Why Shimano's GRX Di2 12-speed groupset is Underwhelming 

I just "downgrade" my old gravel from RED to GRX. What a big improvement this was. Brakes that works, and a front derailleur that can handle a 17 tooth gap almost effortless, compared to the RED crap that struggles with a 13 tooth gap and from time to time will just drop outwards because gods knows.

The batteries aren't reliable and they are expensive. Shifting? Sram is better. Cassettes? Sram have a wider range. Chainrings? No direct mount options like Sram. Wider tyres? Front mech limits that. The only good point you make is the 24mm BB axle.

@@adamhindle9215 Batteries aren't reliable? Says you. I've had the same Ultegra Di2 setup for over half a decade and never had an issue. I average 10k miles a year btw. Also two SRAM batteries cost as much as one Di2. SRAM shifting is better?! Pretty general statement and I think you're the first person to ever say that. Wider range? Whatev. I'll gladly take the tighter one tooth jumps on an 11-34/36 over 10-44 XPLR. Those 32-38 and 38-44 tooth jumps are a little much. Plus when do you ever really need a 10 tooth cog when riding gravel? Maybe on paved descents? Sprinting aside, I rarely ever hit the 11 tooth on my road bike. And you basically have to be running a 38 tooth front ring to get any real benefit from the easier gears, which somewhat negates the 10 tooth. Direct mount? Ok, you got me there I guess. And about wider tires. Personally I like to race gravel so 40mm are generally good enough for me. 45 max depending on the course. And as such I'm focusing on a gravel race setup, not some mullet build type who 2x 12s GRX Di2 is obviously not aimed at.

With GRX 12s 1x there are no 1 tooth jumps at all. The 10t-12t jump in the 10-45 cassette sucks big time. What is more there are only cassettes for microspline hubs which you still don't find fitted on road/gravel wheels with few exceptions. Also practically no microspline conversion freehub bodies on the market. Why can't they do a 11-44 (or similar) NON-MICROSPLINE cassette like SRAM? 400% range is all I need.

@@williwacker2774 Little off topic I'd say. Why would anyone want an 11-44 for 2x?!

@@justinjewell1043 Talking about 1x.

Me too love my Force ×2

The new red is more in line with Shimano brakes, I don't think it's better but it's definitely not worse. Trying to sell 2x is more sensible for a company, and for experience I got a lot of clients who changed their 1x to 2x because of the lack of range, or a second dedicated bike for road or mtb. I had a few going 46-30/11-40, and it had pretty good shifting for my surprise. For me, the sensible choice money wise, is going for Sram, because it's cheaper and good.

Sram Rival axs RD shifting is faster than shimano grx or ultegra di2. I own all 3. Shimano FD is better strait away. Can't feel a difference in braking - that's a draw.

Shimano 1x sucks you need a new special freehub that doesn't exist

​@@christophertan3195 Exactly. Still no wheels or conversion freehub bodies on the market. Gear jumps in the fast gear realm on the 10-45 cassette are bad.

@@christophertan3195 Huh? Of course it exists, microspline is a well accepted standard. I have a microspline freehub for my wheels. This is a really good reason to always use DT hubs, besides all the other good reasons, easy, easy to change the free hub to whatever standard needed.

Old XT Pedals with a Sticker and a higher price tag, yeah, very sexy.. that is even more lazy than the GRX Di2.

@@henninga.9996 are you saying that XT pedals are not sexy?

Marketing Gimmick

I'm happy with the current Ultegra and DA way, you want semiwireless. you got it. but let me wire it if I don't want to mess with coin cells. The 105 way is the wrong way.

There is one big benefit of wireless shifters for consumers: with the proliferation of bikes which use complete internal routing, cable shifting does not work so well with the tight bends the internal routing requires. For manufacturers, wireless greatly simplifies the build process, saving them lots of money (imagine building up hundreds of bikes). And I actually run mechanical GRX 12 speed...

@@barrowsworm1226 I’m not talking about mechanical vs electronic, I’m referring to wired vs semi-wired vs wireless…and oh yes, all the savings the consumer is getting from OE’s saving a few min on builds per bike, please show me where that’s actually happening 😂

​@@barrowsworm1226 I have 12 speed di2 on my road bike, fully wired, I understand the problem with mechanical wires, but I'm talking about electrical cables. It can go almost in any tight space and works perfectly. I don't see the benefit for the customer. Once installed is going to stay there for years.

2021 was when it launched so a fair while ago now

@@davidarthur that's not old. It's way up to spec still. There is no need unless thy get a wireless one working exactly the same, and that says a whole lot.

Hahahaha ok boomer

What about sraM?

Nope, you can charge it with a power bank if you need to. Why make up "problems" which do not exist?

@@barrowsworm1226 I never said it was a problem. I said its an inconvenience. And your solution to that inconvenience is to purchase a power bank.

@@barrowsworm1226 I use a powerbank I tested using a phone and it also works.

@@flattrack33 buying a power bank to charge the batteries is no more of an inconvenience than setting up a "battery charging station" somewhere in your house! Stop making up things which really do not matter. Of course, many people will be storing their bike close enough to a power outlet anyway...

@@barrowsworm1226 I use a power brick on my Di2, works charms. Even used my phone on some occasion just to check if that was possible. and yes it is, you can charge Di2 with your phone.

Agree with you. 2 x is a better gravel groupo.

Efficiency for the win.

There are advantages to both approaches. 1x is simpler, more intuitive to use, has less risk of chain drop, and IF the gear range is set up correctly, it also offers less drivetrain friction, as one is more often in a larger chainring and larger cog (I get that if set up incorrectly, there can be additional friction from the chain angle, but this can be avoided with careful attention to one's gear ratios and chainline). 1x is also a bit lighter, and allows for better tire/mud clearance, without having to resort to a wider chainline which compromises Q-factor efficiency for most riders. 2x, on the other hand, can offer a bit wider range, and (sometimes, not always) slightly closer steps between gears. Either set up can work well, and it really is down to personal preference. At the top level of racing, both systems have had success, so clearly, either can work well.

Just Personal preference if you ask me.

1x is good for gravel IF you have power to run a big ass chain ring

I do not get folks complaining about cranks and available gear ratios: everyones' wants/needs here are different. Shimano's offerings fit the vast majority of riders, and for those who need something different, there are plenty of compatible cranks and chainring options available-you can get a crank of any length you want, and rings compatible with Shimano 12 speed in just about any size you want-just be a little creative!

Not at all. Like I've said if you want very low gears for base training, and you happen to live somewhere very hilly. If you use a 165 crank a 34-36 isn't enough, unless your sub 80kg. Shimano don't do a mtb 12 speed cassette that runs from 11-40+

@@siy01 That is a very, very specific case scenario, which would apply to only a very few people. If one does have special needs like that, there are plenty of solutions available in the aftermarket. And, a 31-36 is not enough, which Shimano does offer? Or, you could go with an MTB 2x crank. I do not like that GRX 1x only offers a 42 T ring, max, but is it a problem, no, there are plenty of aftermarket rings available to suit other gearing needs.

@@barrowsworm1226 What do you think David Arthur's main issue with the groupset is?? It's that having a massive rear derailleur that only goes to 36 for gravel, is playing it safe. I live next to the Surrey Hills so it's always a mix of road and gravel, descents are fast, climbs can be steep, ideally you want the widest range possible and the cadence in-between. The fact that a 2X system can't go as low as the 1X GRX is just stupid, because like I said the 2X could easily handle a 40Tooth. I didn't say 31-36, I said 34-36 because the Grx crankset doesn't go below 170. Which is quite different when climbing in the saddle. Yeah you could make it work with hacks and buying other brands like Rotor, but the point is you shouldn't have to Shimano should be able to understand that they should give people the gear range to handle any gradient while pedalling efficiently without massive cadence jumps.

Di2 and average consumer on the same topic. What?!

yes, wired Di2.

no they won’t. they are not, and practically never have been, the tech leaders. they are focused on reliability.

hogwash. sino companies don’t do anything but steal tech and over work their sunjects.

and at 20% of the cost lol

@@CreativeFishDesignsCharlotte youtube has already deleted my comment. alphabet has become completely taken over by chinese censorship

THE Asian Market Is Giving Far Better options at 400 us and up This Product is quite late and pointless

@@CreativeFishDesignsCharlotte Shimano is Japanese. that is Asia too.

1x is coming, just be a little patient.

You can only improve on equipment to a certain level