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Once mounted, clicking between the gears is totally positive and they feel simply divine...for time trials in the aero position these are the ticket.
Bar end shifting doesn't get any better
Looking like a set of re-branded Record levers, the 2004 Chorus Ergopowers now run carbon fibre brake brake lever and composite shift levers...The performance, however, is not the same as previous Record shifters: it's alot better with a much crisper and immediate gear change response
Excellent fast, precise and tactile action
Shimano has tweaked and enhanced its Shimano Total Integration (STI) Dual Control shift/brake lever set repeatedly since its introduction on 7-Eleven team bikes in 1990, and the 2008 Ultegra SL shifters, short of the top-end Dura-Ace, may be the best yet.Weighing 447g for the pair, just 27g more than Dura-Ace, Ultegra SL shifters cost $120 less. This is a 70g savings over the standard Ultegra.Road bike shifters play an important role in the overall performance of both rider and machine. With double duty as brake and shifter, the component also needs to provide ergonomical comfort for various hand sizes that will spend hours moving levers in different planes, maintaining a steady cadence and modulating speed around corners and down steep roads throughout the world.Installation is simple: using a 5mm Allen, peel back the rubber covering on the outside of the main body and loosen the clamp band enough to slide the lever onto the handlebar. Depending on which handlebar you choose, I recommend clamping the lever so the slope of the bar's bend transitions just enough to be comfortable without compromising reach to the brake lever.TechnologyI've used Shimano's Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105 and RX-100 STI Dual Controls the past 17 years, and while performance has always been spot on, I still find the stiff shifter cables that jut out toward the stem a little unnerving. It does, however, make wrapping the handlebar tape a little easier because there's not as much cable to wrap, compared to Campagnolo and SRAM. Shimano's smooth actuation and response is always spot-on, and it's important to keep the cables lubed and adjusted properly for reliable drivetrain performance. Ditto the chain.RideThe taller grip portion of the Ultegra SL shift levers works well for my big oven-mitt hands. Although I haven't experienced much cold or wet-weather riding during my test, there's enough real estate to handle long-fingered gloves, something I couldn't always rely on with my `03 Campy Record levers.The actuation of the SLs are spot-on, almost boring: the barely audible clicks affirm where the chain has been and where it's going, and the change in cadence tells me I'm where I need to be. Sounds silly, I know, but even other testers felt quite natural shifting through the 10 gears.VerdictAs with most Shimano componentry, once you've installed these shifters, you'll probably never need to make any tweaks. Save for the occasional cable replacement or unfortunate crash, the Ultegra SLs will give you many years of shifting performance on your favourite roads. An ideal upgrade for cyclosportive riding.
Save for the occasional cable replacement or unfortunate crash, the Ultegra SLs will give you many years of shifting performance on your favourite roads.
Carbon fibre composite brake levers, titanium mounting band and bolt, and an overall compact design means these are light, but not the lightest shifter/brake units around.Shimano claim to have reduced the lever throw for each shift by some 20 percent, or four degrees. But when we measured it, we found it took a 25-degree movement to shift to a larger sprocket, and still 20 degrees to shift to a smaller one, so we're not sure where the improvement is.We all liked the new shaped hoods though, and the internal cable routing made for a cleaner looking front end, at the expense of some under-tape bulges and a slight increase in friction, despite the new PTFE linered cables.Their shifting performance, although light and smooth, was a little too soft and quiet for some testers. We would prefer a more positive and precise feel from a flagship model. Weight is 365g a pair.
New shape is good; performance is smooth but a little vague
The new integrated brake and gear levers have been totally redesigned. For a start, the brake levers are carbon to drop a few grams (the complete units are 40g lighter) and add more sex appeal. Then there's the shape of the bracket body: you get a flatter top section with less of a scoop downwards when you're on the hoods. We wouldn't say they're necessarily more comfortable, just different from before, and definitely more Campag-esque. The shift cable now runs internally underneath your bar tape - again like Campagnolo - which neatens up the front end. It'll also please the aero-obsessed. You move down the cassette (changing up a gear) one sprocket at a time, the same as before, but whereas previously you could shift up the cassette a maximum of three sprockets at once, now there's less of a sweep and the maximum is two. That means that instead of three pushes to get from the smallest sprocket to the largest, it now takes five. It's rarely an issue but, still, a slight disadvantage. Those with smaller hands will appreciate the easy reach adjustment - you just take off the front cap and turn a screw to dial the levers right in - while hidden away underneath a titanium fixing band and bolt save a little weight.
Lightweight, comfortable levers with an easy action and generous reach adjustment
"A solution to a problem that doesn't exist." "Unnecessary." "A marketing gimmick." Those are lines offered time and again by armchair critics of Shimano's new Dura-Ace Di2 electronic drivetrain, yet few of those pundits have spent any time on the stuff. After our initial sampling last summer in Japan and now two solid months of near-continuous use on a proper test group, we can confidently say that shifting-by-wire doesn't just work; it's flat-out awesome.Shifting performance that's second to none.For the full review please view Bike Radar
Incredibly smooth, precise and reliable shift performance that cable-actuated systems can't match, but hugely expensive and multiple shift performance could be better
groupsets that generates the most excitement here at road.cc towers. Ultegra has always been the smart choice in the Shimano range: affordable enough to be a serious consideration with first dibs on all that innovation trickling down from the top.Dura Ace 7900 was a fairly big leap in a market that mostly makes incremental changes, and Ultegra 6700 has stepped up a notch too, taking on plenty of the new technology at a price point that's much more within the reach of the keen amateur cyclist.Ultegra now has the hollowglide chainring of Dura Ace. It also shares the internal lever cable routing, the Carbon lever blade, redesigned hood shape and repositioned pivots on lever and brake. In fact there's not much that it doesn't have, really only the no-trim shifting of the front mech. So what's the performance difference between the two groupsets?Hand on heart I'd have to say that blindfolded I'd be very hard pressed to tell the difference between the two. There's no real performance advantage to be had by buying Dura Ace kit over the new Ultegra, not one you'll notice out on the road at least. The new Ultegra kit is excellent: shifts are crisp, braking is noticeably better, power transmission is near faultless.In the end it all comes down to weight: Dura Ace 7900 is about 300g lighter than Ultegra 6700. If you can honestly say you'd notice half a pound more kit hanging from your frame then you need to consider the top-of-the-line groupset. For everyone else, myself very much included, the smart money's with Ultegra. Forget the RRPs for a minute: In the real world 7900 is going to cost you a grand, and 6700 can be had for less than £600. For me it's a no-brainer: if you're a Shimano fan then Ultegra 6700 is definitely the groupset that gives you the most bangs per buck. Here's how we rate the components...There's plenty of Dura Ace 7900 – the shape of the unit, the Carbon brake lever and the internal cable routing – evident here. Less obvious but just as important in terms of the feel of the lever is the repositioned pivot which changes the action of the lever slightly. From the hoods (and I spend a lot of time there) it's easier to use the brakes, you don't need to grab quite as much lever which will be good news for riders with smaller hands. And there's more good news in that regard: pop off the front cap and you get a reach adjustment screw to dial the levers in.The internal routing is mostly a cosmetic improvement – it doesn't affect the function at all, really – but I much prefer the clean look, and my money's on the technology filtering right down the range. The only slight issue is when fitting tri bars, as there's more wires coming out where the clamps go. However, not wrapping the tape as close to the stem cures the problem, giving the cables more room to get out of the way.The shifting action initially felt a little heavier than last year but a few hundred miles and some GT-85 later it's more or less the same in terms of weight. The throw is similar too, and the action is a little bit more positive. Shifting from the hoods is very good with both levers easy to locate and simple to use. In terms of action and performance it's pretty much indistinguishable from Dura Ace, the only noticable difference being the trim position on the front lever; Dura Ace is now trim free.On the drops Shimano and Campag are both giving ground to SRAM, in my opinion. The main advantage of the DoubleTap system for me is that when you're on the drops you can pull the control lever back independent of the brake and use that one lever to shift up and down. Ultegra is perfectly usable from the drops but it can be a bit of a stretch to upshift; in fact I dialled the reach on the levers in a bit to make the action from the drops better, even though I've got hands like spades.The hoods aren't as big as the look of the levers would have you believe, I found them very comfortable throughout testing though my thumb tends to fall into the hole where the shift mechanism is. It's not a big problem but it would be nice if the rubber extended a bit further down.
Ultegra is the new amateur rider's benchmark for performance and price. Almost indistinguishable from Dura Ace in terms of performance, it only loses out on weight – but more than makes up for that in value for money.
Shifting performance that's second to noneDi2's most obvious benefit is its remarkably smooth and precise shifting action, even as compared to the most ideally adjusted and tuned mechanical setup from Shimano or any other component manufacturer - yes, even Campagnolo. It hits its target each time, every time, and absolutely, positively nails each gear without fail in virtually any condition. If there's such a thing as a tireless 'shift robot', this is it.Tap the rear upshift button and you're rewarded with that telltale 'ka-chunk' of a perfectly executed change. Go a step in the other direction and the transition is so seamless as to be virtually imperceptible save for the feeling in your legs of an easier ratio. In fact, it's almost too smooth.Shift action is especially astounding up front, particularly when used in combination with Shimano's ultra-stiff Dura Ace chainrings. The Di2 front derailleur faithfully moves the chain onto the big ring - or down to the inner cog - even when mashing the pedals in a low-cadence grind with an uncanny silkiness we've experienced with no other system. Think about how well one-tooth shifts work out back, translate that up front and you've pretty much got the idea.Even better, however, is that Di2's performance is unflappably repeatable and doesn't degrade over time. Commands issued by the levers are always received and translated exactly as intended at the other end with no 'telephone effect' that can plague cable-actuated systems as a result of cable wear, housing compression, or system contamination. Barring things such as a bent hanger, what you get on day one is seemingly what you get for every day afterwards.Is it possible to confuse the system? Yes, but only if you're really trying to. The only way we could get Di2 to miss a step was by doing things we'd never consider doing anyway and even then it sorted itself out impressively quickly.Weight-wise, there's only a modest penalty to be paid. In comparison to the 7900 mechanical analogue, Di2 only adds about 50g by our measurements - right in line with Shimano's claims.Why it works the way it doesThe key, of course, is the small stepper motor in the front and rear derailleurs that precisely controls their movements but it's not necessarily a matter of how fast they move - in fact, the front derailleur actually moves slower on average than its mechanical equivalent. Instead, Di2's advantage lies in the fact that it does things automatically that would be impractical on mechanical systems.For example, Di2's rear derailleur pulleys actually overshoot the centerline of each cog slightly to help nudge the chain into place - but only momentarily. After a very brief pause, it then centers itself for quieter running. In theory, you could do this with a mechanical system, too, and in fact most already do for downshifts anyway. But Di2 does it in both directions, which just isn't possible with conventional ratchet internals.On the other hand, the front derailleur applies just the right amount of pressure so that the chain moves only at its prescribed gate instead of possibly overriding the designated timing by just muscling it over. Again, you could do this with a mechanical system, too, but it'd required you to precisely apply the appropriate amount of force at the lever and then hold it there until the shift is completed - not exactly ideal in the heat of competition. With Di2, you just hit the button and it does the thinking for you, reliably hitting the next available gate.It's the same story in the other direction as well. Instead of a strong return spring abruptly jerking the chain down at an inopportune position, Di2 smoothly coaxes the chain down to the inner ring at the prescribed release point. Admittedly, Campagnolo's Ergopower system is capable of this as well unlike mechanical systems from SRAM or Shimano but again, with Di2 it's only a matter of hitting a button - no extra thought required.A word on shift speed, too: modern drivetrains rely more than ever on their highly engineered systems of gates, ramps and pins to help move the chain from gear to gear and Di2 is no exception, especially given that it shares its crankset and cassette components with Dura-Ace 7900. As a result, 'shift speed' is strictly speaking more a matter of how quickly the chain encounters one of those gates when a shift is initiated than how fast the derailleur moves, making Di2 no quicker than anything else.But from a user standpoint, Di2 is still effectively faster since once your job is completely done once you hit the button - at least for single shifts. There's no holding the lever for that split second while the shift is completed or ever-so-slightly nudging the chain over with a hair more force. With Di2, it's tap, shift, tap, shift - and that's it. It's
Whereas we've been somewhat underwhelmed by Dura-Ace 7900, Di2 has blown us away.