Want to try electronic shifting 2 x 11S, wich idea is better ?

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LouisN
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Location: Canada

by LouisN

I'm itching to try electronic shifting on my ONLY road bike (mechanical rim brake frame).

WIch option is best ?
Ultegra R8050 ?
Dura Ace R9150 ?
Shimano wires can be adapted to a mechanical frame I guess :| ?
Or
SRam Etap 2 X 11S

Among things I'm not so sure about:
Are these on the "unobtanium" list ?
What about parts availability for the next few years ?
Budget is always an issue :| .

Louis :)

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nickf
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by nickf

Well 11 speed etap is dead. I would not go that route. Excellent group but hard to source parts.

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Mocs123
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by Mocs123

Both Ultegra 8050 and Dura Ace 9150 Di2 shift virtually the same, the Dura Ace is just lighter. Also of note the Dura Ace or Ultegra SS Short Cage derailer both max out at 11-30 (some people have gotten 11-32 to work but it depends on the bike), the Ultegra GS Mid Cage derailer can go to 11-34. If you ride in the flatlands it doesn't matter, but if you climb it might.

Personally I have Dura Ace Di2 with a Ultegra rear derailer on one bike and Ultegra Di2 on another.

And as the poster above noted, SRAM 22 eTap is a good groupset, but parts are already hard to find. I wouldn't go that way due to the lack of spare parts (even casettes).
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GS100
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by GS100

Recently built a bike for someone with 11s electronic. Went for Ultegra 8050 in the end - still being sold and therefore warrantied over next 2 years, really good value as 12s DI2 is now out.

As a campagnolo fan I tried very hard to make V2/3 EPS work but the lack of availability of older parts would have meant going down the ebay route with no manufacturer support and ended up more expensive anyway.

I know lots on the forum rate etap 11s, never tried it but it sounds very good indeed and they aren't supporting it any longer.

As for 11s Ultegra DI2 - works very well, easy to install and adjust, good ergonomics and build quality, not too heavy. I am so impressed with it so it's a no-brainer IMO if you have a limited budget but want electronic.

eurostar
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by eurostar

I bought a bike with etap 11 recently, and I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be OK for parts for quite a few years. There are a lot of components on ebay, and there'll probably be more when the supply of new bikes and groupsets improves next year, allowing more etap 11 owners to trade up. Maybe one day I'll have to buy used mechs or levers to cannibalise for parts, but I wouldn't mind that too much. If the XG-1190 cassette disappears from the market, there's always Shimano or Omni or Seqlite etc.

Mocs123
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by Mocs123

I never understood why they quit making spare parts and even consumable parts so quickly. Shimano may end up doing the same thing with their 11 speed stuff, but it really turned me off of SRAM.
2015 Wilier Zero.7 Rim - 6.37kg
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2023 Specialized SL7 - 7.18kg

glepore
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by glepore

I wouldn't do etap 11-i've seen fd's go for north of $500 due to lack of replacements.
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Discodan
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by Discodan

You just need to be aware that your mech frame may not take Di2 cables. It may be you need to drill out some cable holes to accept the larger head of a electronic cable

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

Check the for sale forum. There is a set of 9150 (Dura Ace Di2 for rim brake) in excellent condition for sale. All you would need then is the fd and rd.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

NickJHP
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by NickJHP

I'm very happy with Red eTap 11s - have had it on two bikes for several years. However, as others have pointed out, it can no longer be purchased new, and spare parts are likely to be a problem in the future, so I wouldn't recommend it if you are purchasing now. A couple of friends installed Force AXS eTap 2x12 on their existing rim brake bikes, which had been running 11s, but just purchased the shifters and derailleurs, they didn't bother with the SRAM chain/cassette/cranks. They used ZTTO 12s cassettes (which fit on Shimano HG freehubs, so they could use their existing wheels), ZTTO 12s chain, and kept their existing cranks. It all seems to work fine.

Can't comment on Shimano or Campagnolo electronic shifting, as I've never used either.

mrlobber
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by mrlobber

Mocs123 wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 1:23 am
And as the poster above noted, SRAM 22 eTap is a good groupset, but parts are already hard to find. I wouldn't go that way due to the lack of spare parts (even casettes).
In Germany, there seems to be plenty of XG-1190 cassettes available at all gear ratios, from 11-25 to 11-32. Of course, anyone heavy into 11 speed, I'd currently advise to stock up a bit, but that's an individual decision.

For OP, Ultegra definitely is the way to go, as the only "meaningful" difference vs DA is the weight unless your frame is going to have serious issues with the wiring (usually all mech compatible frames are also electronic compatible, or at least can be made so :D). Also, spare parts availability is expected to be better compared to already-a-while-artificially-obsolete Etap 11 speed.
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LouisN
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by LouisN

Discodan wrote:
Tue Oct 19, 2021 2:49 am
You just need to be aware that your mech frame may not take Di2 cables. It may be you need to drill out some cable holes to accept the larger head of a electronic cable
Yes, there's one place I'm not so sure about, it's the chainstay. Rear mech cable runs outside (under) I would have to drill a hole above the hanger, not conviced there's room to pull out the cable back there... :?

Louis :)

Tifosiphil
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by Tifosiphil

LouisN wrote:
Tue Oct 19, 2021 11:39 am
Discodan wrote:
Tue Oct 19, 2021 2:49 am
You just need to be aware that your mech frame may not take Di2 cables. It may be you need to drill out some cable holes to accept the larger head of a electronic cable
Yes, there's one place I'm not so sure about, it's the chainstay. Rear mech cable runs outside (under) I would have to drill a hole above the hanger, not conviced there's room to pull out the cable back there... :?

Louis :)
You could always just run this along the underside of the chainstay and make it look fairly clean; https://www.bikester.co.uk/shimano-ew-s ... jwQAvD_BwE

edchristoph
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by edchristoph

LouisN wrote:
Tue Oct 19, 2021 11:39 am
Discodan wrote:
Tue Oct 19, 2021 2:49 am
You just need to be aware that your mech frame may not take Di2 cables. It may be you need to drill out some cable holes to accept the larger head of a electronic cable
Yes, there's one place I'm not so sure about, it's the chainstay. Rear mech cable runs outside (under) I would have to drill a hole above the hanger, not conviced there's room to pull out the cable back there... :?

Louis :)
If it's a carbon frame drilling holes would be a no-no, at least for me. IIRC there is an external wiring harness for DI2 which you might use to externally route a cable unter the chainstay like this guy over at slowtwitch has done:
https://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch ... _P2844525/

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DaveS
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by DaveS

So much easier to use sram axs 12 speed. I've got two bikes with it for 15 months now. Zero problems.

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