dmanthree

Same here. And once I tried Di2, well, being able to make positive shifts even while wearing winter gloves is a huge plus. Not that mechanical Ultegra is bad, but now I'm hooked on Di2. Dammit...

mihlbach

I'm perfectly happy with DT shifters in certain situations (commuting, touring), although its a bit of a stretch to say I prefer them. I'm tall....its a long way down there which is the main disadvantage for me.
I used DT on a Long Haul Trucker on a tour last August and afterword I kept reaching for the down tube shifters on my STI equipped carbon fiber steed.

Carbonfiberboy 

Carbon and brifters! Seattle has 3 used bike shops with good selections. Maybe your area does, too. I bought my first 4 road bikes used and all were decent bikes at a good price. You won't believe how good a bike can feel.

Seattle Forrest

I have mine (Ultegra Di2) set up to be able to shift all the way across the cassette with a single touch. With gloves on! It's a prefect shift every time. And the auto-trim is real nice, too.

deepakvrao

Bar end FTW.

You don't even need to take your hands far from the bar.

dddd

I totally get what you're saying, but how much is recent familiarity with the DT levers affecting your effectiveness with them?
Notwithstanding the much heavier bike that they are mounted on, have you used this Centurion bike for regular training ride use of the sort that would sharpen your coordination enough to fully exploit what they have to offer?
And how about the more widely-spaced ratios, isn't that something that one also develops an effective strategy for making the most of? How about the Centurion's tires, are they at least racing quality or very close?

I've watched some of the CRC(?) youtube videos where the guys bring out an old bike to "compare" to the new one they are familiar with, but really what kind of comparison can be made when the rider apparently doesn't even realize that he has already hit his lowest gear on a steep climb? There's a strategy to deal with that, when to drop to the saddle and then spring forward over the front tire for a specific level of sustainable effort that one learns to anticipate when using limited gearing with bigger gaps and having to drop to the saddle as needed without losing much in the way of position. Even the bike setup for getting the most of DT levers during more competitive efforts is something that only comes from using an older setup frequently in the most challenging conditions.

I won't deny some competitive advantage to integrated levers, tighter ratios, broader gearing spread, not to mention lighter weight and better aero, but a difference in performance may only surface on the longest, hilliest rides or amidst tight competition, where losing even 1% of power-to-weight is enough to split the field.

So if you can get up to speed with that B-group on your modern bike for a few successive sessions, I'd bet that there are days that you can hang, at least once you are all tuned up on the Centurion.

I used the 22.5lb Peugeot PH501 below with friction levers and only a 42-24t low gear the other day on one of the hilly rides that I feared, and yet with a strategy of attacking each leg of the climbs mostly out of the saddle and then recovering a bit longer at a deliberately slower speed while allowing some others to go past (while I took advantage of these flatter "recovery" sections of the road), I finished with the lead group and didn't even leave my legs sore as if I had grinded a low cadence while seated. But this is only because I ride these bikes frequently, between outings on my modern bikes, so I can make the most of what the equipment and my power output will allow. Most importantly, I've learned to have fun and learn with each ride in order to keep the morale/motivation factor high!
Now in my later 50's I do know better than to try hanging with the lead group of the fastest regional training rides down toward Sacramento, especially on an older bike, but I'm just not at that level anymore though there are always riders to ride with behind the lead group that always manages to put a gap on the rest of us.

canklecat

Fair points.

I rode a drop bar road bike with downtube shifters in the 1970s-'80s, but didn't ride bikes much at all for the next 30something years. I only started riding again in 2015, and only got this Centurion Ironman in June 2017.

First time I rode with that group I'd only been back on a road bike with DT shifters for 2-3 months. My shifting is much smoother and more intuitive now.

The bike has 700x23 Schwalbe One V-Guards, great tires.

I've fiddled around with the gear ratios, swapping between the original 52/42 chainring and 13-25 Sunrace freewheel, and 52/39 chainrings with the original 13-24 Suntour. Not much difference between 'em. But the 52/39 chainring feels awkward combined with the 13-25 freewheel, so I used that for only a week. Too much double shifting to find the sweet spot.

I won't mess with any more equipment changes until I've gotten comfortable with clipless. I just got the pedals and am waiting for the shoes and cleats from Jenson. A little more efficiency will help. I'm losing some energy to road chatter and vibration on our rural chipseal. With platform pedals I'm wasting energy trying to keep my feet planted where I want 'em, especially on climbs and downhills on rough pavement.

Last time I rode with them was late November or early December and I was hanging on okay, but I planned to ride a full century and preferred a 15 mph average to their 17-18 mph (they planned a 50-60 mile ride that morning). So I dropped off after about 20 miles to conserve energy. I rode the same route they did, but in a clockwise rather than counter-clockwise direction (not sure why they ride that route counter-clockwise, seems like fighting more traffic).

I've lost some fitness due to inactivity and illness this winter, so we'll see how it goes by March-April. Won't take much of an improvement to hang a bit more comfortably with that group. I just don't want anyone waiting for me if they prefer a slightly faster pace.

dddd

You're right about those freewheels, mostly all 2-tooth gear changes, but with DT levers I really prefer the wider gaps and less-frequent gear changes, though I actually find the double-shift routing entertainingly challenging when a single back-shift gets the job done.
Might the 13-28t version of the 7s Sunrace FW actually make for a smother double-shift, by splitting the 53-39t drop with larger 3t and 4t changes in back? If the Xenon rear derailer on my Torelli would even handle the 13-28t FW I probably would have used it, and as for the Synchro 7s index shifting on this bike it works perfectly using Shimano 9s chain.

T Stew

I guess if you're racing especially in those 'rollers' one could really appreciate quicker and more convenient shifting. This doesn't really bother me since I don't race. No one has ever dropped me with my DT shifters because I have never raced anyone in rollers. I'm very content riding solo and solves the problem of needing different gear to keep up with the A pack or whatever. Also I guess I have the advantage of being able to do a century ride from my house, in a few different directions, without encountering hills. I do prefer brifters slightly when in the hills I won't deny, but not so much that I feel like getting them for all my bikes.

Carbonfiberboy 

Totally agree. Brifters are heavier, expensive, wear out, and make cable changes harder. That said, one might think of going to bar-ends on a bike next time cables need changing. They're pretty nice. I hold the levers between 3rd and 4th fingers when shifting. Tektro makes nice aero levers if one ever thinks of modernizing an older bike.