Cycling guys- Etap or Di2??

[Jeff Alton]

Have 2 bikes I want to move to electronic shifting on. First priority is the tri bike. Always rode Shimano drive trains, but am very interested in the Sram Etap. On the Tri bike it allows custom placement of secondary shift buttons which is a bonus. A wee bit cheaper from what I can tell and install seems very simple.

The roadie would be secondary. The shimano drivetrain on it works very well. The bike is a mix of 105, Ultegra and Dura ace.

Not sure if I want 2 different shifting protocols on the bikes, so likely will make both the same set up...

What are your thoughts??

[billybek]

I do not have experience with either but one of my pet peeves on shifters is when the same action produces different results front and rear. One shifts up the other shifts down.

I am still using the Brifters on my old Santa Cruz Blurr LT and that was the reason I went with XTR on it at the time.

That new stuff is pretty interesting but the chances are good that I will never wear out the Durace components on the Lemond road bike due to lack of use.....

[NutmegCarrera]

...so downtube levers with 6-speed SIS is no longer the latest & greatest, eh?
I remember when that was hi tech.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Jeff Alton

Have 2 bikes I want to move to electronic shifting on. First priority is the tri bike. Always rode Shimano drive trains, but am very interested in the Sram Etap. On the Tri bike it allows custom placement of secondary shift buttons which is a bonus. A wee bit cheaper from what I can tell and install seems very simple.

The roadie would be secondary. The shimano drivetrain on it works very well. The bike is a mix of 105, Ultegra and Dura ace.

Not sure if I want 2 different shifting protocols on the bikes, so likely will make both the same set up...

What are your thoughts??

I've got a bike setup w/ Di2 and another w/ Ultegra, each has it's merits
Di2 is great for casual rides, you can add extra shifters where you want them and program how it performs but it is limited in that once the shifters are programmed they are that way until reprogrammed. W/ the manual Ultegra shifters I can shift down 1 or 2 or 3 gears gears at a time depending on the shifter throw, this is a feature I use a lot and really appreciate when you are making time.

11 speed, w/ a semicompact crank is really a nice way to go, a compact crank just doesn't have the gears to go really fast, tho it is fine in the hills, the semi compact is a nice step from the traditional crank which this old guy was having trouble w/ in the mountains, smaller. younger guys aren't likely to have this issue.

[rwest]

Jeff,

I have no experience on the electronic shifting, but can comment on using two different brands between bikes. I have Shimano on my commuter bike and Campagnolo on my road bike and it requires much thought and many mis-shifts when changing bikes.

If my mind is working properly, I believe you do some racing and mis-shifting isn't going to be fun in the heat of the battle!

[herr_oberst]

Lots more Di2 out there than Etap... and Shimano just replaced the 6800 Ultegra with the 8000 Ultegra. I've seen new 6800 Di2 advertised for half price, about $1100..

Have a good ride this morning.

[MFAFF]

Not ridden ETAP however have ridden Di2 for the last four years... I cannot imagine an easier system to master.

New generations can have additional 'spirit' or 'TT" buttons where you want them on different bars.

I think either will be fantastic... to me much better than manual shifts (except old 5 speed friction shifters circa 1985.... )

[greglepore]

On a tt or tri bike, etap if your doing your own install, although a Slice is petty easy to work on. Shimano is more developed and likly will continue to be. FSA enters the fray in a couple months.
My experience is di2 and no complaints, but folks I know on etap are happy with it.


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[berettafan]

that e shifting has got to be the coolest thing since sliced bread for tri bikes given the ability to put little buttons in the middle.

[Eric H]

I've been riding etap for about a year and a half and probably 7 or 8 thousand miles. It was great right out of the box and still is. I do my own bike work and setup was really simplified. Basically just mount the parts, align/adjust according to instructions, get them all paired up (easy) and ride. I can't imagine a simpler shifting logic - right paddle up a gear, left paddle down a gear, both paddles shifts the front.

My main worry when going to electronic shifting was whether or not the front derailleur would work well. I've always thought it was the weak point of shifting with dropped chains, trimming on the fly, etc. When I first rode etap it was a revelation how well the FD worked. I recently learned that the FD knows what rear cog you are on and adjusts its (2 movement) shift action accordingly.

Anyway, as you can probably tell I'm a very satisfied etap user. I have no experience with any other electronic shifting so I won't make comparisons but I do know people that like their di2 and from what I hear it works great as well.

[look 171]

I have Dura Ace Di2 on my Time and its been flawless (I only do road bike). I also have mechanical SRAM and that thing has been beat on by yours truly over the past four years and it has held up very, very well. So, my volt its still Shimano due to reliability and they invented the thing, (well, Mavic actually, I think). I do like SRAM a lot due to the way their lever feels in my hand. If I were to do it again, I would still get Shimano.

Nutmag, down tube 6 speed? Man, I thought ultra 6 speed freewheel was the chit when that came out. I still remember all the pimples on my face when it happened. Fun times

[Jeff Alton]

Thanks for all the feedback. I do all my own bike maintenance as well so not too worried about keeping it functioning correctly.

The big advantage like Berettafan says is the buttons, and in more than one spot. Right now shifting the tri bike is a pain if you are not in aero, especially when climbing. The slice is set up for Di2 with the seat tube battery mount already there etc. But I think the Etap is a bit lighter without the battery needed in the Di2...

old times, I remember racing as a teenager with a 16-20 rear and 48/52 front. Almost like having a single speed...

Bill, the gearing is the same on both bike 11/28 and 36/52 but the Supersix has 172.5 cranks and the Slice has 165mm cranks. I am contemplating going 11/25 on both bikes.

[look 171]

I don't know what type of riding are you doing, but to me, unless you are doing lots of climbing, a 28 cog out back is a waste especially with a 36 little ring up front. I longer race, but still ride and train with a bunch of guys that do just to keep my legs and reflexes sharp. Muscles don't work like they used to at 50. I still ride a 23 or 25 depending on the amount of hill I am going over. I much rather have the mid range selection on the roads I ride then have that one large cog jsut for that day when you decide to go climbing. I need 16, 17, and 18 tooth cog out back. I ride 53x39 rings but will switch to a 27 on those long 15 miles climbs, other then that, 23 or 25 cog is all I need even for those climbs. Yes, I do come in dead last sometimes due to the lack or riding.

Doesn't shimano have a remote gear selector that mounts to the top of handle bars?

[greglepore]

Shimano has a climbing shifter for bar tops ( I have one), sprint shifters for drops and the aero buttons. Sram has "blip buttons" that go anywhere. Pretty much the same in concept.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Jeff Alton

...

Bill, the gearing is the same on both bike 11/28 and 36/52 but the Supersix has 172.5 cranks and the Slice has 165mm cranks. I am contemplating going 11/25 on both bikes.

Yes, that is my current favorite gearing for an old guy in the hills around here, I'd have to look up the crank lengths. I hated to give up the old 39-54//11-25 but the hills were just killing me.

I do ~6k mi a year. Split between that and a compact crank(39-54//11-28) and a cc(34-50//12-30) cruiser(mostly winter use for this one)

[crb07]

I have campy record electric, had Version 1 and after constant problems they upgraded me to version 2. So far so good but the bike does not get so much use.
Everyone I know with Di2 loves it. Never have been told of anyone having issues. I am in Europe in the summer and even most Italians I see are using di2 which is very telling as most are die hard campy guys. My next bike will be di2, no question.

[nikita76]

As several have mentioned, Etap is super easy to setup and it helps keep the weight of my Super Six under 15lbs. While it's efficient and smooth, I think my Di2 is a touch faster. Talking to some friends at SRAM, that can be altered with a program update. Whether they decide that or not, remains out there.

Test ride a few at your local LBS, you'll get a better idea after riding them.

Enjoy either way...good luck!

[Jeff Alton]

Thanks Nikita76,

Even if a bit slower than Di2, it will be faster than manually shifting I hope there would be a Etap program update, but from what I rode today, it is better than the manual shift I have today and no need to change hand positon to shift.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Jeff Alton

Thanks Nikita76,

Even if a bit slower than Di2, it will be faster than manually shifting I hope there would be a Etap program update, but from what I rode today, it is better than the manual shift I have today and no need to change hand positon to shift.

Di2 speed can be adjusted too, It's not going to be faster than manual, particularly if going down 2 or 3 gears, up will be about the same maybe a tad faster w/ Di2

The only feature where e-shift shines in my mind is changing the front up

[greglepore]

Yes, the front shift is worth the price of admission. Even if I've had to ride home a couple of times without a fd due to my lack of attention to charge state.