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review

SRAM Red eTap

9
£1,180.00

VERDICT:

9
10
If you haven't yet made the leap to an electronic groupset, now could be the time
Weight: 
702g

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SRAM's new Red eTap wireless groupset is one of the most highly anticipated product releases in a while, and luckily the wait has been worth it. It's a supremely impressive groupset, providing slick and quiet gear changes, and with an intuitive shifting layout that sets a new benchmark. It's cheaper than Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 as well.

The fact that it's wireless is impressive enough, but when you're riding, this is overshadowed by the ergonomics and performance of the groupset. In my opinion it offers the easiest and most intuitive shifting layout of any groupset currently on the market. It's a joy to use.

> Find your nearest dealer here

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Being wireless will make building a bike easier and quicker for both a bicycle manufacturer and consumer, with some potential to free up a frame designer from the constraints and challenges of internal cable routing, and no gear cables will ever need replacing or servicing, but this all sort of fades into the background because the best thing about eTap for me is the new shifting layout SRAM has been forced to develop due to the myriad of patents that exist.

In use

This review is primarily focused on the performance of the electronic shifters/derailleurs, because the rest of the groupset – the cranks, brakes, cassette and chain – are essentially the same as those you'll find on Red mechanical, albeit with a new finish.

Ease of use is its biggest appeal. SRAM had to develop an alternative to its DoubleTap (where one lever shifts both up and down the cassette) for eTap, and what it has come up with is quite simple, but hugely effective and, in my view, a bigger game-changer than the lack of wires.

Behind each brake lever is a shift paddle, as with DoubleTap, but how the new ones function is quite different. The right paddle moves the rear mech to the right (to a smaller sprocket) while the left paddle moves the rear mech to the left. Press both together to shift the front mech between the two chainrings. It sounds simple, and in use, it really is.

SRAM Red eTap - button.jpg

In reality, it only takes a couple of miles to get used to. I regularly ride bikes with the three main groupsets, and found it took hardly any time at all to familiarise myself with the workings of eTap. After a couple of rides, it simply becomes second nature. In fact, it makes it hard to go back to a conventional groupset.

The tactile feeling of the shift levers is a highlight. Unlike Di2, the paddle actually moves, so it feels more like a mechanical shifting system; it doesn't feel like you're just pressing a button.

While Di2 is an impressive groupset, I've never liked the lack of tactile feedback from the twin buttons and the ease of pressing the wrong button, a problem exacerbated when riding in the winter with thick gloves.

SRAM Red eTap - riding 4.jpg

There is no confusion with eTap. No accidentally shifting into the wrong gear, because the paddle only has one task, and your brain doesn't forget which is which. This improved tactile feeling of the groupset is, for me at least,  far superior to Di2. At the risk of repeating myself, it makes eTap a joy to use.

It's also worth mentioning that you can re-program the shift on Di2 to exactly the same shifting format as eTap - one well known bike journo has been riding this set-up on Di2 for years.  You will though need to get yourself a Di2 PC Interface Device ( it does other things too) although your local Shimano dealer could also probably do it for you.

Like Di2 with its optional Sprint shifters, SRAM has developed Blips – small buttons that you can conceal under the bar tape on the drops for changing gear when riding in the drops. These can be positioned anywhere on the handlebar, with a short wire connecting them to the shifter.

A Blip on the drops is a good idea if you're racing, but another good place would be in the centre and underside of the handlebar, so you could shift gear while on the tops. Useful when climbing or riding over cobbles.

Shift performance

So the shifting layout of eTap is highly commendable, but what about the actual shifting performance? It's very good. I've been clocking up hundreds of kilometres on my local rides, taking part in the local frantic club run and lots of solo rides on roads that, it must be said, sometimes resemble a muddy track more than a country lane.

On the whole, the shifting is very quick and crisp. Most of the time, trying to distinguish whether eTap is slower to shift than mechanical Red or Dura-Ace Di2 is impossible. It's as fast as you need, with no lag or delay when requesting another gear, whether you're cruising or in a chain gang.

Shifting works well under load, whether working up the cassette when sprinting out of the saddle, or changing down from the big ring when climbing out of the saddle, when you realise the hill is steeper than you thought at the bottom.

SRAM Red eTap - riding 2.jpg

I deliberately tried to catch eTap out, performing some ugly shifts and crossing the chain to try to force it into struggling, but nothing I did fazed the groupset. It never missed a shift, always delivering a gear change when called for. I changed gear during all-out sprints and climbing 20 per cent ascents, and it never once caused any issues.

You can also change front and rear gears simultaneously. If you're coming to a climb and want to quickly shift down from the big to small chainring, and shift up one or two gears at the back to maintain the same cadence, it's easy. It's just a matter of pressing both paddles together to change at the front, then removing your left finger from the shifter but keeping your right finger pressing the lever, and the rear mech will then shift the mech down the cassette.

SRAM Red eTap - rear mech.jpg

eTap is also much quieter than Di2 – there's none of the electronic whirring you get with Shimano's groupset, it's silent. You can also shift as many gears as you want with one press. Just hold your finger on the paddle and the mech will continue to move the chain across the cassette until it runs out of sprockets.

While on the whole the gear shifting performance was flawless, I did find some occasional inconsistencies. Sometimes shifting up the cassette to a bigger sprocket – and it seemed to only happen in certain gears – was met with a bit of a delay as the chain didn't move over immediately. Gear changes going down the cassette proved slicker. I'm wondering if the cassette is a cause of the issue, but longer term testing would be needed to get to the bottom of it.

Front shift performance is an improvement on mechanical Red: shifting down is comparable, but the chain moves from the small to big chainring much more quickly. You can shift under higher loads as well, but I'm still programmed from years of riding to slightly ease up on the cadence when performing a shift to the big chainring to get the smoothest possible gear change.

SRAM Red eTap - front mech.jpg

The hood body has also shrunk in size a little compared to Red mechanical. This makes it easy to fully grasp with gloveless hands, with the paddles falling nicely to place for your fingers. The brake levers have a nice curve and shape that makes operating them from the hoods or drops easy. Brake lever reach can be adjusted.

Making on-the-fly indexing adjustments is easy with eTap: on the back of each paddle is a small function button; you simply depress this button and at the same time move the paddle to adjust the rear mech. It's very easy, and easier in my opinion than making changes with Di2.

How does it work?

From a distance the groupset doesn't look much different to regular SRAM Red. The telltale clue are the two batteries attached to the mechs. SRAM claims the batteries powering the derailleurs are good for up to 1,000km or 60 hours of typical riding, but the nature of your local riding terrain and your style of riding (how much you change gear, bascially) will influence how long the batteries last. Inside the shifters are smaller CR2032 batteries that are said to last two years, based on 15 hours a week.

SRAM Red eTap - full bike.jpg

SRAM has developed its own Airea wireless technology. It's not Bluetooth, or ANT+, or any other open source protocol. It has a low power usage and range of 100m, and as this article shows, it can't be hacked. Security has been a cornerstone of its development, with an encryption that is more watertight, apparently, than a cash machine. eTap has been raced for the past season and there are two teams using it this year (AG2R and Katusha) without any issue of crossed signals or interference. So there shouldn't be any concerns with interference.

There are no on/off buttons. The system sleeps, using accelerometers to monitor movement. Come to the bike first thing in the morning and press a button, and nothing happens. Move the bike and the sensors detect the movement and the system wakes up. I've been riding a bike with eTap for a week and this aspect of it is something I haven't noticed at all. It's unobtrusive.

SRAM Red eTap - riding 1.jpg

Where eTap has an advantage over Di2 is being able to leave the bike in the shed or garage and whip the batteries off and take them indoors to charge. The batteries are easy to remove – just lift the retaining clip and the battery pops off. They're interchangeable too. If the rear runs out – and it's likely to go first simply because it's used a lot more – you can swap them around. The supplied charger works much like a camera battery charger, just pop the batteries into it.

I've been riding the groupset solidly for a week, clocking up hundreds of kilometres of varied but mostly rapid-pace riding, and haven't had to top up the batteries yet. The batteries are small and light enough that you could consider carrying spares, if you're doing a tour or really long distance ride, something like the TransContinental perhaps.

There are LED lights on the derailleurs and shifters that alert when a battery is running low, with a red light indicating between 5-15 hours, and a flashing light meaning you've got less than 5 hours. That should be more than enough to get home.

There's a video explaining the whole installation process here.

Weights and prices

As I said at the start, this review has primarily focused on the performance of the electronic shifters, because the rest of the groupset is essentially the same as what you'll find on Red mechanical, albeit with a new finish.

That means, if you already have a SRAM Red 11-speed bike, you'll be able to just buy the new shifters and derailleurs. The electronic shifters and mechs and other bits you need cost £1,180.

Add in the price of a cassette (£223), chainset (£361), bottom bracket (£29), chain (£38) and brakes (£228), and a complete SRAM Red groupset with eTap shifting will set you back £2,059.

For comparison, the list price for a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset is £2,404.81, while Shimano Ultegra Di2 is £1,302.82. So it's a fair bit cheaper than Dura-Ace Di2 at retail prices (though shopping around reveals you can save a fair bit - we found Dura Ace Di2 for £1579.99 and Ultegra Di2 for £859.99).

Here are some figures for you:

  • Shifter: 260g / £410 for a set
  • Front mech: 187g (with battery) / £265
  • Rear mech: 239g (with battery) / £420
  • Battery: 24g
  • Blips: 16g per pair / £150 for four
  • Charger pack £50
  • USB firmware upgrade stick £35

Weight just for the electronic shifters and mechs is 702g. A complete groupset is 1,992g (with BB30 crank). That compares with 2,047g for Dura-Ace Di2 and 2,098g for Campagnolo Super Record EPS.

You might notice from the photos that the bike has Shimano Dura-Ace direct-mount brake callipers. That's simply because SRAM doesn't (yet) produce a suitable direct-mount brake calliper.

SRAM Red eTap - riding 3.jpg

Conclusion

SRAM's eTap groupset is deeply impressive. The company has come to the electronic groupset market late, but it has developed a superb product that offers intuitive and reliable shifting and easy installation.

I've struggled to get too excited about electronic groupsets, until now. eTap has really impressed me. While the wireless technology is a cool feature, it's the shifting layout and ergonomics that, to my mind, most mark out this groupset from the other contenders. Based on my time riding eTap, I find it easy to recommend.

Verdict

If you haven't yet made the leap to an electronic groupset, now could be the time

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: SRAM Red eTap

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

SRAM says: "At SRAM, we know that if a technological advancement clutters the experience, it shouldn't be called an advancement.

"Because it's a bicycle. It's supposed to be simple. To make something elegant to the point where it removes what's in the way... that's advancement. That is the standard we held ourselves to while developing our first electronic shifting system; SRAM RED® eTap."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Wireless connection via AIREA™ network for fast and clean installation

Revised ErgoBlade levers provide confident control

eTap logic and positive feedback paddles eliminate shifting mistakes

Designed to work with SRAM PowerGlide™ and PowerdomeX™ cassettes (included)

Braze-on / clamp adaptor

Designed to work with SRAM X-GlideR™ 11-speed chainrings (included)

USB dongle for SRAM RED eTap® firmware

eTap® batteries are literally a snap to remove and charge

A full charge takes just 45 minutes to complete

Up to 1000 kilometres of riding per charge

Compatible with the Garmin Edge 1000 GPS Computer for live gear notifications

Levers powered by a CR2032 battery

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

It's solidly made.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

The shifting performance is, on the whole, impressive, but occasionally upshifts were a little tardy, so a little more work needs to be done to finesse it. It's still brilliant, though, and shifting is easier than mechanical Red.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

I've been using it extensively for a week, clocking about 500km, but the durability question needs much longer term testing – I will update throughout the year on its durability, but a week on muddy Cotswolds roads with some hose piping hasn't caused any concern.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
9/10

It's lighter than Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Campagnolo Super Record EPS.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

Love the shape of the new hoods, more compact than Red mechanical and easier to wrap your fingers around.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Well, it's cheaper than Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and if you've already got an 11-speed SRAM (or even Shimano) groupset, it's cheaper still as you only need to buy the electricals.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

SRAM has joined the electronic groupset party with possibly the best electronic groupset.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Shifting layout, shape of the hoods, quiet...

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Occasionally slow upshifts.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

It's a superb product that offers intuitive and reliable shifting.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

Add new comment

40 comments

Avatar
hainsy | 5 years ago
0 likes

The batteries are not fit for purpose and even with tender loving care the tabs break off and are expensive to replace. SRAM blamed me for not using the right detergent to wash my bike with !!!! the cheek!!!!!!!!!! this should be a recallled product. I found this helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47gr8dDwAmc

Avatar
greenlight | 7 years ago
0 likes

@davearthur I know this is essentially a electronic components only review, but how did the dura ace brakes feel with the SRAM levers? I hear cable pull difference between new shimano calipers and SRAM levers makes them non compatible, if the pros are doing the same and I presume you didn't end up in a hedge whilst testing (firmly knocking on wood) that the cross pollination works fine bar a little brake block adjustment. Not asking for a definitive answer just a 'worked ok for me but can't possibly comment, it's your life/teeth' etc would be fine

Avatar
PaulBox replied to greenlight | 7 years ago
0 likes
greenlight wrote:

@davearthur I know this is essentially a electronic components only review, but how did the dura ace brakes feel with the SRAM levers? I hear cable pull difference between new shimano calipers and SRAM levers makes them non compatible, if the pros are doing the same and I presume you didn't end up in a hedge whilst testing (firmly knocking on wood) that the cross pollination works fine bar a little brake block adjustment. Not asking for a definitive answer just a 'worked ok for me but can't possibly comment, it's your life/teeth' etc would be fine

I had the upgrade kit fitted a couple of weeks ago to an Ultegra based setup. The SRAM levers with Ultegra brakes work absolutely fine, to be honest, I don't think that I've noticed any difference but was probably more focused on the shifting than the braking.

And the shifting is as sweet as can be...  1 I love it.

 

Avatar
VELOW | 8 years ago
0 likes

I tested it, it's the best electronics group in the world, and you can mount it on an old racing bike easily.
Shimano must quickly exit a group with the same wireless concept. crying

Avatar
PaulBox | 8 years ago
0 likes

I just received a "Great news! Your product is now in stock." email from Wiggle  1

Unfortunately I need to wait until the end of the month...  2

Avatar
DrJDog | 8 years ago
1 like

I got the upgrade from Evans a few weeks ago. It's really good. I think I've cut my chain a bit short and I have dragged the chain off the big ring when putting the power down in a low gear a few times, but apart from that it has been excellent. Comparing it to double tap (not Di2), I find the feedback from the shifter is very slight, I'd actually like a bit more of a click. I can't imagine what Di2 is like if it has less feedback.

The rear derailleur is completely silent, as Dave says. The front one is noisy. Not massively so, but you can hear it.

Setup was an absolute doddle - the FD setup on Red 22 was a bit tricky, I thought, but maybe it was just the practice of doing that that made the eTap setup much easier.

I haven't bought any blips. £70 for two switches and a bit of wire is extraordinary. I'm waiting to see if that price comes down, or if some enterprising company decides that they can do it for a tenner  1

Oh, I measured my FD as 158g including the battery. All the other components were as stated in the article, +/- 1g.

Avatar
antigee | 8 years ago
0 likes

"kil0ran [64 posts] 3 hours ago

Cassette size isn't in the review but SRAM support have confirmed the max size it can take is 11-28. Guessing they'll be testing wider range this year as would imagine pro teams using it will demand it - increasingly they're running 32 for mountain stages"

cheers - Jenson have 28max listed on their site along with expected availability end of March 

another UK site has the price of the individual components and despite the fact that I like riding gravel and steep hills if you take out the front mech cost it's very tempting to build up a bike for the flatlands with a single ring on the front, more so if 32 or 34 become options on the back

edit "another UK site" as in online "magazine" not as in Jenson is a UK co 

Avatar
kil0ran | 8 years ago
0 likes

Cassette size isn't in the review but SRAM support have confirmed the max size it can take is 11-28. Guessing they'll be testing wider range this year as would imagine pro teams using it will demand it - increasingly they're running 32 for mountain stages.

just seems odd it's not there from the outset, surely just needs a longer cage? Wonder if it's a physical restriction due to battery placement?

good point about transportation, and I wonder if it has a crash mode like Di2

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to kil0ran | 8 years ago
0 likes
kil0ran wrote:

good point about transportation, and I wonder if it has a crash mode like Di2

15s press on a shifter will put the system to sleep but I don't think that then prevents it waking up as normal when it detects movements (might be nice if a similar press returned from a 'deep sleep' or somesuch). SRAM recommend just removing the batteries when travelling long distance, fair point I guess given how easy it is.

Avatar
antigee | 8 years ago
0 likes

 

"kil0ran [62 posts] 1 day ago

Odd that it only supports a maximum of a 28 cog cassette given SRAMs pushing of 32 and higher in road groupsets."

I couldn't see this in the review?

as to charging any input from those that have used on if the clickon/clickoff battery mounts appear to be substantial enough to last a good length of time? as someone who rides a lot of gravel and rougher last thing I'd want to have is loose connections or to lose a battery 

 

"There are no on/off buttons. The system sleeps, using accelerometers to monitor movement"

so I guess any travel by car or train will have to factored in if a bit lazy on charging or you leave the bike in the car boot when travelling 

Avatar
macrophotofly | 8 years ago
1 like

What would really make this the killer set-up and destroy the competition is if it allowed you to switch it into 10-speed mode. Given it is just software that determines the stepper motor shift distance, SRAM could do it if they wanted to.

And Bingo!, all those 3+ year old bikes we had with 10 speed wheels and non-Di routing could be upgraded in a flash...massive sales for SRAM.

Any idea if the software  to update the system (SRAM equivalent to Shimano's e-tube) allows you the choice of 10 speed shifting?

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
0 likes

Some of the advantages listed better than di2 are feeble. Di2 has multi shift, simultaneously gear change, easy index adjust(press a button) and for charging the battery because you can't remove the battery from the bike is laughable. Di2 has proven itself to be robust and reliable. Sram have had time to inspect di2 and try make significant improvement. There really hasn't been anything except wireless feature. It is another system which allows quick adjustments without holding a spanner or Allen Key.

Avatar
kil0ran replied to CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
1 like
CXR94Di2 wrote:

Some of the advantages listed better than di2 are feeble. Di2 has multi shift, simultaneously gear change, easy index adjust(press a button) and for charging the battery because you can't remove the battery from the bike is laughable. Di2 has proven itself to be robust and reliable. Sram have had time to inspect di2 and try make significant improvement. There really hasn't been anything except wireless feature. It is another system which allows quick adjustments without holding a spanner or Allen Key.

Snapping off a couple of batteries to charge is more convenient than the DI2 approach, particularly if your garage/shed doesn't have power. I keep putting off charging my Di2 battery for just that reason (plus convincing the missus that the bike needs to be in the house overnight to be charged)

For old frames without internal routing the whole eTap approach is just much neater. Hell, for the full Eroica experience you could even stick a couple of blips on the downtube shifter bosses  3

For frames which do have internal routing there is also less faff with feeding the cables through, and remember if you do have an issue with the system or snag a wire its a bottom bracket off job to resolve. Since installing Ultegra Di2 I've had to pull the battery a couple of times due to firmware update issues and I'm grateful that I'm running an (ugly) external setup for that reason.

None of that applies to eTap and to my mind its the optimum approach to electronic shifting - dead simple to install and maintain. I also think we'll see upgrades from SRAM as the system matures - autoshift, gear display, smartphone integration. Would be cool to be able to log which gear I was in for a given effort.

Avatar
steviemarco | 8 years ago
0 likes

I'm fortunate to have both DA Di2 and eTap (not a brag-fest). Di2 has been demoted to my "winter" bike and eTap on the "good" bike. I do prefer eTap for ease of use, although Di2 is hardly confusing, but wearing gloves with Di2 can be a pain, especially when the fingers are going a bit numb (I have some good gloves before anyone says).

As for the ugly chainset, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, personally I love the black chainrings.

Blips on the tops works for me too.

Avatar
clayfit | 8 years ago
1 like

Only 4 1/2 stars for such a glowing review?

What does a girl have to do to get five stars around here?

 

Avatar
stub | 8 years ago
0 likes

I'm interested in upgrading to Di2, or eTap, but to me it seems pretty stone age to rely solely on a computer to configure these systems.

I don't own a laptop, even less so a computer running windows, and in my opinion not being able to configure or perform updates quickly (and wirelessly) from a smartphone or tablet seems like a sub optimal solution. A lot of Android devices even have ANT in them anyway, but all electronic groupsets should have BT4.0 too in them for this purpose. Done right it's low powered (though might be a bit too much of a drain on eTap). I believe EPS v3 does have it but the price is just too high, but at least they have the right idea.

If the next Di2 update adds ANT/BT into the stem junction box, and there's a nice app that shows some metrics, does updates and configuration, I'm buying.

Avatar
kil0ran | 8 years ago
0 likes

Odd that it only supports a maximum of a 28 cog cassette given SRAMs pushing of 32 and higher in road groupsets.

love the concept and implementation, not least because my DI2 external cabling is fugly. 

Im assuming that you don't need to run a Red chainset, any 10 or 11 speed SRAM group will be OK?

Avatar
Dr. Ko | 8 years ago
0 likes

What no wireless brakesindecision?

Maybe  I use the set-up with a Colnago C40, replacing the 6770 set up.

Only downside - I will no longer be able to use my nice blue 10 speed Hope hubs.

Avatar
pipikikinos | 8 years ago
1 like

Prices especially of Di2, are false!!!!

Avatar
Rapha Nadal replied to pipikikinos | 8 years ago
1 like
pipikikinos wrote:

Prices especially of Di2, are false!!!!

 

I guess you don't really understand how RRP works?

My question regarding etap is; how does it work in crappy weather? For example; I rode in Flanders this weekend and the weather was truly shocking. My 11 speed Campag started mis-shifting and jumping once it got full of grit and crap. How would etap fare in these types of conditions? Dave, did you only test in reasonable weather?

Avatar
sb88 replied to Rapha Nadal | 8 years ago
0 likes
Rapha Nadal wrote:
pipikikinos wrote:

Prices especially of Di2, are false!!!!

 

I guess you don't really understand how RRP works?

My question regarding etap is; how does it work in crappy weather? For example; I rode in Flanders this weekend and the weather was truly shocking. My 11 speed Campag started mis-shifting and jumping once it got full of grit and crap. How would etap fare in these types of conditions? Dave, did you only test in reasonable weather?

 

My 7-9 speed friction set ups works seamlessly in all weather... Just sayin.

 

Avatar
Rapha Nadal replied to sb88 | 8 years ago
1 like
sb88 wrote:
Rapha Nadal wrote:
pipikikinos wrote:

Prices especially of Di2, are false!!!!

 

I guess you don't really understand how RRP works?

My question regarding etap is; how does it work in crappy weather? For example; I rode in Flanders this weekend and the weather was truly shocking. My 11 speed Campag started mis-shifting and jumping once it got full of grit and crap. How would etap fare in these types of conditions? Dave, did you only test in reasonable weather?

 

My 7-9 speed friction set ups works seamlessly in all weather... Just sayin.

 

Are you working on the assumnption that I'm running EPS?  I'm not, just normal mechanical.

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Redvee replied to sb88 | 8 years ago
0 likes
sb88 wrote:

My 7-9 speed friction set ups works seamlessly in all weather... Just sayin.

 

 

Better than my 1x1 drivetrain?

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PaulBox replied to pipikikinos | 8 years ago
1 like
pipikikinos wrote:

Prices especially of Di2, are false!!!!

Tell us what you think the list prices are then...

 

"For comparison, the list price for a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset is £2,999.99, while Shimano Ultegra Di2 is £1,999.99. So it's a grand cheaper than Dura-Ace Di2 at retail prices (though shopping around reveals you can save a fair bit)."

Avatar
rix | 8 years ago
0 likes

I might consider electronic shifting now... but as with all generation 1 products it is better to wait 6 months, for feedback from early adapters.

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Nixster | 8 years ago
0 likes

I imagine that any 11 speed cassette would work with this - is that correct?

And would using SRAM's (rather ugly IMHO) chainset be vital or would others work with it e.g. Rotor?

It really does look like a great idea well executed.

Avatar
bendertherobot replied to Nixster | 8 years ago
0 likes
Nixster wrote:

I imagine that any 11 speed cassette would work with this - is that correct?

And would using SRAM's (rather ugly IMHO) chainset be vital or would others work with it e.g. Rotor?

It really does look like a great idea well executed.

 

As I recall all 11 speed cassettes play nicely now. So much so that buying a Campag freehub and cassette and running it with Shimano is fine. So you should be able to use etap with definitely shimano and probably campag cassette. 

As to chainring there might be a maximum tooth setting but I doubt it would make any difference apart from that.

I've just thought, as well, SRAM etap would make for a bloody great x1 setup, depending on how much you could save not buying the front mech.

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thereandbackagain replied to bendertherobot | 8 years ago
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bendertherobot wrote:

I've just thought, as well, SRAM etap would make for a bloody great x1 setup, depending on how much you could save not buying the front mech.

 

I understand that there's also a hydraulic version in the works too. That would create an amazing money no object 1x CX bike.

 

 

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part_robot replied to bendertherobot | 8 years ago
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Quote:

You can also shift as many gears as you want with one press.

Just in case people aren't aware, this is a configurable option on Di2

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sneakerfrfeak replied to Nixster | 8 years ago
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Nixster wrote:

I imagine that any 11 speed cassette would work with this - is that correct?

And would using SRAM's (rather ugly IMHO) chainset be vital or would others work with it e.g. Rotor?

It really does look like a great idea well executed.

I'm currently using it with Rotor Q-Rings and a KMC chain on a Sram Red chainset (for the very reason that you describe) and it shifts fine. No doubt shifts would be a little slicker on Sram rings but hey i'll live with it.

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