Mechanical vs. electric shifting: an anecdote
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Mechanical vs. electric shifting: an anecdote
I'm fortunate to have a David Kirk JK Classic bike with Campy Chorus 2x12.
While awaiting its completion, I bought a Ribble Endurance Ti Disk with 105 Di2 from across the pond.
I read all the mech vs. elec articles I found and a big takeaway is that almost no one who went to electric would got back to mech.
I enjoyed both the shifting and braking of the 105 but found that I prefer the feel of the Campy and really like its multi-gear shifting ability.
I must be a contrarian because the Ribble has been Retired with High Honors and soon will be sold.
No more concern for charging the derailleur for this lad . . .
While awaiting its completion, I bought a Ribble Endurance Ti Disk with 105 Di2 from across the pond.
I read all the mech vs. elec articles I found and a big takeaway is that almost no one who went to electric would got back to mech.
I enjoyed both the shifting and braking of the 105 but found that I prefer the feel of the Campy and really like its multi-gear shifting ability.
I must be a contrarian because the Ribble has been Retired with High Honors and soon will be sold.
No more concern for charging the derailleur for this lad . . .
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If I gave up my Di2, it wouldn't be for Campy.
Each to their own.
Barry
Each to their own.
Barry
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I had a weird electric system that I gave up for mechanical Campy, Ekar.
It gives me the range I wanted and the ergonomics (pun sort of intended), are much better.
I think my Archer Trail D1X with 11 speed SRAM cassette and XT derailleur did shift a little better than my new Campy Ekar 13. To be fair though, I just bought a house and did a bunch of summer traveling, so between the two, haven't given the new group a full shakedown.
6 speed Dura Ace is probably the most consistently reliable group out there. No rational person is arguing that we should all switch back to that.
It gives me the range I wanted and the ergonomics (pun sort of intended), are much better.
I think my Archer Trail D1X with 11 speed SRAM cassette and XT derailleur did shift a little better than my new Campy Ekar 13. To be fair though, I just bought a house and did a bunch of summer traveling, so between the two, haven't given the new group a full shakedown.
6 speed Dura Ace is probably the most consistently reliable group out there. No rational person is arguing that we should all switch back to that.
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I loved the feel of Campy over ShimaNo hoods/levers when I made the jump from downtube shifters to integrated. Just stuck with them on every new bike. With Di2 that difference went away, and I'm happy with either Campy mechanical or Di2. Have yet to try Campy electronic.
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I'm not familiar with Campy shifting, but Di2 can multi shift just fine. You can even configure it to shift continuously up and down the whole cassette if desired.
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electronic shifting isn't my first choice, & I would like to see a slim/sleek mechanical 12x brifter that supports hydraulic brakes.
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Yup. It can be programmed to shift 2 or 3 or whatever number of gears by holding the paddle, or (my preference) to just keep shifting as long as the paddle is pressed.
And given how long the charge lasts, that's basically a non-issue. I have to charge my lights and computer much more frequently, so the Di2 charging is not a problem.
And given how long the charge lasts, that's basically a non-issue. I have to charge my lights and computer much more frequently, so the Di2 charging is not a problem.
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I have 3 road bikes with: Chorus 11, Ultegra 11 and SRAM eTap Force. Chorus has nice ergonomics, quality and sound, but finicky to adjust. Ultegra is quiet and reliable, but material quality sucks, ergonomics is so-so. SRAM is the best overall: very convenient to hold and use, precise and reliable shifting. Disclaimer: the above is purely my personal opinion.
#11
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Tankist, I have worked on dozens of Di2 and Sram etap systems. No question the nod goes to Sram for better ergos and shift feel (the buttons!). Have yet to experience setting up Campy e-shifting, and likely never will since I am now out of the bike biz.
As for mechanical shifting I have thousands of experiences setting up Shimano, Sram, and Campy along with Microshift. They all set up fairly the same with the exception of Shimano 8000 front der. Unnecessarily complicated to achieve the objective. For some reason Campy sets up easily for me, but others complain about finicky setup.
I dislike having to string wires through a seat tube and inside frames to install Di2. In my view that alone makes it incompatible with my view of what I want a bicycle to be. If I were to go electronic at this point, it would have to be Sram for ease of setup, ergos and having a separate battery for each derailleur. Unfortunately their hydro brakes are a distant second to Shimano. I would include a comparison of their brakes to Campy, but I have no exposure to them. I do not own any bike with mechanical Sram because I personally think it sucks with the nonsense of tap-tap shifting. Really a crap system from where I sit.
As for mechanical shifting I have thousands of experiences setting up Shimano, Sram, and Campy along with Microshift. They all set up fairly the same with the exception of Shimano 8000 front der. Unnecessarily complicated to achieve the objective. For some reason Campy sets up easily for me, but others complain about finicky setup.
I dislike having to string wires through a seat tube and inside frames to install Di2. In my view that alone makes it incompatible with my view of what I want a bicycle to be. If I were to go electronic at this point, it would have to be Sram for ease of setup, ergos and having a separate battery for each derailleur. Unfortunately their hydro brakes are a distant second to Shimano. I would include a comparison of their brakes to Campy, but I have no exposure to them. I do not own any bike with mechanical Sram because I personally think it sucks with the nonsense of tap-tap shifting. Really a crap system from where I sit.
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I have 3 road bikes with: Chorus 11, Ultegra 11 and SRAM eTap Force. Chorus has nice ergonomics, quality and sound, but finicky to adjust. Ultegra is quiet and reliable, but material quality sucks, ergonomics is so-so. SRAM is the best overall: very convenient to hold and use, precise and reliable shifting. Disclaimer: the above is purely my personal opinion.
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I dislike having to string wires through a seat tube and inside frames to install Di2. In my view that alone makes it incompatible with my view of what I want a bicycle to be. If I were to go electronic at this point, it would have to be Sram for ease of setup, ergos and having a separate battery for each derailleur.
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SRAM AXS with Wifli blips makes disassembly for travel a breeze. The hood and shifter ergonomics are the bomb. On a rolling route recently, I took over 2,000 RD shifts. My hand ache thinking of doing that with the Old Sram 22 Red but not so painful using older Dura Ace. I do carry a spare etap battery just in case although have never had to use it. I do not miss mechanical shifting one bit
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no, I briefly read reviews on the product with cost in mind.
Once the reviews established the expectations, i didn't waste my time looking at specs.
if it's electronic, why would you recommend it knowing the information previously provided? Are you disregarding the point?
Once the reviews established the expectations, i didn't waste my time looking at specs.
if it's electronic, why would you recommend it knowing the information previously provided? Are you disregarding the point?
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Here’s the breakdown.
You want Hydro+mechanical.
You think that the maintenance for existing options is too high.
So, it’s not hard to reach an alternative solution. That is, 105 or Rival electronic shifting. Hydraulic, and lower maintenance than any mechanical system. Maybe less serviceable on top of a mountain in Antarctica but overall it’s going to be a very low fiddling around to shifting ratio.
Alternatively, you can still get a fully mechanical version and just use mechanical to hydraulic disc brakes.
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