Ultegra 6800 or Force 22

rokt

I've been speaking with a mate who is looking at a Planet X Exocet 2. Currently Planet X have these bikes with either Ultegra 6800 or Force 22, both at the same price and he's doesn't know what to choose.

He called me to ask my advice and to be honest, I've haven't got a clue !

What would you choose ?

Thanks for the advice.

pippi_langsamer-2

Totally personal preference. I have 6800 (Di2), and Force 20. Di2 aside, I personally prefer Shimano from the shifting point-of-view. Slick, effortless shifts vs Double Tap clunkyness.

Aesthetically, the Force 22 stuff looks pretty nice though- nicer than 6800, but Im not a great fan of the Double Tap system.

Personally, Ive also found the finish on SRAM stuff suspect. Minor pitting on parts whereas ive got some 20+ year old Shimano Ultegra calipers on my winter bike and they show nosuch signs.

banditvic

I have both, prefer Force. If you like slick go for Shimano. If you like a more positive mechanical feel go for force plus it's lighter. In reality you won't be disappointed with either.

Tjgoodhew

I have rode 6800 and have Force 22 on one of my bikes.

I personally prefer double tap and like the mechanical feel. I also like the shape and look of the SRAM hoods.

As above its purely down to how you view the different types of shifting. Both do the same job and do it very well

Grill

As it's on a TT bike, it really doesn't matter. If I were your friend I'd spend a few quid extra for Di2 as on TT bike it just can't be beat.

galatzo

Grill wrote:

As it's on a TT bike, it really doesn't matter. If I were your friend I'd spend a few quid extra for Di2 as on TT bike it just can't be beat.

Not that I ride TT bikes but this makes sense.

FWIW I have Force 22 and love it, new levers are a great improvement.
I think I like it so much because it has a lot in common with Chorus that I used for years, levers are a similar shape and it’s quite a positive action like Campag but it’s loads cheaper (to purchase and maintain) and possibly lighter too. I’ve also found the derailleurs never need adjusting unlike Chorus.
That said the new Ultegra looks a massive improvement in lever shape, a great price but those chainsets spoil it for me and mean if I ever got 6800 I'd need to factor in a different chainset.