Shimano DA Shifters...why no Carbon Lever like the Record

[maxxevv]

I´m pretty shure that the FSA Mega-Exo Bb will fit instead of the DA. They´re both 24mm inside measure. That way you can buy the new FSA ceramic BB and use it with your DA cranks - sweet!

They don't ..... the way bearing cups and retainers are designed doesn't allow them to be interchanged. Comparatively, the Shimano design is more elegant and easier to install. FSA Mega Exo BBs are quite a headached to maintain as the bearings tend to 'stick' to the through axle shaft when taking them off for cleaning or maintenance. So, you'll have to be careful with them when removing the bearings off the shaft without damaging the carbon on the cranks.

But the beauty of the FSA design is that its less reliant on the built quality of the BB shell. As the bearings are aligned by its own spacing sleeve inside the BB. SO.. to each its own. But personally, I prefer the Shimano design.

[bladteth]

I really do wish that Shimano would make carbon levers because for me, training and racing on the same bike.. unless I clean it after every ride, the shifters start to corrode from my sweat (I presume). It's grose.

That's a major cosmetic problem with DA, unfortunately. It seems that the anodised layer is very thin and fragile. Just taki a look at this:

[zakeen]

I really do wish that Shimano would make carbon levers because for me, training and racing on the same bike.. unless I clean it after every ride, the shifters start to corrode from my sweat (I presume). It's grose.

That's a major cosmetic problem with DA, unfortunately. It seems that the anodised layer is very thin and fragile. Just taki a look at this:

Send them back and you will get a new pair.

[Samu Ilonen]

Raceface is making BB's now that are compatible with Shimano's outboard setup.

Yep, I know. I sell them....

From RF: " Interchangeable with Shimano’s Dura Ace, Ultegra and 2006 105 "

RF road crank, 860g+99g for bb....~960g??? Record carbon+bb is like 750g...over 200g!!! more?

I was thinking that crank to my TT-frame project with "Cannondale SI" way press fit bearings.

[mzagorski]

Bladteth - How many underwater ocean rides do you do per year.... or do you ride on roads in Europe covered in rock salt in the winter?!!

Samu - Can you not bake us some replacement CF brake levers for our Dura-Ace 10v STI's? Is it even possible for someone that isn't *shimano* to replace the brake lever part?

[Samu Ilonen]

Samu - Can you not bake us some replacement CF brake levers for our Dura-Ace 10v STI's? Is it even possible for someone that isn't *shimano* to replace the brake lever part?

Offcourse I can. But how can re-assemble those afful STi-levers....?

9-speed Ultegra brake lever parts where very heavy. I have breaked few STi's and took one to pieces to see what was broken. I remeber thinking that in that time...

[bladteth]

Bladteth - How many underwater ocean rides do you do per year.... or do you ride on roads in Europe covered in rock salt in the winter?!!

Close. 3 years, 20 000 km, ocean coastal area :-)

[kAb]

I wonder how all the OEM sourcing of FSA cranks over DA will affect their future decisions. The bike companies say that it saves them about $100 to spec an FSA crank over DA on a bike and the consumers want it since carbon is so 'in' right now. Heck, we even have people taking perfectly killer new DA cranks off to put very average FSA ones on. Over the last few years I've only seen one broken DA crank and about 7 broken FSA carbon ones, so I'm not making the switch, but by and large it seems that the majority of people don't want Al cranks.

They have to see this on their bottom line if they are selling 100,000 DA kits to some OEM like Cervelo and all of them have the crank deleted in favor of what most would consider an inferior but cheaper and oddly enough more desirable part? That's gotta hurt the bottom line for the big S.

You're right, it does hurt the bottom line for Shimano. How will it affect shimano's future decesions? Well i know one decision they made. It was when Ultegra 10sp was first coming out, actually before it came out. All these bike companies had beed specing FSA or Truvativ cranks on their Dura Ace and Ultegra models. Good move on their part, it saved them money and gave your avg consumer what they wanted, carbon. Shimano's move - They said, before the Ultegra 10sp was released, Ultegra 10 and Dura Ace 10 were perfectly interchangable. So now these companies see no need for Ultegra 10 crank, lets throw some FSA on there, hell at that lets throw some compact FSA on there since everybody wants sissy gears. The ultegra 10 front derailuer did not turn out to work so hot with cranks that were not shimano 10. Frequent derail on inner chainring, especially with compacts (IRD probably made a lot of money replacing these ultegra 10 derailuers). It showed much more when trying to run compacts on bikes with crappy chain lines as well, like all the Felts. I havn't seen this problem publicized much but I'm sure my fellow bike shop employees have had the same issues. For instance, the 2005 Cannondale R1000. Great bike and good bang for the buck, all it needed was an Ultegra 10 Crank though. This makes me weiry of the 10sp 105 compatibility.

I'd have to say this was a crafty move on behalf of the Japs, I'm sure it encouraged sales of the cranks and encouraged companies to use the Ultegra 10 crank in 2006 models.

[yourdaguy]

That is why FSA now makes a compact front derailer to sell to the bike companies to go with the compact cranks.

There is no way Shimano can win since FSA cranks are in the words of an FSA vice president "a boutique item". You can't compete with a quality durable product that costs more to make against a fashion article that is cheaper to make. The people that really ride know the Shimano cranks are better, but the average person that buys a bike-the mass of the market-thinks carbon is better and probably rides less than 300 miles a year and won't notice the difference. I love my 7800 cranks.

[kAb]

So I take you ran into this problem as well, yourdaguy?

[yourdaguy]

No, I don't own any compact cranks. I am aware of the problem. That is why Campy came out with a different front derailer for their compact cranks when they introduced them. I ran across the FSA compact crank front derailer on their site last week and am sure they will be selling it to bike makers.

[kAb]

Yeah I don't own any compact cranks either, I ran into the problem when building them when they first came out.

BTW, this problem doens't involve just compact cranks... its anything other than the spacing of the ultegra 10sp chainrings.

And i did too see that on FSA's website and thought the same thing, havn't seen any 06 bikes speced with it though.