Originally Posted by
MegaTom
For me the differences came down to double-tap vs. STI, and the shape of their hoods. I like double-tap more these days than Shimano's separate levers, but Shimano won in the comfort department because of my big hands.
Originally Posted by
SER71
I have Ultegra installed now. I had SRAM apex before. A lot of people like the double tap shifters, they are nice, they are also quicker to shift down to higher gears than Ultegra, IMO. I think Ultegra shifters and the Ultegra RD does a better job on hills going into lower gears. I feel that shifting into lower gears going up hills with Ultegra is more precise and controlled. I found it harder to shift just one cog up with the double tap system, with the Ultegra shifters it is much more precise.
I agree with the 2 folks quoted above.
The biggest differences (to me):
1) Double-tap versus STI - Red is great on rear upshifts (releasing cable) but the double-tap sucks on downshifts (pulling cable to easier gear/cog), IMHO. Ultegra is not as fast on the upshifts but better on the downshifts. When tired, it's easy for me to mis-shift to a harder gear on Red, which is absolutely the last thing I want when I'm at my limit and need to spin an easier gear.
2) Hood ergonomics are different between the two. They are both okay by me, but some people are more sensitive. Also, the Ultegra for some reason has an open area on the inside of the hoods where sweat and grit could conceivably go up into the internals. I switch to Hudz hood covers that have a flap that sorta block that opening, though I really only switched because I wanted a different color.
3) I have the old Red Ti FD, so the front shifting is noticeably lower quality than Ultegra which is pure buttah in comparison.
4) Weight - Red is lighter, but darned if I could really tell.