Sram Red vs Shimano Dura Ace

[eaglejackson]

They are both fantastic. We are lucky to have such great products in the market. It comes down to personal preference and what factors are most important to you. Red is a little lighter, and it's less expensive. DA shifts better. Red shifts just fine, but then try DA and DA shifts better. I don't particularly care for double tap -- too easy to downshift when I meant to upshift and vice versa, but with enough usage I'd get used to it. I don't love the Shimano mechanical shifting motion either, having to pivot the brake lever. But at least it's two different levers. I like the Campy shifting setup the best of the mechanical gruppos, though Shimano shifts better.

What I like the most is Shimano Di2. It shifts so amazingly well and I like the shifting setup, so easy to use. Soon as my brain thinks "shift", it happens. Front or rear, up or down, even under full power. Every time. No dropped chains, no "skooching" the lever. Think. Bam, it's shifted.

[reconstyle]

FWIW - My first ever road bike had SRAM Force double tap. Once I got used to how the shifting works, I can't ever recall mixing up a shift like others are saying. To me, the tactile feedback from the lever was just fine. Even on long (70+mi) hilly rides where I was constantly shifting up and down the cassette and from big ring to small ring, I can't every remember upshifting instead of downshifting or vice versa.

[2lo8]

There's something odd about the way SRAM feels to me. There's just this unpleasant feel like it's under strain because of the spring and it clunks and feels like something snapped. Shimano shifts are smooth and light, although yesterday I took a Shimano bike out and had a few user error misshifts.

I use my small-big gear a fair amount and what I really hate is SRAM's behavior in that gear. If I try to downshift, I either have to deal with an accidental upshift, or feel like I'm forcing it until the point of braking for it to cancel the shift, even though the L screw is backed out. My fault for being weak up those 15-20%ers

This is Rival vs 105 level though.

[drhex]

Like SRAM better, especially on upshifts, you click and BAM, there's the shift. Yes, more noisy, but feels directly connected and fast. Also, no floppy brake lever, hate that on Shimano. Front is a bit iffy in comparison, but since Yaw you can make it work. Pretty hard imho to mix up up/down shifts once you have the hang of it. One other drawback is no multiple upshifts which I liked on Campy/Shimano mech - as single shifts are a joy though (see above) I can happily live with that.
Get ETAP though, works fantastic and no more cables to mess with.
Florian

[Nefarious86]

I vote simano dura ace... It is very good

In your effort to shamelessly scam a discount code.

[DavidMLee]

Might be off the track..

But I recommend eTap

Dura-ace's aesthetics and ergonomics are deal-breaker to me.

Sram's doubletap could be irritating when I'm climbing since it has fail-safe system.

Etap has intuitive and precise shifting.

Etap all the way.

[Raccooningtanuki]

What's the verdict with mechanical bar ends? SRAM vs shimano vs campy?

[simoncx]

I have sram red hydro, shimano dura ace and the hydro 685 levers with dura ace group, all work very well and I think it comes down to personal preference of how they feel. All shift prefect just different lever throw and lever shape, sram does have a harder down shift feel while shimano feels smoother. Hydro brakes are where the difference is more noticeable. Shimano is alittle smoother and has faster lever spring back because the lever has more weight at the top and the sram lever has no weight at the top. Not to say the sram red hydro is bad because it is very good but I just prefer the feel of shimano.

[gsindela]

If you want lightweight, go Red. You'll get used to the shifting; a little different from Shimano, but not any worse.

[asiantrick]

I have 3 bikes, each has a different component so I would say I have experienced many miles with each of these

Cannondale: Etap
Look: DA
Argon: RED

Like everything in life, there are PROs and CONs for each of them. It's all up to you to decide which works best for you:

ETAP:

Pro: Ease of use, extremely easy to shift front derailleur from small to big with no hesitation. This is why I installed this on my climbing bike. Hoods are ergonomics
Con: the shift sounds feel too computerized . The shift is not crisp and smooth as DA nor RED. Chain will drop if mis-shift on front derailleur (very rare, happened to me twice in 1 year of usage) Shifter stuck in one positions, and can't move it around like Sram RED.

SRAM RED:

PRO: Very easy to learn. You can play around with the shifter while riding especially if you have short finger. Hoods are ergonomic
Con: Shifting is not as crisp and smooth as DA.

DA mechanical:

PRO: Super smooth shifting and the shifting sound is addicting. Love the look of DA9000 crank
CON: Hoods are ugly and not as ergonomic as Red nor ETAP. Parts felt a bit heavier than RED

At the end of the day, it's up to you to decide which one to choose. I'm very fortunate to have all 3 as my disposable, but if you have to put a gun to my head, I would choose DA with Sram RED as close 2nd choice. I might be the only one that HATE ETAP with a passion, which is why I'm thinking of selling it.

[prototoast]

I've used Sram and Shimano, 10 and 11 speed mechanical, Campagnolo 11 speed, and Shimano 11 speed di2. My thoughts:

-I appreciate not needing to trim the front derailleur with Sram and di2. Trim just annoys me.

-In terms of ergonomics, I find Sram the most comfortable for my hands. Campagnolo is good on the hoods, but I don't feel as comfortable shifting from the drops. Shimano mechanical okay all around, and I find di2 to be a little too narrow on the hoods and less comfortable.

-I find Sram mechanical to be the easiest FD to set up, and Shimano 11 speed to be the hardest. Campagnolo in between.

-When I first tried Sram, the shifting action took about two weeks to get used to. After several years of using it, I find it the easiest and fastest way to shift where I want. I appreciate the audible feedback from Sram.

-I find that Shimano 11 speed brakes and levers to be the best performing in terms of power and modulation. Sram levers + brakes are sometimes lacking in power, and Sram levers with Shimano brakes have great power, but were difficult to modulate. Campagnolo was somewhere in between. I've used Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and they're amazing, Shimano mechanical disc brakes are meh. I have not used Sram levers with disc brakes.

The above are largely personal preference, and even within my own preferences, I don't consider any one brand to strictly dominate.

[MisterMuncher]

Am I odd in that I've never had an issue with the combined brake/shift lever on Shimano, even after a couple of hundred k,?

[DavidMLee]

Either way, you will be happy.

If you cant decide, it would be a good idea to choose an option your LBS recommends.

That way, 9 times out of 10 you will end up with shimano as that is what most of the mechanics have experience with. a bike with components that the mechanics are unfamiliar with is often a *beep* bike.

Get what makes your heart beat faster.

You are completely right about this.

What I was referring to was that if your LBS can't recommend Sram and you buy RED from it anyway, then there is very high possibility of you being end up with wrongly set FD.

I have LBS where mechanics are competent enough to recommend Sram and Compag's products.
So I bought RED eTap and Super Record and I am very satisfied with my bikes and how they work.

[kulivontot]

Any competent high end bike shop has worked with sram. It's not rocket science to set up a derailleur

[Frankie - B]

but setting up sram is different from setting up shimano. most normal bike shops don't recognise that.