Most of my professional career I rode Shimano Dura Ace 7800. I assumed every group shifted, braked & functioned pretty much the same. That was until the season I rode with Monex. Gaggioli was very cheap (I mean budget minded.) And since Shimano fully-sponsored only 3 teams in North America, Gagg was not about to spend a dime on components. So we ended up with Campagnolo equiptment. Sounds great right? Yes, that is until you have to use Campy with American Classic cassettes…spaced for Shimano. To make a long rant short, I’ll just say it sucked. The next two seasons I rode on one of those 3 Shimano-sponsored teams & back on 7800. And every time I had a successful shift I would smile, then curse Gagg.
I started this season, like most, on 7800. But I made the switch this week to 7900. I’ve ridden 7900 around the block & know all about it from demos from the Shimano crew. I thought that it was no doubt better than 7800, but in the way that the Godfather 2 was better than the Godfather. How do you follow a classic, even if it is marginaly better? It’s like batting after Babe Ruth.
My knowledge of 7800 is vast, so this would be great experiment. I switched-out the STI, brakes, cranks & derailleurs. I left on my chain, cassette & bottom bracket. This makes the comparison even better, because when you replace the chain, bb and/or cassette on your bike it feels like a new bike.
I’ll start with the looks of 7900 on my bike, since this is what counts most (just kidding…I think.) It gives my Guru a more industrial look…I like it. From behind the look of the crankset is rad, it almost looks like the big chainring is a solid disk. From the front, you no longer see cables sticking out…welcome to the new century, Shimano.
Next I’ll talk about feel. The new hood design is a plus. Better than 7800. It’s like writing with a Mont Blanc, rather than a bic. better. It actualy feels like they dampen better than the 7800 STI. The 7900 system pulls more cable than the 7800 when you make a shift…three-times as much. Really, I’m not sure if that’s better, or not. But I do know that shifting was a bit crisper. Brake feel is much different than 7800. The brakes are simply the best I’ve ever used. And the overall brake feel (modulation) has improved off the chart thanks to the light feel in the lever. Shimano accomplished this by putting the shifting “guts” back towards the bars, rather than near the tip of the lever (7800.) Bravo. Another nice touch was changing the brake barrel adjusters. The cranks actually feel stiffer than the 7800’s. And remember, this is with my same bb. I think the added stiffness was accomplished from the new chainring design. They fused two pieces of alloy together to make one awesome chainring…and they say it floats. The chain looks different & is a bit lighter, but feels the same. They came up with a “master link” for the new chain, which they seemed to all of a sudden abandon and now recommend the tried & true old way with the chain pin. Shimano, with the 7900 has nearly made front shifting as good as rear shifting. Again, I think most of this is due to the new chainring design. Shimano empolyees say that the front derailleur has a lot to do with it, but they couldn’t tell me why. It’s the chainring.
So overall, it is worth the upgrade to 7900. Way better. A new level of braking & front shifting, better asthetics, stiffer cranks & a bit lighter. You had me at it looks better.
-Rocket
