Getting ready to pull the trigger on a new Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 8. Current bike is SRAM Rival and I have no experience with electronic shifting. Which version of the bike does this forum recommend? Thanks.
Personally I say etap, although this is probably a jump ball. The color choices on the etap CF SLX are much better (in my opinion).
Di2 batteries last longer. The sram people might have reasons why they don’t like Shimano, but I never hear about Shimano dead batteries before or during a race and I hear about it from sram quite regularly. In fact, Rudy von Berg who was (apparently) dropped from sram (or maybe he left sram) even stated in his recent Florida Ironman recap that the morning of the event started with him finding out that his previously charged sram battery was dead and he had to run back to the hotel to get a new one and make sure it was charged.
I’m going to guess that based on the size of the sram battery the margin for error is a lot smaller in terms of QC, cold weather, battery longevity, etc. If I were using sram, I’d probably work a new battery into the lineup every two years (maybe annually?) just to be on the safe side and use the older one for training and the new one for races.
Getting ready to pull the trigger on a new Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 8. Current bike is SRAM Rival and I have no experience with electronic shifting. Which version of the bike does this forum recommend? Thanks.
I was always on Shimano (11speed). I have had many Shimano groupsets, I never had a problem.
Last year I did an etap 12 speed build. I chose Etap based on availability and price.
I was VERY disappointed in SRAM support. I couldn’t pair a derailleur and was left high and dry by support. Very high probability the problem is in their court. When they say “can you try an Android phone rather than you iOS”…confidence is not at an all time high.
I ended up having to buy another derailleur.
If I had to do it again, I would go Shimano. The local of maturity of SRAM combined with crappy support has turned me off.
I am not against either. However, I have had a Di2 die, and I have never had my Sram die. To the other poster, I have never had problems with pairing or support. Again, both are great . . . I prefer Sram.
Getting ready to pull the trigger on a new Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 8. Current bike is SRAM Rival and I have no experience with electronic shifting. Which version of the bike does this forum recommend? Thanks.
Over the years I’ve had multiple different Aeroads & Speedmaxes, with Shimano & SRAM AXS. For a 1x system SRAM is the winner for me. For a 2x system, I’m more 60/40 for Shimano. Shimano for reliability, SRAM for design & simplicity. In any case and I’m dead serious, if you decide for 2x SRAM, purchase and install a chain catcher from day 1.
I’ve been using eTap exclusively on all bikes for the past five or six years. Di2 before that. I didn’t switch because I had problems with Di2, I switched because, in my experience (YMMV), eTap is just easier to deal with and install. Otherwise had zero issues with either.
Batteries may not last as long as Di2 but that’s like arguing over one car getting 40 mpg and the other 38 mpg. Keep the tank full and it doesn’t matter much.
I think it’s largely personal preference but I’m a SRAM fan. I like the battery portability since I have multiple bikes with eTap, and I can swap batteries between my mountain/gravel/road bikes. I understand people’s concern around batteries dying, but considering it’s a poterntial risk with both systems, I’d rather have small portable batteries that are easy to swap and carry spares versus a big one buried in the seat tube. I have multiple chargers and several spare batteries, so I always leave one on the charger and take a spare on every ride. Also you can check the battery status on both the app and your bike computer so I check one of those before I head out.
That said, I like the Di2 color options from Canyon better than the SRAM colors 
I’ve been using eTap exclusively on all bikes for the past five or six years. Di2 before that. I didn’t switch because I had problems with Di2, I switched because, in my experience (YMMV), eTap is just easier to deal with and install. Otherwise had zero issues with either.
Batteries may not last as long as Di2 but that’s like arguing over one car getting 40 mpg and the other 38 mpg. Keep the tank full and it doesn’t matter much.
Not really arguing here, and maybe the pros are boneheads but seeing Lucy with a batter issue at PTO US Open and Rudy again recently with a battery issue at Florida Ironman, I don’t think it’s a matter of keeping the tank full. With a small battery and frequent charges, your “38mpg tank” to use the analogy consistently gets smaller and smaller over time. And a battery that was fully charged is now suddenly on the margin of dead when it’s cold outside as well.
I have a 3.5 year old Ultimate CF SLX 8 with Sram Force etap AXS. The drivetrain system has worked flawlessly. Original batteries retain a charge for a really long time, in cold, in heat, in all conditions. As a precaution, I carry an extra battery but have never had to use it. I also have Sram etap AXS Rival on my Diverge. Also works perfectly. Never an issue.
I just bought a Abroad CF SLX Di2 and love it.
Reasons for Shimano?
DI2…ten years in, multiple bikes, never an issue. 12spd makes it even easier to access the charging port and charge. Also the 12spd has upgraded the wiring standard. Finally, I’m used to them, but I find the levers more comfortable in my hands with Di2.
Could just be me, but I swear a Shimano chain is quieter than SRAM…and like many pro athletes with battery issues…within the group of cyclists I know…it’s the SRAM people that have battery issues most. Sometimes they are lucky and can swap a battery to the RD to keep some functionality to get home, but with Shimano talking to your HU/Watch…I have not run out of battery in years.
It’s a great bike and at the end of the day, both Di2 and SRAM are mature systems that get the same job done pretty much just as well as the other!
The etap vs di2 debate will be fought til the cows come home. Comes down to the basic differences which cannot be argued (keep in mind these are tt/tri bike specific):
Battery life - start to finish with no charging, Shimano lasts longer.
Gears - sram involves smaller front rings and 10t cog. Shimano has more traditional gear tooth counts
Front end wires - etap can be run 100% wireless either with wireless blips or axs vuka extensions. Aside from that with sram or Shimano you’re dealing with some array of wires which can largely be hidden
Rear wires - etap none ever, di2 you have to wire derailleurs to battery always.
Sram buys into 1x, Shimano doesn’t.
Freehubs - different, xdr vs Shimano.
Aesthetics - the groups have different physical appearance.
Decide what aspects you care about and the answer will become clear. No wrong answer.
I have TT bike di2, cross bike axs, road bike di2.
Di2 hands down for not dropping chains and battery life. I feel I am always charging an AXS battery.
Also Sram doesn’t let you program what you want the 2x shift points to be. It forces you to use their only preset.
I have an Aeroad CF SLX 8 with Ultegra Di2 and it’s fantastic. I also have an Ultimate CF SLX8 with SRAM eTap and it’s excellent. Flip a coin. Personally, I like the feel of the SRAM levers and the way the buttons work (one side is up, other side is down), but the Di2 is excellent as well. I really can’t make a strong argument for one over the other. If you have a wheel or color choice that depends on which components you get, use that as a tiebreaker
I’ve used both. They are both good. I’m currently using SRAM Force and don’t see myself going back to Di2 in the near term. For me it’s mainly that the hoods on SRAM feel better in my hands. I also find the paddles on the SRAM easier to shift with. I rarely had problems with Di2, but two less buttons makes it even less to think about. I do miss the buttons on top of the hoods that Shimano had. I had those mapped to my RD and it was nice to have yet another way to shift with the way I typically have my hands on the hoods.
You can’t really go wrong with either. Maybe if you have the opportunity, go into a shop and feel the differences in both hoods.
For battery, it’s down to whether you want to bring the charger to your bike (Di2) or take the batteries to the charger (SRAM). Also if you run out mid ride (I haven’t yet), you could swap your FD and RD batteries. Of course Di2 has a limp mode that lets you use just your RD.
mineral oil brake fluid > DOT brake fluid
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I have a 6 year old eTap 11 speed OG system that’s still going strong. With the OG batteries. I easily get 12-14 hours of riding out of the single charge, depending on the terrain etc.
I’d say that the only knock on eTap is that the brain of the system is the RD. If something happens to it, everything goes haywire. The shifters/blipbox are dumb devices.
mineral oil brake fluid > DOT brake fluid
How do you figure?
Mineral oil is unregulated so you’re hoping that the Amazon seller is giving you a true Shimano product at the inflated Shimano price.
Assuming you do get the real Shimano stuff, mineral oil is lighter than water, so any H20 that does find it’s way in is going to pool at the caliper and reduce the boiling point to 100C. Yes, mineral oil is less hydrophilic, but this only matters if there is a leak in the system.
You pretty much need a new bottle of DOT every time you flush, mineral oil is shelf stable. The smallest bottle of 5.1 is ~$5, the regular Shimano bottle is ~$20. Unless you’re flushing your brakes multiple times per year I’m willing to say +/-$10/year is immaterial.
If I was building a system I’d build it with DOT. It’s splitting hairs, but the potential for user installation error is much smaller, and as long as your brakes are put together properly or flushed every 5ish years is not gonna make a difference.
To all the comments about single paddle shifting: you can set Shimano up that way in the app.
Mineral oil is less hassle and less of an issue to get on your frame. There will never be enough water to pool at the caliper, but DOT will absorb moisture over time no matter what.
Extra button on Di2 to control the Garmin is something, I couldn’t give up now that I’m used to it.
Swappable batteries on SRAM are nice. I often hear the example of swapping the rear and front if the rear battery dies. Di2 does this automatically once your battery is low, though. It stops shifting the front and saves itself to make many more rear shifts before dying completely. Its also less of an issue since Di2 batter lasts longer.
If you use a 3rd party crankset, then Red costs similar to DuraAce but weighs as much as Ultegra. If you use OE cranksets, then the difference becomes smaller but doesn’t close.
If you’re unlucky and one of the people who seemingly can’t fix the AXS FD shifting, then you’re going to have a bad time. If you get it to shift reliably, then it’s no different from Shimano then.
If you know someone who assembles bikes for a big retailer ask them which one is more difficult to eliminate brake rub. The clearance difference sounds small but it makes a big difference in effort.
I wouldn’t buy the current Red given the above, but rumor is many of these points are addressed in the next gen. If true, I will consider Red for the first time in a few years when it’s time for a new bike.
Also consider the difference in gearing, which imo is the biggest functional difference. To achieve the same range, Sram relies on bigger jumps in the rear to compensate for smaller jump in the front. Since I shift the rear 100x more often than the front, I prefer smaller jumps in the rear and bigger in the front (even have WickWerks 53/34 on the tri bike).
I prefer Di2 for reasons that might not really matter to some… Battery charge seems to last forever, no removing of it to charge, FD trim is nice, and I like the idea of everything being wired.
About the only thing I don’t like about Shimano, and I don’t know if this is just with the TT groups, or if it is the same for the road groups, is the FD syncro shift that now doesn’t allow you to manually shift the FD.