SRAM Force AXS v Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8100 | Groupset Head To Head

To be honest, I am just glad that we live in a world where the 2 most popular groupset companies have very good products to offer. 😁

The new Ultegra has been flawless. Love it 👌🏼

IMO any time shimano dual sided power meters are mentioned it should be pointed out that they don’t work 😂. I lean shimano and you can just get power meter pedals but with sram it’s nice that their power meter option is actually good.

I am very impressed by how these videos always very diplomatically find a tie between ratings of groupsets. On the things that would matter to serious cyclists who are focused on performance, weight, shift speed and brake performance, Shimano is the clear winner. I actually much prefer SRAM, but I'm not a very serious cyclist. Being able to easily remove the batteries for charging and not getting confused on which button does what are the deciding factors for me.

Whilst having chainrings you can't replace on the quarq is a bit ridiculous, the powermeter actually works. Unlike the shimano offering which is basiacally junk. Go look at the DCrainmaker or Shane Miller videos about it. You shouldn't be giving Shimano the win on the powermeter as it isn't fit for purpose.... typical mainstream cycling media.

One clear advantage of Di2 is the ability to program the 3rd buttons--top of the hoods--to control your Garmin or Wahoo computer. Sram doesn't offer this option yet.

Unsurprisingly, the video ends with a tie. While choosing between the 2, there are a few other considerations left that can help you choose one over the other. - Shimano power meters are average at best and the Quarq power meter is a much better product. This can easily be solved by choosing an aftermarket power meter for the Shimano (either crank or pedal based, and the options are plenty). - Shimano uses mineral oil for the brakes, which is nicer to maintain than the DOT used in SRAM brakes. - The ease of installation of SRAM if you are building a bike further strengthens the practicality win. Although I love SRAM mechanical groupsets, I would go with the Ultegra in this case as I think it is a better product overall. I would however use a 3rd party power meter.

One thing I like about the Shimano way of shifting is the very quick succession in which you can shift the FD and RD (Manual shifting mode). I press the left shifter once, and the right shifter almost simultaneously. I don't know how SRAM can do that with one press to shift the RD and another press (both buttons) to shift the FD. In this sense, I find Shimano's shifting method much faster than SRAM.

Everyone always talks about shimano needing to take your bike to a power source, I use a portable power bank to charge my Di2 with no problem.

Great presentation. Well done! Not watched a cycling weekly video for a while and you’ve really upped your game. Way better than the formulaic bike radar, roadcc and others. 👍🏻

tx for nice comparison. What you didn’t include in the ‘charging’ comparison was: a) the need for Shimano to be charged ~1,8x more often (@30km/h average; SRAM upto 60h vs. Shimano upto 1000km), b) who doesn’t have a wall-outlet close to their bike-storage? So charging ‘on’ the bike for Ultegra is for most not really an issue even though more often required and c) SRAM battery system is more flexible being able to easily swop out a dead batteries mid-ride. Yet that flexibility might make soiling the charging pins with road-grime while doing so somewhat vulnerable. On the other hand (1) the cable-less design of Force vs. Ultegra with tiny delicate ‘wiredless’ cabling from central battery to both derailleurs looks more vulnerable then the all-wireless SRAM. On the other hand (2) Ultegra ‘wiredless’ wiring between both derailleurs and battery could potentially support faster and more robust (synchronized) shifting, then all-wireless SRAM (especially with a lot of radio-interference around other wireless bikes in a race a/o in a busy city?

I believe that the SRAM system is far superior. Living with SRAM is much easier. Being able to take the rear mech off for cleaning makes life so much easier. Wireless blips on the inside of the hoods has been a game changer for me. Bleeding SRAM breaks, once you understand their system, is much easier and less messy than the Shimano Cup system. The simplicity of the two paddle system over the 4 buttons on the Shimano system is far superior. The braking feel and performance from SRAM is really good. After living with both SRAM and Shimano systems SRAM is a no brainer. The only two things that I could say would shift someone toward Shimano is if you really like the feel of the breaks and the fact that you have to buy a new power meter if you replace the chainrings. Otherwise its SRAM all the way.

I'm just glad this video wasn't riddled with "umm yeah"

I own both ultegra/di2 12speed and the the new Sram force etap. I honestly think the shimano crank is cleaner and more stealth looking. the new sram emblems look like augly stickers.. Some folks love traditional shifting compared to Srams shifting. At the end of the day It's all about preference.i think Shimano caters more to racers while Sram caters more to the average cyclist..no one wins..just ride and enjoy.

The best presenter on any of the bike channels, and a great review.

Shimano never gets old 🤘🏻

Pricing should reflect that typically Ultegra does not have the Power Meter while SRAM is coming with them. You can get Force without a power meter for about 400 less, so that brings the cost more inline with each other. As mentioned by others, Shimano PM's are not accurate and it should have been mentioned. I've had both di2 and AXS, and find both to be fantastic systems and you can't really go wrong either way. I know people getting 12-15K miles out of their Red rings, and most people are not riding 12-15K a year, so these rings will last a fairly long time for the avg rider. Based on my annual avg, they would last 3 to 4 years. I have 2 bikes running Force AXS and alternate between them, so they should last far longer than that, but I have the original setup, so I can just replace the ring that needs it, but I would not hesitate to run the new cranks. SRAM does offer a 10% trade-in for the PM's, so there is that. I have been a long time Shimano user and have bikes with their gear, but I still like the ability to pop my batteries off and keep indoors out of the heat and cold. I can't store my bikes inside, so they are relegated to the garage and the heat in the summer is just a killer on the battery efficiency long term. Anyone that lives in the south knows you get about 3 years out of a car battery due to the heat. SRAM allows me to easily remove, charge, and store inside in a much cooler environment until I am ready to go for a ride.

Loved the old di2 on my tt bike because I had buttons to shift the gears. However for road I’ve always preferred sram both on cable and electronic shifting mainly because of the way you change the gears. Having now tested the new di2ultegra on the BMC team machine the shifting is good the breaks are amazing however the shifting feels numb and I still hate how the shifters feel on shimano so I will be sticking to sram.

I choose the one that has a functional power meter

The greatest groupset ever was/is 11 speed SRAM Red Etap FD/RD with Shimano Dura-Ace cassette/chain. Other than that every SRAM groupset I've ever owned ends up getting converted to a Shimano groupset and I wonder why I didn't just start with Shimano.