SRAM

Great shifters with good looks. What I like are the crisp shifting and easy braking. This is what one expects from this tier in SRAM. I do wish better graphics were on the shifters to standout, but that is just esthetic and not necessary in the grand scheme. What I hated with these and it is not a performance issue, but just something stupid by SRAM.....the fact a shifter/brake set come charged with DOT fluid!!!!! You have to bleed the darn things to install or at least for internal routed frames like my Cannondale SSE. Then you have to add it again and pressurize the system! Come on SRAM! Ship these dry! Ok.....off my soapbox. The D2 system is great!

I ordered this as my "stock" single-battery charger's cable connector broke in the unit's plug. I've been a BTD customer for years, and figured I'd get it before my RD died. It did...but a day after the expedited delivery I paid for.

Then I discovered that the supplied cable wouldn't work with the multi-port Belkin charger I use for all my other bike-related electronics. This really should be noted on both the SRAM and BTD product pages, maybe in all caps.

It's damn annoying to find out something you ordered is incompatible with your current products.

I have been cable shifting on our Seven tandem for 26 years. I was always pleased with the smooth shifts with well adjusted Campy levers; and thought it was the best way to go. I passed up Di2 when it first appeared which still had wiring to contend with. With the good results a riding buddy of mine had when he changed over to SRAM Wireless, I thought I would give it a try. I wanted to keep it as clean as possible, so I removed the shift lever and mechanism from both Campy levers and used a small section of a PVC pipe to fill the void. Next, I rolled back the hoods on the levers and positioned the SRAM Blips so they could be accessed using the hole in the hood that was the exit point for the thumb shift lever. Then secured the Blip to the shifter housing using a small section of double sided tape, and the good looks were achieved.

In order for communication between the Blips and the SRAM Rear Derailleur, I did order a SRAM Controller; but did not mount the controller on the tandem. Now I have a 12 speed SRAM RD that is controlled with only two [left/up and right/down] SRAM Blips. After 6 months of use, the great deal and prompt shipping I got from BikeTiresDirect, I would not go back to cable shifting. This is mounted on an E-tandem without a front derailleur.

I have been riding with SRAM's Organic/Steel brake pads for 4 years now. They are mostly quiet, as advertised and despite the description indicating that the braking power is not quite as high as other compounds, it is plenty strong for me. I can brake as hard as I would ever want.

Only downside may be the life of the pads. I find that they last about 3000 miles, which is less than a season for me. I haven't tried others, so I cannot compare.