fast when first pressed to bring the pads into contact with the rotors quickly. They then fluid volume for better modulation. This is one of the reasons I want to try them.
To be clear, I would not wait either. I'm with you on that.
-Tim-