Thursday, July 3, 2008

Goldilocks & the Three Gruppos

Here at Bikepedia, one of the first things about the 2009 gruppos that we discussed at the water cooler was the shape & ergonomics of the new Double Tap, Ergopower Ultra Shift, & STI shift/brake hoods. We, like every other rider out there, had our own distinct hood-shape preference, including some retrogrouchy comments about how maybe we liked the old 8spd levers the best.

"This one's too long."
"That one's too short."

"Oh, if they would do X, Y, & Z to the hood, this one would be just right."

Now, we don't want to be the only ones having fun, so get your friends together, take a look at the pictures below, and let the fun begin!







The 2009 Sram Red hood.


























The 2009 Campagnolo Super Record hood.



















For comparison: The 2008 Campagnolo Record hood (image size is much smaller!)














The 2009 Shimano Dura-Ace hood.






















For comparison: The 2008 Shimano ST-7800 Dura-Ace hood (image size is much smaller!)









So, what do you all think?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I really love the SRAM Red hoods. It's the most comfortable shifter I've ever used. I obviously haven't tried 2009 Shimano or Campy offerings, but I am very happy with the SRAM design. Lever throw to put it in the big chainring was my only complaint with Force, and they've resolved that.

If Shimano successfully eliminates trim (without being overly sensitive to adjustment), that would be an improvement. If not, I like that Campy allows more trim than anyone else. Ergonomics-wise, though, I'm thrilled with SRAM.

Lorri Lee Lown -- velogirl said...

I love my campy record. fits my hand juuuuusssstt right. I think I'll buy up lots of spare parts when they introduce the 11-speed stuff so I can stick with 10-speed.