Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Ultegra Di2 vs Force Etap

I'm currently riding mechanical ultegra, and while it's perfectly competent, I've pretty much decided that my next road bike will have electronic gears. I've test ridden/borrowed bikes as best I can with the current restrictions in place and ridden ultegra Di2 quite extensively, and like it - it 'just works', basically.

Now the only SRAM I've been able to ride has been the Red, which  I *really* liked, although I only had half an hour with it, and would probably pick it over Ultegra Di2 if they were the same money. Of course, though, it's over a grand more, so only the Force would be in budget.

So I'm currently trying to decide between Force Etap and Ultegra Di2. At the moment, my head is saying UDi2 (bit cheaper, bit lighter, no obvious difference in performance), but the F-Etap is very appealing and the wider range might be handy. 

For reference, I'm no racer (I did some CX in my teens and some TTing in my 20s but those days are a while past now), but do put in decent mileage and, subject to CV19 restrictions, will be looking to ride quite a few European and UK sportives in the next couple of years. 52/36 and 11-30 is enough for me where I am (edge of the Chilterns) but I think a lower bottom end might be a welcome insurance policy for things like the Stelvio or similar.

Any input would be welcome.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

10 comments

Avatar
Zigster | 3 years ago
0 likes

Of Ultegra Di2 and Force eTap AXS, I would go for the SRAM option.

I'm researching my next bike and I've concluded that it has to be Force eTap AXS rather than Ultegra Di2, to the extent that I've ruled out any bikes that only offer the Di2 option.

Key reasons being:

  • no wiring hassles, particularly with PF bottom brackets
  • better range of gears
  • easier shifting when wearing full length (especially thick) gloves
  • ability to swap batteries around in the event of failure mid-ride - for example to make sure the rear mech keeps working so you still have a range of gears.

I was riding recently with a friend whose Di2 battery failed (not out of power, but the battery completely failed due to water ingress). She was stuck in one gear and had to give up mid ride.  With Force AXS she could have ensured she had at least one mech working.

Avatar
MoutonDeMontagne | 3 years ago
2 likes

Tricky choice, best advice I'd give is to ride them both - you say you've ridden Etap but it wasn't clear if you tried di2. I doubt there's any real world performance difference (weight aside) between Force and Red, same with Dura-ace and Ultegra, so it's really a comparison of which you like the feel of most.

I'm running 11speed Etap, the key for me was I was upgrading a bike with external routing, thus di2 wasn't an option. It performs near as dammit faultlessly, the wireless nature makes it very easy to fit and set up, and I like that you can switch the batteries around if one runs out when riding - this hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure it will someday. The other big thing for me is that the paddle to change gear is bigger and IMHO more ergonomic, giving a positive 'click', much more akin to mechanical, plus one shifter does one thing, so less miss-shifts. When I test rode di2 (The previous generation dura-ace, not the current), I found the buttons much less tactile and, being spring and wearing full finger gloves, I found it hard to hit the right button. 

In the plus corner for Shimano, I'd say the shifting was marginally better - in terms of front shifting and the auto trimming nature of the front mech. Despite Srams claims, you will get a tiny amount of chain rub if cross chaining using Etap. 

 If I was buying a new bike, I'd probably pick Shimano, partly since I'm not convinced about Sram 12 speed and its durability. I've had endless chain/mech issues in the 12 speed MTB world, and although I'm sure the range is nice, on the road as you say, 52/36 or 50/34 and 11-32 is enough for most things. Another thing to bear in mind is how expensive the Sram cassettes are - since I'm on 11 speed, I use etap with Ultegra cassettes since I refuse to pay >£100 for something that may only last a year! with 12speed, you're stuck with what Sram give you. 

Hope that helps! 

Avatar
Recoveryride replied to MoutonDeMontagne | 3 years ago
0 likes

Hey thanks for that. I've ridden Ultegra Di2 and Red Etap; what I haven't had a chance to ride is Force Etap. I don't know anyone who rides it and I haven't been able to find a bike in my size with it that I've been able to ride.

Some good points about winter riding and replacement costs that I hadn't factored in, so that's helpful. 

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Recoveryride | 3 years ago
0 likes

I would have throught the difference in Force and Red would be the same as in Ultegra and Dura Ace. The performance is pretty much the same but the parts are lighter for the pricier model. 

Avatar
Jimmy Ray Will | 3 years ago
1 like

For me, I'd say Shimano. Despite pressure from SRAM, they've stuck with cables and I'm sure there will be some very good reasons for that. 

The main one is that it works, and is formidably reliable. I'm sure SRAM is as well, but I can see why Shimano won't risk moving away from proven tech simply to go wireless. The reason for that is most bikes are not maintained by home mechanics, and once iniitally set up, there is really nothing to do, so from a consumer perspective, being wireless is no real advantage. 

Apreciating the above, I then look at what is the best groupset / manufacturer, and for quality and durability, Shimano wins hands down. 

As an aside, I have issues with SRAMs AXS philosophy, as the loss of mechanical efficiency from using smaller cogs is well documented. 

Avatar
Prosper0 | 3 years ago
1 like

SRAMs implementation of electronic gears is so much better than Shimano. 

Wireless shifting, smartphone/garmin connectivity out the box, 12 speed, wider gear range, brand new software, it's just thoroughly more modern in every way. 

If you're going to spend real money I'd go with new tech that will only get better. 

Avatar
pablo replied to Prosper0 | 3 years ago
0 likes

I agree with this 100% even though I ride di2 SRAM are trying to innovate but really most of that is just to sell to tech heads let's be honest other than a few minutes of wow look at that all you really want is the thing to shift gears reliably.
Interestingly I saw that SRAM are using your data to direct future product development which I think is pretty cool so they can use shifting patterns to develop future cassettes. It would be pretty cool if the app advised you on the best cassette to buy.

You can get some pretty good deals on force bikes as well if your not to bothered by brand Ive seen some stonking deals it's just ashame they can't get the groupset retail pricing down for home builders as alot more people would ride it. Also cassettes and general spares are pretty expensive so worth considering.
12 speeds interesting and to me makes sense although I've seen recently on another site tour riders are using 54/39 on RED and aren't using the 10 tooth. Feeling is this is for efficiency reasons and of course if you've got a 54 you don't really need a 10.

Avatar
mtbtomo | 3 years ago
2 likes

I chose the last version of Red Etap Hyd over Shimano purely because it is wireless. Faffing around with wires and somewhere to stash the battery just seems like almost as much faff as having mechanical cables.

Once I'd routed the hydraulic hoses, I was so glad I didn't have to route anything else.

Electronic gears are nice, but I wanted to reduce the maintenance/set up side of things too.

Avatar
roadrunner23 replied to mtbtomo | 3 years ago
0 likes

I would agreed with you to. If electronic shifting is something you want then why wouldn't you want a wireless set? We use wi-fi at home because cabling is just too much faff. And in Di2 it is not unheard of for the cables to become detatched, just ask a T. Pinot who lost a whole heap of time on a TdF due to a cable becoming detached.

Avatar
MoutonDeMontagne replied to roadrunner23 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Agree on this, but beware it can happen on wireless too. I've occasionally had my shifters dropout and seemingly lose connection with one of the mechs. Doesn't last long, worst is having to press the button on the mechs and it comes back, but it's annoying when it happens - usually going up hill! Being able to remove the batteries easily is a big plus tho, as is not having to remove BBs to fit everything. 

Latest Comments