Which Groupset?

In the good old days you'd be beaten for being a kack hander or having small hands.

Ahh, nothing like Australia in the 90s.

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/10/mixing-groupsets-what-works-together-and-what-doesnt/

Urgh, I was expecting handy chart and got a ten billion word essay

Yeah. Not helpful. Also - I wanted to know about sram 11 spd front mech compatibility with 10 spd shifters and they just breezed through front mechs.

105 5800 has impressed me on my new bike - especially given the price.

It will, but not the other way round, sram red 2012 and all 11 speed sram use yaw aka no-trim front derailleurs, so when you use a 10 speed shifter you still have the trim, nothing to really worry about, just don't use it, I'm sure some clever clogs could even take it out of the internals.

Only other semi-concern is the width of the mech, it's meant to be something stupid like 0.025mm thinner for the thinner 11 speed chain, but it's nothing to worry about and the 11 speed yaw mech's are a massive improvement on the 10 speed

It won't work the other way round (11speed shifters and 10 speed non-yaw front mech) if you want to cross chain a bit, as there's no trim function

SRAM 10 speed front mechs were dreadful. Front shifting in general in fact.

Put me off SRAM for life and I won't go back.

Meh. They are ok in my experience. Trickier than Campag or Shimano to set up but they do the job fine once they're dialed in - the 10 spd Red mech was the one to avoid. You can always use a Ultegra 6700 or similar instead.
I'm just interested to see if an 11 spd one will improve things for my girlfriend, who really struggles with the lever throw to get it into the big ring.

@sirbikealot thanks for that info. Much appreciated.

Meh. They are ok in my experience. Trickier than Campag or Shimano to set up but they do the job fine once they're dialed in - the 10 spd Red mech was the one to avoid. You can always use a Ultegra 6700 or similar instead.

I'm using a titanium 10 speed Red front mech, the ones notorious for being shit and it's fine. You just have to be careful not to have too much cable tension or it won't shift up properly.

I agree with @dan . SRAM front mechs, the 10 speed ones anyway, are fiddly to set up and you need to have the limiter screws set just right. But once you do, they're fine, unless you have very small hands. Like @dan's other half, @Cycliste finds it difficult shifting into the big ring on her 10 speed Red set-up due to the amount of lever swing involved.

good to know that's "a thing". Have you tried using a Shimano mech instead? Or one of the new yaw ones?

The 'new' longer activation arm mechs from Shimano or Campagnolo as the 'lever' is longer which would result in reduced shift effort .. mechanical advantage and all that. I can't speak from experience if they'll work though as I've only mix n matched a 7900 front mech onto Sram 10.

No, but I'm not sure it would help. I think the fundamental problem is the amount of swing you need to give the lever before the ratchet kicks in, so I'm not sure changing the front mech would alter anything. @Cycliste has taken to gazing lustfully at the box full of 9000 Dura Ace kit I've got sitting in the hall of her flat...

Be warned it's the complete opposite for 11 speed, needs a tonne of tension, as in you won't get it right without a cable adjuster

105 11 speed anyone?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-105-5800-11-speed-groupset/rp-prod116477

Ultegra 6870 gearset ordered.

No more loud click clicky. I'll miss the SR. But I won't miss the cables.

Even cheaper at Merlin. Almost pulled the trigger. But the sensible part of my brain reminded me that it's more than 5 months til spring.

Link?

http://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-105-5800-11-speed-groupset-black-oem-72609.html

This is exactly how I feel about shimano vs sram but then I am (usually) comparing Sora to Force. Have also used 105 and Ultegra and can't say they're much better. Pivot point is in the wrong place, as someone else said...

Heading towards Force 22 on my new-year bike. What is the current thinking in terms of gearing combinations. I'm torn between a compact crank with 11-25/6 or standard gearing with 11-28 on the back. I guess the latter is more flexible and I am looking to start racing next year. I'm not currently the best climber and like to spin up the hills. Finally wondering if standard crank will look ridiculous on a smaller bike (525 tt)

i'd start with 50/34 with 12-25 and then move on to 52/36 and then maybe 53/39

I'm torn between a compact crank with 11-25/6 or standard gearing with 11-28 on the back.

11-28 is basically a 10 speed 11-25 with a 28t added.

Just go compact and 11-28.

Buy a compact. You can still run 53/39 on that if you feel the need. I had 52/38 for a season and really liked it. If you're going to need the small ring often while in a tight Group. Its Nice to have the chainrings slightly closer in size so it easier to double shift and not suddenly lose speed.

Not 100% on next year. Kinda tempted to get 52/39, and buy a 36t for specific mountain use. But I'll probably be lazy and just buy a 52/36 right off.

I run an 11 speed 11-25 cassette, and have a 12-27 for Mountains.

What do you ride at the moment?

Both can get you the gears you need for racing, but they do feel a bit different. If you went with 11sp shimano you can switch all rings as they share a common bcd size?

Here's some reading to really confuse the issue.
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/08/beyond-the-big-ring-understanding-gear-ratios-and-why-they-matter/