I’ve been running 12-speed Ultegra, but ergonomically the levers just don’t feel right. When I grab the hood, I want to have three fingers around the body, but I can only just fit 2 or 3 with discomfort. I also ride an older 11-speed eTap (non-HDR), and those hoods are great.
I’m considering two options. Swap to GRX ST-RX825, go for new sram force.
For me, the lever ergonomics are the main priority. Anyone tried both? How do they compare in terms of hood shape, reach, comfort especially for longer rides?
I haven’t ridden Shimano for a long time but I did recently upgrade to the new Force levers and brakes. My main goal was the improved braking feel (which is fantastic) and didn’t even consider lever ergonomics.
I will tell you that when I rode the new levers I was really surprised at how great they felt as in “really great” especially when I wasn’t even thinking about it.
so I’d be pretty surprised if you didn’t like them. Besides that the new braking feel is really incredible.
Ergonomics is subjective. It seems you and I are in the same camp: on dropbar bikes, I could never get on with Shimano’s ergonomics whereas even the double tap levers instantly felt great and natural. Their shift logic is much better than Shimano’s, especially on 1x (both, mechanical and electronic). I prefer the taller hump that SRAM levers tend to have as it gives me a more secure grip when I am in the aero hoods position.
And the newly designed brake cylinder/lever on E1-series SRAM brakes seems to get universal praise. (Even on my Force D1 I prefer SRAM’s brake feel to Shimano’s, although I acknowledge I am in the minority. FWIW I like Shimano’s MTB brakes and I run a M9000-series XTR/XT mix on my hardtail.)
Yeah, I reprogrammed mine to mimic SRAM…albeit for a 2x. The big paddle is for the RD and the smaller paddle is for the FD. Right side shifts to a bigger gear, left side to a smaller gear for both derailleurs.
My previous road bike had a Shimano mechanical drivetrain and I got several loaners with Shimano Di2 Ultegra drivetrains (both, 6800 and 8000). I could never get used to the buttons, even after two weeks (my then LBS was generous) I’d still misshift.
Yes, you can reprogram the buttons, but at best, you can mimic SRAM’s default behavior. But then I’d still have the issue of mistakenly pushing the wrong button. IMHO it was simply a mistake when Shimano tried to mimic mechanical shifting for its electronic drivetrains.
(Plus, I hate that the brake lever swivels on Shimano’s mechanical drivetrains. I come from the MTB side and like Shimano’s MTB drivetrains and brakes. But Shimano tried to combine shifting and braking in a single lever on the MTB side and quickly gave up on that.)
@Martin_Hnik Martin_Hnik later today I will have in my workshop a bike fitted with 12sp Ultegra (disc) levers and a 2x12sp GRX Di2 groupset for a bike build.
If you’d like me to take any comparison photos or measurements, please just ask.
I’ve got both, both are great, main differences for me:
Feels like there’s slightly more space underneath on SRAM, I’ve got big hands - GRX is a bit more cramped under there
GRX have a more locked-in hand position, which is great keeping you secure off-road but it’s not as easy to adopt a aero hoods position as it is with SRAM
Apologies, it is 12sp Dura-Ace levers not Ultegra but they are like for like.
First impressions, the GRX 12sp Di2 levers have significantly more room underside of the hoods. J can easily fit index, middle and ring fingers under the hood (note bar tape not fitted but I dont think that will make significantly difference). I can just about squeeze these fingers under the DA lever but it is not comfortable, the fingers are squashed/overlapping and I’d never chose to ride with my hands in that position.
Hope the photos help, let me know if you need anymore.
Can’t wait to fit these GRX levers now as they are going on one of my own bikes
), the rubber seems more comfy on the Sram.
