Ultegra for Small Hands

ddraver

Hi Guys

My SRAM red crankset disintegrated at the weekend (the rest of the bike is a mix of SRAM stuff) and, especially if I can get a refund off wiggle as it's 10spd and they say - discontinued) am thinking of just replacing the whole lot with Shimano Ultegra.

4-5 years ago when I was choosing the groupset I went with SRAM becasue i found it much better for small hands (as in glove size small) whereas I found Shimano much worse (no point having 4 upshifts if you can only push the lever far enough to get 1 anyway etc). I was talking to a guy from a Bike shop at the weekend though who said Shimano have improved a lot on that

Does any small handed person have experience with both? I'm going to try and find a test ride somewhere but it's not so easy...

Thanks

Flâneur

Can't say I'll be much help here, but I wear size S gloves as a rule of thumb and haven't found any issues with the 6800, they are nice to handle than 5700 though

inseine

You know you can adjust levers for reach?

ddraver

for braking yes - but not for, effectively, lever throw

griffsters

I've got annoyingly small hands and had issues braking comfortably from the drops when I first got into road cycling. Ultegra 6800 has been no problem for me, reach adjustment sorts out the braking and the shifts are smooth both front and rear. I think the most noticeable is the front, shifting much improved IMO with a shorter throw. Great groupset, but I can only compare with previous Shimano incarnations I'm afraid.

Jonnyyorks

Same as the point above, the throw on ultegra is much less than on old models to the point I don't notice. If you want no throw and have the budget - di2 is the way forward

MisterMuncher

I used to alternate between 4600 and 6800, and the difference in control throw is remarkable, I'd say it's been halved at the very least. It can make it a tiny bit tricky to hit the trim positions on the front derailleur if you are a little ham fisted, but that's barely a real complaint.

daniel_b

Small hands and 6800 for me - no issues at all, a pleasure to use, both in terms of throw and quality of change.

I have SRAM Rival, but have yet to ride it :oops:

ddraver

Well, went and tried a few in the LBS and they certainly feel a lot better. Will try and find a test bike...