Etap or mechanical 22?

[nickf]

I'm on a wait list for a frameset. This will be a full tilt build. I'm definitely going sram. But I'm torn between mechanical and etap. I like etap for how clean the build will look but extra weight and having to charge more batteries is a drawback. I'm on 10 speed red mechanical and have had zero issues. I do work at a shop so I can get parts at a good price, so price isn't a driving factor.

[sungod]

i'd go for etap without question, gets rid of the cables, minor weight penalty once you take that into account, no need to tweak shifting once it's set up

fitted mine exactly seven weeks ago (upgraded my sram red 10-speed), which is also when i charged the batteries

i decided to run it without further charging, to see how long it lasted before dipping into the reserve

since then i did about 700km/25 hours riding time, less that i expected due to travel and taking it easy after a knee issue (which thankfully seems ok now)

plenty of standby time, plus a reasonable amount of active time, mostly rolling terrain, plenty of rear shifting, not much on the fd

it was only after today's ride that the led on the rd went from green (at the start) to red

that's well within sram's suggested performance of 15-60 hours green, with the 6 hours minimum reserve at red still in hand

battery charging shouldn't be a hassle, either check after each ride as you've got plenty of time to charge them (it takes about an hour per battery), or work out your typical riding hours and set a reminder to recharge accordingly

the more i ride etap, the more i like it

[mythical]

For the sake of argument I say stay with mechanical for all the you just mentioned if the frame has shift cable bosses. Otherwise, the choice for Etap is the obvious one, for the sake of progress. At first, I thought OP was asking a rhetorical question.

[nickf]

Ha yea me typing what I'm thinking. Looking for etap experiences. It will be internal cable routing if I do go with mechanical. But there will be weight songs not using cable stops. We are on weightweenies btw. I have seen conflicting numbers when comparing weight between the two group sets. How much added weight we talking about?

[sungod]

when i installed mine, it came out c. 40g heavier - ignoring the difference in 10 to 11 speed cassette

as well as removing cables/outer (which were powercordz/nokon), i also removed the guide under the bb shell and the downtube bracket/stops

if i'd been using steel cable and traditional outer the difference would've been much smaller, maybe i'd actually have saved weight

[eric]

I recently went through the same decision process when upgrading the 10sp Sram on my R3SL (which has external shift cable fittings). I wound up getting mechanical. It's tried and true and much cheaper. But I don't think there is a wrong answer here.

[oldnslow2]

I had Red 22 mechanical and upgraded to eTap. While it's not ground breaking, it is nice. I'm not concerned about battery life since they last for over a months and only take 45 minutes to charge... and you'll only need to charge one since the FD isn't used as much.

Weight... my bike like 20 grams lighter.

[AE86Micah]

To me it comes down to just a few questions: Do you want the tied and true system or what is most likely going to be the next big thing? Is charging a batter every couple months a big issue for you? Are you on a restrictive budget? Are you wanting to buy into first gen tech?
After I answered these questions, I decided to wait for the gen 2 wireless system as my current groupset is still fairly new.

[nickf]

I have never had problems with my mechanical groups. I always keep on top of maintenance. I would wait for gen 2 but our sram rep said that wont be for awhile. Gen 2 wont be released until well after i receive the frame. Having to charge a battery to ride my bike does kinda bother me, but at the same time the group is just so damm clean! I like the feel of mechanical and because i can just hop on anytime without ever having to think about charging a single battery. But I do want to start gathering the large ticket items of the build that i know wont change no matter what BB i go with or fit.

[CEVelo]

I have mechanical Red 22 on one bike and DA Di2 on my other.
After 2500 miles on Di2, i can barely stand the thought of riding my mechanical Red 22 anymore other than on rollers indoors.

Electrical all the way. You won't regret it. Can't speak for Etap, but the current gen DA Di2 is as smooth and easy as it gets.

[2old4this]

I have a few bikes with electronic shifting, including eTap. After using electronic, I will not go back to mechanical.

eTap, however, is still a question for me. It leaves too many holes open! The set I have is on a Guru frame. There are two open holes at the down tube, and one on the chain stay (not counting the ones around the bottom bracket.)

If you have a mechanical only frame that is a different story...

One of the guys I sometimes see on the road has a custom steel made in early '80s (with down tube shifters and everything.) after seeing eTap, he is finally considering switching to electronic (nope, he will never ever give up that custom frame. )

[sungod]

on my frame i only needed to fill a couple of holes where i'd taken off the bracket that held the downtube stops (just to prevent water getting in), cleaned them with acetone then filled with sugru

it should last indefinitely, but if necessary can be easily removed

[2old4this]

I thought sugru solidifies when is comes in contact with air. How do you remove it?

[sungod]

it's a silicone, once cured it's rubbery, if i need to remove it i can use a fine pick to cut/chase it out

[oldnslow2]