Shimano 6800 vs 9000?

[Tinea Pedis]

Do 6800 and 9000 use the same cables? As one team mate blew up his 9000 FD and replaced it with 6800, I could not pick the difference in shifting (we are close enough in size that I could ride his bike).

It's very Campag like how close Dura Ace and Ultegra are now, functionality wise. Again, only weight and props (and money being no object) would be why I'd take DA over Ultegra.

[MarkGiardini]

I'm running 9000 on one bike and 6800 on another. I can't honestly pick the differences.

[skinnywellfed]

Tinea, from all the research I've done it certainly seems that the 6800 and 9000 poly coated cables are the exact same thing. The only reference to a change or difference came from VN Tech Caley Fretz. He stated that Shimano began producing poly coated cables with even 'more' of the slick poly coating.

I strongly believe that the snapping cable issue is a failure of the cable/ cables and not a failure of the routing system / routing parts used in the shifters. People are reporting using the new poly coated cables in the last gen. (7900 & 6700) Shimano shifters and they are experiencing the same cable failures. It would appear that Shimano has recognized that the cable itself was at issue and that they have made changes to cables being currently produced. Of course no one at Shimano would ever admit that.

Many people claimed that the 6800 incorporated some 'new design' in it's cable routing. That the parts and the design was changed for the release of the 6800 shifter and so on. And that the 9001 shifters incorporated these same changes. People claim that this is why 6800 users are reporting fewer cable failures.

Research indicates that 6800 and 9001 incorporated changes that addressed certain shortcomings in the 9000 shifters and these changes are;
improved corrosion resistance for the mechanics
more shielding to cover up exposed mechanics
slight aesthetic changes
the cable routing 'cover' was attached to the body of the shifter, rather than being completely removable
(and this cable cover makes NO contact with the cable)

And what wasn't changed were part numbers (this is the actual nylon piece that routes the shift cable);
Y63X63000 & Y63X55000

It can be seen right on the Shimano E.V. drawings on their website.

Shimano’s E.V. parts drawings show:
9000 R.H. SL Cable Guide R Y63X63000 L.H. SL Cable Guide L Y63X55000
9001 R.H. SL Cable Guide R Y63X63000 L.H. SL Cable Guide L Y63X55000
6800 R.H. SL Cable Guide R Y63X63000 L.H. SL Cable Guide L Y63X55000
5800 R.H. SL Cable Guide R Y63X63000 L.H. SL Cable Guide L Y63X55000

The exact same part / parts are used for 9000, 9001, 6800 and 5800 to route the shift cable.

So……………….I don’t see how the angle of cable entry could be any different when comparing 9000 to 6800 and 9001.
In addition, by the time Shimano got to making 5800, if they had concerns that the cable entry angle was the cause of failures then SURELY they would have changed it by the time 5800 was released.

[dunbar42]

There's also very little difference between 5800 and 6800. I honestly would be hard pressed to pick them out in a blind test.

[skinnywellfed]

dunbar, I doubt there's much performance difference at all between 5800, 6800 and 9001. I believe it comes down to weight and vanity. So many in our and other sports are so completely overwhelmed by the need to 'look cool'.

I'm as guilty as any in that regard. But I try to work through the return on investment scenario. Will double the money get me double the performance? NO, not even close, so I've got 6800 on my main ride and it's all the 'cool' I need.

[wheelsONfire]

I just read this
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/shima ... i-shifters

I used DA 9000 on 3 builds, bought sti 9001 for the latest.
I don't remember noticing any difference in routing cables.
I think they're same!?
What i do notice is that you can set for a narrower reach, shifting is perhaps a bit smoother.
I've used Shima DA 9000 cable kits, Aican Bungarus and Jagwire Road Elite shift and brake kits.
The shifting is as good on Jagwire as on Shima DA 9000 cables.
Also opted for Rotor 3D+ MAS and Q-rings instead of the DA crank.
To my surprise i find it shifts both faster and smoother than i expected.
I have not used 6800 or Di2/Ui2. My buddy uses 6800 and now built a bike with 105.
I am curious of how he feels about the new 105.
Never had any fraying cables or troubles with sti 9000.
It's winter here, so new build has only been rolling at the trainer.

[Irish]

Has anyone tried Campagnolo cables with the Shimano shifters?

[sawyer]

Do 6800 and 9000 use the same cables? As one team mate blew up his 9000 FD and replaced it with 6800, I could not pick the difference in shifting (we are close enough in size that I could ride his bike).

It's very Campag like how close Dura Ace and Ultegra are now, functionality wise. Again, only weight and props (and money being no object) would be why I'd take DA over Ultegra.

Perhaps yes, though for some reason the snob gap between SR and Record is much smaller than DA > Ultegra. Perhaps because Record was the top bollock as is still seen on a lot of pros' bikes?

Isn't the % weight difference between the two top groups still less with Campag? I think that is certainly true if you exclude the Ti bolted SR chainset

[Dez33]

Hi all, first post here but long time viewer. I'm currently running 6800 and am going to redo the front derailleur installation this weekend as bike shop has got it wrong three times now. I have all the instructions and am comfortable I will get it working correctly.

My question is ... I have a dura ace 9000 front derailleur available at the right price if I want it, the cable pull trim and everything will work fine with the 6800 lever?

Thanks,

[TurboKoo]

Yes they are compatible.

[Dez33]

Thanks,

[fromtrektocolnago]

So got a little caught up in making my perfect bike so i swapped out of 6800 into 9000 for everything except bb, chain and rear cassette. The sole difference i feel is in the shifting which feels a little more accurate, that and the set-up looks nicer. That said, on my next build i'm going ultegra again.

[Multebear]

Supposedly the differences between 6800 and 9000 are lighter materials, and 1 vs. 4 shiftbearings in each of the shiftlevers. Makes sense that you feel a smoother shifting.

[eric01]

Ultegra is great value for the money. Very little difference in "on the road feel". A little heavier but if you're on a budget you're better off putting the money saved into better wheels

[eaglejackson]

I have two Parlee Z5 SLi bikes, one with DA 9000 Di2 and the other with Ultegra 6800 Di2. Functionally I cannot tell the difference between the two. The DA looks nicer and is a little lighter. On the road they both shift the same to me. The DA bike brakes a little better but I don't know if it's the brakes themselves or the rims on the DA bike have a better braking surface.