Still on SRAM Red mechanical 10-speed for me. Works great.

I switched over to eTap on my tri bike this year. I'v had ZERO issues during training or races. I was leery of the battery life issue too, but after 8 months on it I've had no problems. There is a charge indicator so you'll know well ahead of time. I've made plenty of little adjustments on the fly. I'm a pretty decent mechanic but it really is easy to work with. I, if not most of us, have had mechanical drive train problems that ranged from minor nuisance to catastrophic failure. Shit breaks. That said, I have mech Dura-Ace on my road and cross bikes and am totally happy with them too. I've never used Shimano Di2. I just get annoyed with these posts about some dude having a problem with Product X, therefore Product X is total shit that should be destroyed and the company should be burned to the ground BS.

Someone kept saying that there is no speed advantage. OK. But the easy of tapping a button and it shifting perfectly makes makes the experience better for me, so I'm happy.

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Don't drown. Don't crash. Don't walk.

If I didn't have training mates that were having similar issues (albeit rarely) with electronic gearing then posts like this wouldn't register with me. I'm not suggesting the technology is shit or the companies are shit, sometimes it's people not maintaining their bikes properly or not charging their batteries, but for a race I want something that is as close to 100% reliable as possible and if it does fail is easily fixed. In that regard mechanical > electronic.

I will say I have had less trouble with shifts with electronic on my cross bike than mechanical. Heavy mud, grass, falls, wet, snow, etc.

I have had each brand of everything. I'll take eTap and disks any day. Least failures of all options I have raced.

You truly must be King Midas.
To Others: do yourself a favor and call SRAM and ask for yourself.

"I was in second at that point of the race".

Maybe etap thought such a backdoor brag deserved a 54/11? Anyway, being stuck in 54/11 should have meant you finish 40 minutes faster not slower!?!!?

I have a new bike on the horizon and have been having shimano sram debate. Having had Di2 on 2 bikes for 3 yrs and never any issues (besides user error of forgetting to charge batteries) reading this def makes me want to stick with "wires" thanks for posting.

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

I understand the grief of the OP going to event with so much training investment and there was gear failure. I had a mechanical rear derailleur spring break in September on a training ride 35 miles from my car in the middle of nowhere so bad things can happen with any gear. I was able to make it back with using the front rings, but a very slow pace at best. Sucks and can happen at any time.

As for SRAM etap I just bought a new tri bike and bought the low end model IA16 with full intention of upgrading to etap maybe next year. I agree that it may seem like a frivolous purchase, but having it on my road bike for about 11 months I really like it. I will continue to evaluate the etap on my road bike and consider posts like this until the time is right to make the purchase. I will also use the time to see if SRAM makes any updates or upgrades or discounts in the months ahead. At this point having good experience with the road group I am leaning more as an etap fan and have no disappointments so far. touch wood

FWIW, I've been using Etap on my TT bike and really enjoy it. Love the wireless system and it helps with traveling, breaking the bike down for sure.

I've had one issue and it really isn't an Etap issue. I had a battery completely discharge after shipping it... how it got discharged is a bit of a mystery but I now carry a spare battery and my charger. That's another thing I really like about Etap, having easily replaceable batteries.

I always find it amusing that 99% of negative equipment responses are from people who either do not own the equipment or from someone who knew a guy, who's brother heard from a friend that somewhere in South America someone going up a steep hill had something fail. I bet if the OP had two flat tires during his race this whole conversation would be about how those tires suck and how horrible that company is that manufactured such garbage.

Well, of course mechanical drivetrains can have problems. However, with good regular preventative maintenance the incidence of such problems can be exceedingly low. I haven't had a single drivetrain problem since I became knowledgeable about wrenching and started to do regular preventative maintenance over two decades ago. Every now and then I need to tweak the cable adjuster a click or two to keep my shifting perfect, BFD. Sure, if you go for years without replacing cables and housings your reliability will be low.

I keep getting tempted by electronic shifting, but two or three times a year, myself or my wife are on a ride where someone's electronic drivetrain has failed, and no I'm not talking about anecdotal third-hand info. Even though more people are still running mechanical shifting, the incidence of major mechanical problems I observe is significantly lower. What concerns me is the failures seem to go beyond what is preventable with careful maintenance. I'm sure one day I will switch, but for now I'm saving my $$.

The level of confirmation bias and never used it but proclaim myself knowledgeable is hilarious. Never change Slowtwitch.

But in 20 years, have you ever shifted up or down whilst climbing out of the saddle with STI style shifters?

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29 years and counting

I have used electronic shifting (Di2 or eTap) for the last seven years. I have never had an issue with either. Not once.

I had more problems with mechanical. Not many problems but the number was more than zero. But so what? Confirmation bias is just silly.

To the OP... sorry about your race but as someone mentioned, you can manually shift eTap at the FD or RD. It doesn’t help while riding but it could help in your situation when you’re stuck in a gear. You could have manually shifted into a better gear. You can also shift from the blip box if the blips or clics weren’t working. Know your equipment. I don’t mean that in a dick-ish manner. Just as an over simplified statement.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

[/quote] However, with good regular preventative maintenance the incidence of such problems can be exceedingly low.[/quote]
I would make the same argument for etap. You hear a few horror etap stories and assume the problems are more than exceedingly low when I just don’t think that is the reality.

Sounds to me like you have one of the following possible issues, any of which could be causing a false RHS shift signal as if you were pushing a RHS blip:

(i) water ingress or a stuck button in one of the RHS blips
(ii) a crushed cable from one of the RHS blips
(iii) water ingress or some other fault in the blip-box
(iv) a combination of the above.

This would explain why your RD keeps shifting down (ie there is a constant down shift signal coming from one of the blips or the blipbox), and when you try to shift up by hitting a LHS blip the FD shifted because the blipbox thinks there is a "simultaneous" shift from both sides. For whatever reason your fault only manifested in the heat / humid conditions while racing.

My guess is it is most likely a bad RHS blip. Change them out and carry on. If the problem persists, then change the blipbox. (Ask your LBS to lend you the parts to try figure it the fault).

And for the record, no system is perfect. I currently run ETap without any issues, but I've also both sheared a Di2 cable (closing a rear QR on the RD cable) on race morning and had a mechanical RD break on me for no reason mid race!

a few comments on this entire thread:

1. i had a mechanical RD not shift into my 2 biggest cogs in my last race and at worlds 70.3 going up the mountain. believe me, that was tough, but i never posted about it until now. people don't often mention mechanical RD failures because mechanical RDs are not new.

2. i realize sram call support says it is for dealers only but when you talk to them, they more then welcome individual calls and they have helped me, an individual, several times.

3. i just bought electronic shifting. i feel no need to justify my decision or criticize the decision of those who like using mechanical. i feel some on this thread are trying to criticize those who are different from them on here and i wish those folks had the self confidence to not do that.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

I am riding 9 speed Ultegra!!!

Sorry to hear that happened to you yet again. Pretty much sucks,,,

Sorry to hear about your situation.

I use good mechanical shift systems, but I do think that in actual function electronic shifting is slightly but significantly superior.

BUT.

The failure mode(s) of electronic shifting is a deal killer for me, exactly as you have explained in your story. So that is why I use excellent but less than state-of-the-art mechanical shifting (11s Ultegra). But failure modes are very, very important if your events are important to you. That is why aircraft that use electronic control systems have a backup to the primary system, and then a backup for the backup system, and usually a backup for the backup of the backup.

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Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
DarkSpeedWorks.com.....Reviews.....Insta.....Facebook
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Yes, people are "comfortable" with mechanical shifting failures because of familiarity. It's easy to understand what happened (in general), to the point that if someone had two Ironmans wrecked by mechanical shifting failure, 99% of the responses would be "learn how to set up your bike, or pay someone to do it". With electronic, on the other hand (and eTap even more so) people view it as a magic box that either works or doesn't, with no control or responsibility on their part. If there's a failure, the fault lies, or is perceived to lie, with the product or manufacturer.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

By saying it boggles the mind you are expressing your negativity about people who make different decisions than you. Just stop. There is no need. I'm not criticizing your choices, why do you feel the need to criticize the decisions made by others? I don't really care what you put on your bike as long as you believe in it, you are happy and you enjoy triathlons. That is the whole goal. If you could refrain from having your mind boggled by choices that are different than yours, than others wouldn't feel the need to defend and argue their decisions..

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

I have not heard of folks have issues with disc brakes. Did I miss these posts.

I know lots of folks, including me, have had issues with rim brakes in the rain which is the main reason I would like disc brakes. May not make me faster,
but should make me safer.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

And....this thread will probably get destroyed by the anti-disc debate.

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/