Originally Posted by
spare_wheel
the brifters are compatible with shimano mtb calipers. (i plan on using an extra xt 775 caliper i bought fo $60 on close out.) i also plan on doing the front wheel only (frame limitation) which should be a lot cheaper (for 80% of the advantage). the brakes will work fine on 10 speed disc hubs (most of the wheelsets i own) and the brifters will shift 10 speed with an extra click.
all my easton wheelsets can be upgraded to 11 speed by simply swapping the hub body...so i will eventually upgrade to 11 speed when i use up my current inventory of 10 speed cassettes and chains.
i will upgrade as soon as i can score the brifters for ~$300ish (which should not be too long given the heavy discounting seen at european web sites, such as, merlin).
Your upgrade scenario doesn't sound too bad. The biggest hiccup I see is that you'll need a hydraulic lever on the left and a mechanical on the right, which could cut into the discount you can find. Of course, if you can live with mismatched levers then you only need one.
I guess I'm just bitter about the apparent inevitability of the march toward 11-speed systems. I'm going to be very grumpy when I have to buy new hubs just to stay at the Tiagra level. I used to not be a retro-grouch, but it's starting to seem like I am now. Retro-grouchery also trickles down, I suppose.
