I want to put on some new 2x7 shifters on an older road bike. I like the clean cockpit look with the cables under the bar tape like newer bikes. Does Sensah or Ltwoo have the cables under the bar tape? If so, which one is better? Cheers!

Both route the shift cable under bar tape.
Based on reviews, neither are impressive. One has a known rattle issuethat has supposedly been fixed a few times yet hasn't, and the other has countless complaints about insides breaking.

I have used Sensah before- brief ride- the hood was fine and shifting feel was not nearly as nice as lower end Claris, but it worked.

Trace Velo on You Tube has done some long term testing on LWtoo and recently posted a new video on it, he worked through several issues on early versions that seem to have been corrected.

Worth a watch" target="_blank">Worth a watch

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How much cheaper is this?

For the price, I'm certainly going to take a gamble on an L-TWOO groupset, if I can't find an inexpensive second-hand Shimano or Campy (which are getting harder to find, the prices for these have gone through the roof!). I'm not particularly hard on components, so I'd be confident I could keep it running well with a good setup and regular maintenance.

I want to say it was $600 to $800 for the kit.

Sensah for mechanical. They sell Shimano compatible shifters both in mechanical and hydraulic. Just stick with Shimano derailleurs and the shifters work great. Also pay the slight premium for the carbon levers, the haptics and brake lever just feel smoother overall. Ltwoo mechanical shift levers suck. They're Campagnolo style with the thumb trigger. I tried it and hate it because I can't wrap my entire hand around the hoods. On the plus side, LTwoo mechanical levers do use the Shimano pull ratio.

LTwoo for electronic. No clunky thumb triggers. Easy to install and you can use any crankset, cassette (10/11/12 speed) and the hydraulic calipers are easy to align/service with generous pad spacing for disc alignment. This groupset is a game changer. For $350 USD I'm running a full 12 speed hydraulic disc electronic groupset. I believe all the kinks have been ironed out, though I'd highly recommend you use some sort non-permanent adhesive (I used rubber cement to keep the cable in place) and dielectric grease around the derailleur battery ports just in case of water ingress. Though I don't ride in the rain, I still did preventative measures. Also I picked up some high quality rechargeable batteries and you can even charge via powerbank with the USB charging cable.

Being able to set an electronic groupset to run with any 10, 11, 12 speed cassette really is a game changer. Too bad they don't make rim brake levers, they would make a killing from people upgrading old bikes.

Then wait for the Wheeltop EDS TX. Same flexibility as LTwoo's groupset, but it's fully wireless, better weather proofing and it's available in rim brake. SRAM's patent on wireless derailleur communication is expiring this month. Wheeltop should be able to sell direct to the US, unless SRAM finds a way to block them. Though they use a fixed battery on the derailleur as opposed to removable. SRAM's patent on the removable battery is still in-effect apparently.

https://wheeltop.com/products/eds-bicycle-derailleur

I have Shimano Tourney 3x7 shifters on my drop bar converted 80s mtb. I've been using them for about 5 years. They are great. I think there is a 2x7 version.

Thanks for sharing. Once these have a good number of post-release reviews, I'll likely pick up a set for one of my older bikes. I can take delivery in Europe so US availability is not an issue for me.

Came across this, thought you might be interested

That wheeltop electronic setup is neat, but it's $800usd for shifters, brakes, FD, and RD.

$1040 gets a full Shimano 12sp di2 group- shifters, brakes, FD, RD, crankset, chain, and bottom bracket.
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/s...ed-271682.html



Being fully wireless is great for converting an older frame to wireless, but that cost isn't really a selling point to me when for only $240 more you get a Shimano 12sp groupset with crankset, chain, and bottom bracket.
I would figure the savings would be better.

The issue with the Shimano di2 is that your frame needs to be able to handle wires to the RD, unless you want to run it external, however most older frames are not drilled for it in the chain stay, for example my 2016 Emonda ALR, but using something that is wireless, then it is not a concern.

Agreed- I acknowledged this in the post you quoted.

Yea you did, my apologies.

A late reply but I have recently refurbished an old Trek 370 (tig-welded cro-mo) road bike and went for the L-TWOO R2 2x7 mini groupset (shifters and derailleurs) for £42 or $56. I tend to ride my salvaged/cheap bikes for a while and then pass them on to our local bike co-operative so I didn't want to spend too much but I was also curious to test the L-TWOO R2 shifters. They were quite easy to set-up, look super smart and take me back to my Campag days. They don't shift better than Tourney A070 but look so much better. The mech's are working really well but the Hi/Lo adjustment screws are soft and have started to degrade. The original Shimano Exage brakes on the Trek were tired so I used Claris BR-R2000 brakes borrowed off another bike and they work well with the R2 shifters.