I am looking at either going with Sram Force or Shimano Ultegra(R8000 Series) and wanted to poll the audience on which direction to go. Looking for the best shifting and ease of installation. I had Sram Rival (10 speed) in the past and could never dial in the FD including the LBS. I'm also thinking about DI2 as an option.
Di2 is awesome and shifts flawless, and I don't regret getting it on my road bike. But to me electronic shifting should be reserved for sunny days and broad boulevards (I know many, including Nick Legan, would disagree). When I'm out doing gravel and the conditions are poor, I'd rather have the field fix-ability and lower replacement cost of a mechanical system at my disposal. Just my $.02
Don't go for SRAM as they are abandoning X2 and really pushing X1. I like my X2 SRAM setup, but wonder what future options will be for replacing worn items.
chunkyhugo wrote:Don't go for SRAM as they are abandoning X2 and really pushing X1. I like my X2 SRAM setup, but wonder what future options will be for replacing worn items.
Where did you hear that? SRAM is pushing 1x for gravel, but they have no plans to drop 2x for their road groups.
I'm running Sram Rival, with a Force double crank, first running a 46/36, and now replaced the 36 for a 34, and still shifting well. My other bikes run Campy shifters, so I don't have any experience with the 10 speed Sram double. The front shifting works well and I prefer being able to have a larger gear range while running a tighter cassette.
Adam V wrote:I'm running Sram Rival, with a Force double crank, first running a 46/36, and now replaced the 36 for a 34, and still shifting well. My other bikes run Campy shifters, so I don't have any experience with the 10 speed Sram double. The front shifting works well and I prefer being able to have a larger gear range while running a tighter cassette.
\nWhat ratio cassette are you using with the 46/34?
There are more options today among road-oriented groups that provide good gearing for gravel riders, but for years I've had excellent results mixing Shimano STI shifters with drivetrain components intended for MTBs. I ride in areas with lots of long and steep climbing, and have used MTB triple cranksets to get the gear range desired for my scrawny legs while keeping the ratios tighter on the cassette. Inevitably, road vs. MTB compatibility hurdles must be sorted out (I've had great results with Jtek Shiftmates), but once mitigated I have yet to run such a setup that didn't shift as if all the parts were part of the same groupset. Happy to share details if anyone's interested, but just thought I'd mention as an alternative in case someone's in the same boat terrain-wise.
OH To @chunkyhugo I'm running a 11-32 right now,on the wheel set with Panaracer GK 32MM slick tires(mostly used for road riding, especially in damp weather) but with the new 34 T small ring I might soon go back to a 11-28, my secondary wheel set which has larger Panaracer GK SK 35 tires is running a 12-28 DA cassette
OffB10Path wrote:There are more options today among road-oriented groups that provide good gearing for gravel riders
I'm still waiting for a groupset with a 46-30 crankset, 11-36 cassette, clutch RD, brifters. Not necessarily a "gravel groupset", more like an average Joe or mixed terrain groupset.
I'm still waiting for a groupset with a 46-30 crankset, 11-36 cassette, clutch RD, brifters. Not necessarily a "gravel groupset", more like an average Joe or mixed terrain groupset.
I did see that FSA has 'adventure' gearing that is 48/32 available on most of their cranksets. A hair lower than 50/34 but with better range than a 46/36.
I did see that FSA has 'adventure' gearing that is 48/32 available on most of their cranksets. A hair lower than 50/34 but with better range than a 46/36.
AbsoluteBlack is coming out with elliptical 48/32 and 46/30 rings for Shimano 4 bolt, 110BCD cranks.
I did see that FSA has 'adventure' gearing that is 48/32 available on most of their cranksets. A hair lower than 50/34 but with better range than a 46/36.
Sounds good. I have a 46/36 and think it's far too close. 48/32 is way better. When my chainrings need replacing, I will try this combo.
I did see that FSA has 'adventure' gearing that is 48/32 available on most of their cranksets. A hair lower than 50/34 but with better range than a 46/36.
I know about most options (I think) but I still want a complete groupset with a 46/30. With things like an optimized front derailleur that works perfectly and of course I want all the other things I listed. 😃
I'm still waiting for a groupset with a 46-30 crankset, 11-36 cassette, clutch RD, brifters. Not necessarily a "gravel groupset", more like an average Joe or mixed terrain groupset.
I think something like this would be popular among gravel and road riders, alike.
I'd also like an Ultegra-level 3x option to return, with something like 50-39-30 or 48-36-26. Not sure that would ever fly, but I've never cared for the 16T difference between 2x compact rings. The trend toward wider rear spacing would benefit the 3x chainline.
![[bawl]](https://cdn.websitetoolbox.com/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif "Bawl - :cry:")
With things like an optimized front derailleur that works perfectly and of course I want all the other things I listed. 😃