Now that I have both the new 12 speed road shifter and the previous generation 11 speed road shifter, I can do a side by side comparison!
The new 12 speed road shifter is the Ultegra Di2 ST-R8170, while the 11 speed road shifter is the Ultegra Di2 ST-R8070. Note that for these two generations of shifters, the Dura-Ace and Ultegra versions are very similar, so I will often refer to them interchangeably.
For this post, I will compare the exterior features, with extra focus on the ergonomics. If you are interested in other Di2 shifters, such as the GRX Di2 ST-RX815, check out this other post!
New shifter on the left, old shifter on the right. Old brake lever has a more pronounced "kink" to it, while the new lever is nearly straight.
Old shifters are positioned 0 degrees from the vertical axis, so the levers have to curve outwards to make it easier to shift and brake. On the new shifters, the entire bracket and lever is tilted 10 degrees from the vertical. The top tilts inwards, while the lever tilts outwards. This outward lever tilt means that even a straight lever will naturally be offset outwards for better shifting and braking ergonomics.
When the brake lever is activated, the old shifter has a top portion that rotates outwards, similar to mechanical shifters. This area is actually not necessary, and was removed in the new shifter. It is replaced by a fixed front cover which is used in the aero hood riding posture.
The electronic shifting buttons are nearly the same, but with different texture. The new shifter has a longer release lever for easier reach when holding the drops.
The new shifter has a taller hood, which is obvious with a side by side comparison.
Side view showing the taller hood on the new shifter. It is not a big difference in absolute millimeters, but quite obvious visually.
New shifter on the right has an inward curve and tilt for better ergonomics.
Old shifter on the right has a waffle pattern on it, which tends to trap a lot of dirt. The new shifter on the left has a more subtle pattern that works just as well.
New shifter on the left has a different texture at the bottom, which looks more sophisticated.
Let's move on to the ergonomics of the shifters, which have been improved on the latest 12 speed road shifters.
For road shifters, the most common gripping position is the cruising position, where the index finger wraps around the front of the brake lever. This works a bit differently between the old and new shifters.
On the old shifter, there is a clearly defined depression on the lever member for you to place the index finger in the cruising position.
On the new shifter, there is no such location for the index finger. Still works well though as the index finger can rest comfortably anywhere along the brake lever.
Old shifter has space for only 2.5 fingers under the bracket.
New shifter is slightly longer, allowing almost 3 fingers under the bracket. On the actual bike, it is a small but noticeable difference.
Next, we move on to compare the height of the shifter hoods. The new shifter has a taller hood, which normally means a more bulky shifter. In this case, the taller hood is actually better, as it offers a more secure gripping area for the aero hoods riding position.
Old shifter has a shorter hood, which means that only about 2.5 fingers can grip the hood securely.
When the fingers are closed, only 2.5 fingers are able to grip the hood, making it risky to hold as the hand can slip off easily.
On the new shifter, 3 full fingers can grip the hood as it is taller and has a more ergonomics shape.
This allows a very secure grip on the hood, which makes the new shifter much better for riding in the aero hood position.
On the old shifter, this is the amount that protrudes above the hand.
On the new shifter, the hood protrudes more as it is taller. This also makes the handhold more secure when riding over bumpy terrain.
Old shifter, aero hoods, only 2.5 fingers able to grip.
New shifter, aero hoods, 3 fingers able to grip securely.
Confident and secure holding in the aero hoods position.
Old shifter that is not tilted from the vertical axis.
New shifter that is tilted 10 degrees from the vertical axis, and also curved inwards.
With this comparison, the new shifter has many small but noticeable improvements in the ergonomics. It is more comfortable for larger hands, and yet also friendly for smaller hands as the lever reach and bracket size remains unchanged. It is definitely worth upgrading to the 12 speed system, as the shifter ergonomics has a good improvement, even though the old one was not too bad.
In the next post, I will compare the internal parts of the shifters, with the rubber hood removed.
Great comparison. Thanks for this!
ReplyDelete^ Seconding, great comparison. Would be interesting to know how the space for wrapping fingers under/around the bracket differs between the R8170s and the RX815s. On that note, it'll also be interesting to see how the new 12-speed GRX levers will be like, if and when they are released next year. I don't see how the current GRX Di2 shifters could be significantly improved in ergonomics because IMO they're already pretty much as good as it can get (well, perhaps you could make the horn slightly taller for better aero hood grip position)...
ReplyDeleteMy gosh that aero hood grip really worth the money ! My whole life thinking myself holding the hood wrong until this post
ReplyDelete