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.
That’s interesting, I ride with 2 guys who have brand new etap Force on their road bikes and dropped front chains were a regular occurance this past summer despite numerous trips to the shop for both.
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.
DOT fluid can be corrosive to bike finishes and also a skin irritant.
DOT fluid absorbs water (maybe up to 5% by volume and over a year depending on riding conditions) and may degrade brake performance.
DOT fluid cannot be stored easily, for long periods of time once a bottle has been opened.
You can buy MO at a LBS or from a Amazon approved seller, like Shimano.
MO shelf-stable. You can store it.
MO is a lot easier to flush/bleed than DOT.
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.
DOT fluid can be corrosive to bike finishes and also a skin irritant.
DOT fluid absorbs water (maybe up to 5% by volume and over a year depending on riding conditions) and may degrade brake performance.
DOT fluid cannot be stored easily, for long periods of time once a bottle has been opened.
You can buy MO at a LBS or from a Amazon approved seller, like Shimano.
MO shelf-stable. You can store it.
MO is a lot easier to flush/bleed than DOT.
All good points, the main argument I see is that it’s less corrosive, which is true. As long as you wipe up the area once you’re done is really no worry. I’d wear gloves for mineral oil install as well.
Really the difference is splitting hairs. On a competent installation a regular rider wouldn’t notice a difference over a 5y period of no service.
I’d still use DOT if I were designing a system, but it just comes down to how much weight you put on certain differences. For me a poor installation resulting in peeling paint is less worrisome than brake failure from water ingress and boiling at the caliper.
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.
Hi Canuck,
Shimano’s 12spd groups is partially wireless; wireless from the hoods and wired from the battery in the seatpost to RD and FD. Also, in synchro mode, you don’t have direct control of the FD, but you can change this setting so that it works in the traditional way. On my tri bike where I have only four buttons, I use synchro and got used to the FD shifting on its own, but on my road bike I still use the traditional left control for the FD. Road bikes can be synchro too.
All the best.
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.
https://youtu.be/xm6zY-BJiho?si=ue_XzaTN-QbGfjYu
An interesting twist to your question…do you want a power meter? If so, I’d choose SRAM with Quarq otherwise you’ll probably end up with 4iiii or Stages. Other than that, they’re both great and get the job done.
Best of both worlds in terms of performance and weight is a Shimano groupset, Red arms, Dfour spider, and Shimano rings. It’s not an expensive upgrade, either.
I am just doing a groupset refresh on the bike I use for Ultra Racing. I am going from a Shimano GRX 11 speed Mechanical to a SRAM AXS 1x12 Mullet setup. With the GRX I was using 11-36 cassette and 50/34 chainset, with the SRAM I have a 10-52 cassette and 44 chainset, this gives me very similar largest gear and a much better smaller gear. By going to AXS I will be able to fit blips on my TT bars.
Most of my bikes are Shimano, both mechanical and Di2, however, I do have one with an early 11 speed SRAM ETAP. The ETAP AXS Mullet is much cheaper than a Shimano Ultegra, but the deciding factor was gear-range and simplicity. I am pretty good at riding both high and low cadence, so bigger jumps in the gears are not an issue