Just as the title states. Any input would be much appreciated.
I’ve used the R2C 10 speed shifters for at least 6 years. They work just fine.
Not sure why the 11sp R2C’s costs a small fortune though… costly upgrade for me if I go that route.
Back in the dark ages when I used mechanical shifting I used to love them. Worked fine and IMO R2C definitely the way to go. Zipp made a good R2C as well.
I have them on a Shiv I built last year. It was my first experience with SRAM (only used Campy and Shimano in the past) and it hasn’t been totally positive.
My main gripe with it is in the front shifter. It works in a binary fashion, which would be fine if it shifted quickly and accurately, every time, under load, etc. However it doesn’t, at least not in my expensive. Instead I find the shifts up to be slow and tenuous, and the downshift has dropped the occasional chain. I took the chain catcher off supplied by SRAM as carrying the bike in the backseat of the car, I’d take the rear wheel off and often arrive at my destination to find the chain somehow on the other side of chain catcher. Major PITA to put back on the chain ring with the chain catcher blocking the necessary clearance… I honestly don’t know how the chain got past in the first place as I’d often have to loosen the chain catcher just to get it back on the other side.
The rear shifter is much better. It works as it should, and if I were running mechanical, and a 1x setup, I’d consider using it again.
As is I think I will convert the bike to Di2 soon.
EDIT: Didn’t mean to imply that I built the bike - instead I had the bike built by my mechanic, who I consider to be competent as he’s worked on a number of my other bikes with great success. Yes I’ve had him tweak the front shifting.
I’ve also used them for years and years. Same set. At first 2x Dura-Ace, and now just one for my 1x SRAM Force setup. Zero issues. People warned me that they were fragile, but I’ve used and abused the hell out of them with zero issues. Extremely reliable. Precise shifting. Not much force needed to shift. I think they’re great. It’s worked so darn well for me that I haven’t gone Di2/eTap even though I love my road bike eTap to death.
used SRAM R2C shifting for four years and was very happy with it. Had my first issue last summer as an internal part failed. Replaced the internal parts and back to normal.
Excellent. I think they are the best mechanical shifters on the market.
I have them on a Shiv I built last year. It was my first experience with SRAM (only used Campy and Shimano in the past) and it hasn’t been totally positive.
My main gripe with it is in the front shifter. It works in a binary fashion, which would be fine if it shifted quickly and accurately, every time, under load, etc. However it doesn’t, at least not in my expensive. Instead I find the shifts up to be slow and tenuous, and the downshift has dropped the occasional chain. I took the chain catcher off supplied by SRAM as carrying the bike in the backseat of the car, I’d take the rear wheel off and often arrive at my destination to find the chain somehow on the other side of chain catcher. Major PITA to put back on the chain ring with the chain catcher blocking the necessary clearance… I honestly don’t know how the chain got past in the first place as I’d often have to loosen the chain catcher just to get it back on the other side.
The rear shifter is much better. It works as it should, and if I were running mechanical, and a 1x setup, I’d consider using it again.
As is I think I will convert the bike to Di2 soon.
EDIT: Didn’t mean to imply that I built the bike - instead I had the bike built by my mechanic, who I consider to be competent as he’s worked on a number of my other bikes with great success. Yes I’ve had him tweak the front shifting.
Thanks. I’m about to rebuild one of my bikes in a 1x configuration and I’m going for simplicity. I have Di2 on one bike and eTap on the other. Both are amazing systems but… sometimes I get battery anxiety and I have had a battery die on me on both systems during a ride. If my Garmin’s battery dies it’s not the end of the world. If my power meter battery dies it’s not the end of the world. If the battery power my shifting dies… not so great. It’s not unworkable, I just want to give the simplicity of mechanical shifting a try again.
I switched to the 1190 R2C shifters a few months ago and absolutely love them. my hand position is such that the shifter sits right in the palm of my hand so the conventional ones were annoying since it is always in a different position. These shifters allowed me to set up so i can stack my hands on the shifters which was awkward with tradional mechs. . Shifting feels better than the SL-500 11 speed shifters i came from.
A couple features I really like:
-levers are wider than SL-500 and more comfortable
-adjustable angle on both shifter “neutral” position so you can get them just right for your extension set up.
-visible notches on shifters so you have an indicator of what gear your in; on a typical mech aero shifter you can tell from the angle roughly what gear you’re in and was worried i’d be losing this quick visual check.
Things to watch out for:
-make sure you torque the shifter bolts to spec: specifically the one used for adjusting lever angle. mine was a bit loose and the ratchet would skip and miss a shift once in a while. I torqued if back up to spec and no problems since.
-front shifter does not have trim function (that i’ve noticed). This hasn’t been a problem for me using Rival 22 crankset/rings. YMMV.
Used them for 2 years and absolutely love them. I’ll use them until they die, then might consider dropping the $$$ to go Di2.
Glad to find some love for the R2Cs here.
I have 3 sets of them now, 1 for Shimano ratio and 2 for SRAM ratio. I have rebuilt one set already, and frequently take them fully apart to clean and inspect. I have 2 sets fully apart right now, with one pair of the levers about to receive some custom paint early next week.
I am very familiar with how they work and all of the internals, and where and how the mechanical difference is between the Shimano and SRAM pull ratios. If anyone has any questions about how to rebuild them etc., I’m happy to answer.
When I get my set with the painted levers back together next week, I will post a picture.