Possibly the best value groupset in existence!

[@daviddjerassi]

This channel deserves 500,000 subscribers NOW the amount of solid money saving information you give us in every video is off the scale THANK you Luke Trace Velo.

[@ricardosilva-xz1yt]

Very true. Money saving. At what cost? So instead of spending thousands on a campi you spend hundreds on chineese stuf. The Chineese comunist party apreciates your donation.

[@blondi195656]

😂

[@RylHango]

@@ricardosilva-xz1yt businesses in china are privately owned what are you on about, the money goes to Ltwoo who are pushing the competition in a duopoly market

[@michaelatkinson7577]

@@ricardosilva-xz1yt man types on i-phone.....

[@GerritWilmink]

Have this groupset on my roadbike. Absolutely no Problems on a 2840k Tour through Europe.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

B-Roll transitions to the beat of the music..... going the extra editing mile there, Luke!! 😉

[@TraceVelo]

Haha, glad you liked it! Took me about 2 hours to edit that 20 second clip 🤣

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

@@TraceVelo And it shows 🤣. Oh, and hope you didn't leave that 105 lever on the post. Jon

[@TraceVelo]

@@ribblevalleycyclist So I did actually bugger off without it, but realised before I got back home and it was still there 😅

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

@@TraceVelo Haha..... I knew you would. I was watching, and thinking to myself, I bet he leaves that lever on that post 🤣🤣🤣. Oh, and changing the subject, have you had the new gravel groupset from Wheeltop yet?

[@TraceVelo]

@@ribblevalleycyclist LOL no, they never sent it to me. I mean I obviously dont know for sure, but I assume it was because I was quite critical of the EDS-TX. How is it though?

[@valmorell]

Full cable outers is an old pro trick Luke. I always drill out the stops and fit full cables. Lighter more accurate shifting that stays in adjustment longer. Cool. On a slightly different tack, if you get the chance, try the new version ZTTO cable/hybrid brake calipers, the mk 5 version. Night and day compared to previous. Ceramic pistons, improved leverage and oil ways, metallic pads all standard. I am so impressed I chucked of my hydraulic system and fitted these with Sensah shifting to all my bikes.

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks for the tip-off on those new ZTTO brakes!! Definitely gonna have to check them out!!!!!!

[@lorenzohsu2442]

I've been searching for some good hybrid brake calipers. Happy to see this comment! Does anyone know how if there are any defining features that I can reference to so I can verify if the model I'm looking at is the mk5 version?

[@rosomak8244]

THe problem with hybrids is durability.

[@TimInertiatic]

I'm trying a cheap hybrid front caliper with a sensah build as a test. I'll bear the ztto in mind!

[@alextorresphoto]

Thanks for the ztto recommendation!! Have to try it with my sensah!

[@RustyRacer]

Full cable housing was basically a must for my AliExpress TT build. I haven't adjusted my shifting for 10 years! 🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@WredFawks]

Who did you go with for the frame? 10 years on I don't expect the same frame to be in production but if the makers are still around

[@ZwiftDude]

You are the best for exploring alternatives. Everyone else is just a cheap knock off.

[@FurySpyder]

I (nearly) always use cable stops as full outers will always cause more friction (especially with age/wear) but this comes with two major caveats - 1) ensure that there is actually direct line of sight between the stops and the BB cable guide. It looks like this might not be the case through your chainstay due to the angle of the cable? 2) use liners wherever the inner cable touches anything, ie the BB cable guide, which in theory should only be the cable guide, but I have done builds where the inner has contacted the exit hole below the front derailleur or elsewhere internally. Using cable stops also means there are more opportunities for moisture and dirt to get in, so there are times I'd always go for full outers, e.g. on a winter bike. Great video!

[@fritte1684]

Just finished a built with a full Shimano 105 11-speed groupset (disc). Bought most parts at sale prices and paid about 350€ for the whole set, not bad at all.

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

@@fritte1684 definitely better than no name Chinese crap

[@jkmaster8070]

Thats an insane price for new, I wonder how you managed that

[@arviddh]

@@jkmaster8070 Yea, seriously. I could probably get the levers for that price at discount xD

[@FT__Cool_Stuff______-of5pi]

crankset, cassette, and chain included? If so that is a ridiculously good price

[@fritte1684]

@@jkmaster8070 The best savings I got on the shifters. Pre-mounted with the hydraulic brake calipers, I paid €130. The crankset in the 52/36 172.5mm version was also very affordable at €70. However, it’s important to note that I bought the parts piece by piece over a period of three months while building the bike. So I had enough time to look for good deals.

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Thank you for getting upshift and downshift correct! Most cyclists always get it backwards because they can see the cassette.... just a pet peeve of mine!

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

I have this r9 with carbon cage and levers. I absolutely love it, it's been great over 3000kms. Never missed a shift, never failed during braking. Also it's very friendly for people with smaller hands because you don't have to move the large lever to shift like with shimano. I very much prefer this campy style shifter lever/button combo. Good thing you fixed shifting, because I was wondering that I never had the issues you had. Have a baguette 🥖 or two 🥖

[@hockysa]

🥖 quarter of the price for 90% of the performance? new groupset of the people!! 🎉

[@lolczyslaf]

I'd like bike manufacturers start using Chinese brands on western markets making the bike prices much lower and two current groupset monopolist rethink their prices as well. Until then, people need to be aware that they have an option and have to buy it separately. Not everybody is capable of replacing a groupset on their own.

[@jkmaster8070]

@@lolczyslaf they do already, it's called microshift. Decathlon bikes have it but I don like the way shifting action feels on that thing

[@lolczyslaf]

​@@jkmaster8070I know microshift but it's bad basically and used on the cheapest bikes possible. What I meant, is using those high quality groups from Sensah, Ltwoo or Wheeltop in mid to high range bikes or all ranges from lowest to highest, as they are clearly superior in terms of price to quality ratio.

[@jkmaster8070]

well, @TraceVelo reviewed Micronew and said it was very good (better than previous gen LTwoo). And Micronew is a copy of Microshift btw... that's as good as these chinese shifters get.

[@hockysa]

@@lolczyslaf we’re slowly seeing this happen with local retailers starting to stock these brands. There needs to be loca support and parts for the wider consumer to adopt.

[@SynthesisThirty]

I have an Ltwoo R2 Shifter and RD (the cheapest Ltwoo road bike group set) for almost a year now.. used it for ~4000 Km with relatively minimal issues.. I broke the shifter hoods once but the replacement part is available on their shop.. the pins that hold the brake lever came loose once, I just put it back and it didn't come loose again.. Overall i have a good impression for this brand, easy to install and use. Very cheap and seemingly reliable.

[@edulpn]

I recently upgraded my Salsa Journeyer Apex 1 to GRX RX600 and reused the stock Jagwire housing run (full housing from shifter to derailleur) for the rear mech cable, which was a breeze. I believe it's more of a concern on gravel/mountain bikes to not contaminate the cable on the BB routing area, but for non-pro (weight savings and whatnot) use I just don't understand why one would not prefer using full housing runs.

[@ivanjednobiegowiec7656]

Maaate... That bonus part puts EVERYTHING into perspective. Some time ago I upgraded my Whyte Cornwall (cable stops in the frame) into Whyte Wessex (no cable stops, uninterrupted outer throughout the frame) and was surprised why shiting on the same groupset is so much better. Supper-dupper piece of advice to get rid of frame stops 👍👍👍

[@frankswildy]

Regardless of who makes it, it's generally not recommended to sh*t on a groupset 😂

[@ivanjednobiegowiec7656]

@@frankswildy good point 😆 Says a lot about my autocorrect default 😜

[@chrisbowman2030]

Great video again! Perfect timing, because this is the perfect groupset for a winter bike build.

[@CanyonWanderer]

Your unlimited enthusiasm at the 🥖 end 🥖of the clip is beyond compare a s usual! I'm really tempted right now to try this groupset on my commuter

[@mybugmy64bug31]

My Walmart Gravel Bike came with a set of L-TWOO shifters. Those bikes have internal cable routing and the cable housing runs the full length from the shifters to the derailleur. Makes sense why mine shifts so easily and precise. Literally, out of the box, it only required 2 quarter turns on the barrel for mine to work perfectly. mine has been through, rain, dust, mud, grass, and it performs solid!!! These are impressive for sure

[@reverendremiel]

New video? Like, then watch, because it's always great content. Thanks, man!

[@TraceVelo]

Much appreciated!

[@hockysa]

@@reverendremiel same here. You know every is going to be good 👍🏻

[@space.youtube]

Why would you run naked cables through the plastic BB cable routing guide? Use the white tubing (Cable housing inner liner) that comes with frames to help route cables through the frame tubes, we call it "spaghetti" . Just cut a small segment of about 6cm in length, run the cable through it at the BB cable guide and you get smooth frictionless cable travel and weather proofing without the weight penalty of running full length outers. Kind of surprised you weren't doing this already if I'm being honest. Edit: Also, you get better feel and response with shorter lengths of cable outer. Compressionless outers are ok but they aren't nearly as resistant to compression as the lengths of exposed cable between solid cable stops.

[@nlfiets]

There is inner liner with teflon coating on the inside. If you use that then you know it will be smooth and clean for a long time.

[@space.youtube]

@@nlfiets Treating cables with wax or silicon spray also works a treat. 👍🏻

[@petert8931]

This is the post I was looking for. Exactly right. Just use inner liners. They have been around forever and are on all my bikes with that guide things under the BB, even my steel vintagesque bike.

[@kenhiew2900]

💯

[@juanmiguelalejandrino]

Those cable guides flex when we apply pressure, hence the missed shifts. No naked cable is the way to go. Just don't forget to add the foam tube to avoid that annoying rattling sound.

[@vongdong10]

Holy crap. The latest 105 12sp mechanical is about $1500aud. That's insane.

[@seraph4581]

I bought it for $300 on aliexpress. No crank though but it worked fine with my 11 speed one.

[@lethalhandyman1979]

In Belgium we can get 105di2 for 900€

[@blubug768]

is that at least di2 price?

[@vongdong10]

@@blubug768 Nope. 105 Di2 is about ($1900) which I believe was the old Di2 ultegra 11sp price.

[@vongdong10]

@@lethalhandyman1979 yep about the same price in Oz

[@DrFlashburn]

On frame stops- they are the best option when they are external and don't have to go around that dirty plastic piece you pointed out. The frame does not compress like cable housing does. You can also wax your shifter and rim brake cables for extra juicy friction reduction and cable protection.

[@chrisscott8362]

Wax cables!? Now that sounds like a brilliant hack. Can I use my chain wax? Just stick it in the pot? Thanks for the education.

[@Jonathan-vf6cu]

Another option for the internal cable routing - my giant tcr uses a clear outer cable for the internally run sections after the cable stops, it’s a little little thinner and more flexible than the standard black outer cable and really seems to protect and help shifting in that bottom bracket area.

[@BikeVibes4You]

Fantastic video! Even after all this time, you keep raising the bar with every upload. I can’t wait for the next one!🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@LAMF24]

My only gripe - the Campy style downshift knobs.

[@bobrogers7004]

Upshift

[@outdoor75]

I love it how happy you are when you solved the shifting! I'm thinking of doing a full chinese build budget 1500 aud. See how I go!

[@Raymond-Farts]

I am so happy there are good options coming to market that will fight Shimano's pricing.

[@chris1275cc]

Cool thing about the LT-WOO RX (12s) version (AND THE NEW 12s SENSAH team pro [see edit below]) is they also use the Shimano 11 speed ratio, so you can take the RX Shifters and pair them with 11 SPEED Shimano Mechs's to get flawless (I know because I've done it) 12 speed mostly Shimano mechanical Ultegra or DA, and now LT-Woo have updated their rim brake versions to use the same shifter internals and match the ergonomics of their hydro ones you can get pretty close to a "Top Tier" fully mechanical 12 speed rim brake groupset, and make silly faces at all your Di2 friends lugging around heavy batteries with silver dinner plates attached to their hubs. (Only joking, you will have to take my Di2 Disc from my cold dead hands.......hands that don't ache on long rides). EDIT: Just found out that SENSAH are now doing a 12x version of their Team Pro (Shimano compatible) shifters in both Hydro and Rim/cable

[@chris1275cc]

Oooops forgot the bread: 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖 And for dessert: 🍩🍩

[@richardneuman8514]

So you can run L2 RX with for example 11sp GRX rear mech and run 12 speed?

[@chris1275cc]

@@richardneuman8514 Yes,100% confirmed as that's what I'm doing on my 2X gravel bike. I also Just found out that SENSAH are now doing a 12x version of their Team Pro (Shimano compatible) shifters in both Hydro and Rim/cable which only exist to convert 11s mechs to 12, as their Empire mechs' are all SRAM ratio. (edited my original comment to include that info).

[@MTB-Portugal]

Dude, you are the greatest! I'm going to build a cheap bike just to use exclusively on my smart trainer (so I don't have to constantly take the road bike on and off) and I'll follow your advice and suggestions. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us! Keep producing this amazing content. Thanks!

[@dtaylor4319]

I've got a Ribble CGR with Ultegra that until recently I had never been able to get to shift cleanly and I suspected excess friction somewhere. My internally routed frame had end stops top & bottom of the down tube and front and rear of the chainstay and about a year ago (in desperation having tried everything else) I removed the downtube stops so there was a single outer from the shifter all the way to under the bottom bracket, this made a vast improvement! I think the end stops were introducing a kink in the cable due to angle change at the entry/exit points creating friction. Your video has encouraged me to now go 'all the way' with one continuous outer from shifter to RD, cheers!

[@turborat_bikes]

Using a RISK slick lube catheter on the parts of the cables that are routed inside the frame might be helpful in lessening the friction, especially in the bottom bracket channel. That way you can keep the frame stops for water proofing.

[@radripperaj]

Awesome video! I always tell everyone you are the ultimate guru when it comes to finding quality Chinese cycling products.

[@miconaturis580]

There are cables housing called fish bone that are considered to be light. I think they would be the perfect solution to your problem with rear derailleur.

[@jakeskelton8080]

Hi Luke, this idea of switching to full outer cable has been swimming around my head for a while (I was thinking about easier cleaning) so glad to see you giving it a try. If you think it's worth it I'd love to see a dedicated video on the topic. The questions I have are about how best to drill out frame cable guides (especially on metal frames) and what to do about routing under the BB - I considered 3D printing a different cable guide to accommodate the larger diameter housing. Also, as some comments have already suggested, does running thin plastic tubing (such as that in Jagwire premium kits) over all exposed cable give you all the same benefit for less weight? Love to hear your thoughts

[@victrolaman2007]

no need to drill. Search the web for Bicycle Hydraulic Brake Hose Holder Cable clamps. They work great

[@greggy5723]

THANKK YOUUU!!! I WASS LOOKING FOR A REVIEW FOR THISS VERSIONNNNN LOVEEEE THIS CHANNEL

[@Yannerson]

Such good timing, winter bike needs an upgrade from post mount mechanic disc after a few hairy moments too many and at this price getting some extra brake callipers makes it less painful.

[@pp.8129]

8:01: I would not touch the tension. I would set the 12S with big ring, H limit screw borderline scrapping the 11S sprocket, then relax the limit screw by quarter turn. The initial offset could be enough to fix the 3rd shift without increasing the tension on the cable further. If your shifting is ok for all gears then tension is already good enough.

[@Bill-qf7tn]

I live in the middle of Nebraska farm land & closest bike shop now is 5hr round trip so your help with internet parts & sales help immensely

[@frangonzalez6511]

Great content. Luke, could you show us how it looks under the bottom bracket after the full routing cable please? Thanks!

[@bbarber6845]

Great work as always. Glad you played around more to fix the shifting. Great tips

[@LordFata]

Running the GR9 gravel carbon variant for roughly a year now. It's fantastic, shifts and looks beautiful, survived roughest terrain and a gravel race. Bleeding was easy as well. 2 things worth noting: About once a month, upshifting is blocked until I downshift and upshift again. Non-issue really, and may only affect mine. Second issue is the shape of the shifters. They taper a bit towards the front, making you "fall" to the front more than on e.g. SRAM, and the thumb lever blocks a possible hand position. I'd still 100% buy again, GF loves them too

[@jackriley1989]

Another great video, still here to say the mustache should return. I use framestops but I always use those plastic inner routing guides for cables. Especially around the bottom bracket etc where is exposed to dirt and friction. Can get the same tension from stop-stop, but keep the cable in a smooth tube otherwise

[@BurntToast1]

I’ve been running the R9 1x11 group set on my gravel commuter as a daily driver for about 18 months. It’s been brilliant. Agree with your findings, 100%. I definitely notice the snappiness when I jump on my road bike with 2x11 ultegra mechanical, but the R9 is exceptional for the price and in my experience, the reliability has been perfect.

[@katsui]

Good to know. I am choosing between Ltwoo and Sensah 1x11 groupset. Did you chekc Sensah too?

[@BurntToast1]

@@katsui I actually had the sensah 1x11 on the bike previously. Shifting was comparable to the L-twoo but I upgraded for the hydraulic disc brakes on the L-twoo which is vastly superior to the old mechanical disc brakes I had. I thought the sensah hoods were more comfortable, but that’s all they had over the L-twoo IMO.

[@katsui]

@@BurntToast1 Thanks for taking your time to reply. I will consider this. I was not thingbout about upgrading break, but maybe it is a good idead to chenge all at once.

[@huggcycles1545]

Luke you legend, another video which you smashed out of the park! I love the aliexpress, but sadly I only run one bike, I'm now tempted to build a second with all these fantastic bargain products. Keep on rollin' 🥖

[@owenchase4017]

Thanks for the tip about running full length shift cable housing all the way to the RD. Another little tip that works for me is to use a short section of plastic sleeve, like that often used in the brake noodles used with V brakes on mountain bikes, where the otherwise exposed shift cable goes under the BB.

[@M.F.Hafizhan]

Good to see that ltwoo has improved their stuff

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah they get a lot of stick, but it seems like they legitimately care about making some decent gear...

[@matt_acton-varian]

​@@TraceVelo well said. Even if they have previously made OEM products for the name brands, designing new from scratch for the first time themselves will always leave teething troubles. It requires a mix of trial-and-error and reverse engineering to figure out what practices work, what is proprietary IP and what development paths are open outside of infringement.

[@zWjwR8biM_st]

BTW, you are one of the most excellent presenters I’ve ever seen. You deserve to be a GCN presenter, or maybe you can even surpass them with your own channel. 😂

[@Ingrimmsch91]

Don’t forget so use some foam inserts around the gear cable outer to cancel the potential ratteling

[@aremu4k]

Thanks for a great review as always Luke😎

[@akaraikiriakatsuki3157]

I don't really plan to buy a road bike right now but when I do I will check your channel for it

[@jonathan_f2]

I notice you've been using the cheap one-piece disc rotors on your builds! I use these on my gravel bike and I matched up my 6-bolt and CL wheelsets (using a CL adapter) with the same rotors. The 180mm rotor is fairly light and unless aero is a concern, braking is great when using it on the fork.

[@mitmon_8538]

I wonder if shifting performance would have been improved if you had used that plastic cable liner tubing at the bottom bracket section? I'm not even sure that tubing stuff is used much any more, but I used to use it on some bikes that had exposed cables and routing under the BB. The old plastic bottom bracket cable holders can be slick, but that tubing is usually made to be extra slick for cables. Not sure where you can get it anymore.

[@carlosgabin5215]

I literally just went through this day ago I was like 🤯thanks for all the great content👊🏼👍🏼

[@alioshin]

Yep, got this gruppo on my commuter, love it, installed it with full-length housing off the gate. To be honest, I'm quite shocked you weren't using full length cable housing, considering how many times you rebuild your frames. You route the housing once, then just slip new cables in. I also pass the cables through fingers greased with a bit of Shimano mineral oil before they go in.

[@arose62]

Ah-ha! I've been looking at & thinking about the LTWOO R5 in order to add hydraulic braking to my existing Sora groupset, and I never noticed the little thumby gizmo for shifting. After watching this video, I went back and looked carefully at the listings, and they ALL have pictures from the outside of the shifters! Only occasionally can I see a sliver of thumbything or its shadow - it's like Ltwoo is trying to hide the fact, and make purchasers think they're getting Shimano-style controls. So thank you, many 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖!

[@diedrino]

Hi, I’m trying to get hydraulic braking to my 9speed sora, do you think is possible?

[@owenchase4017]

I am running the Ltwoo 2 x 7 drop bar shifters on my daily rider and I am very happy with the performance. Cost for the pair was less than $40 including shipping from Aliexpress, iirr. They work well with any Shimano 7 speed road RD, or I can pair them with a MicroNew ""7 speed" RD to get excellent index shifting on older road bikes from the 70s and 80s that came with five or six speed freewheels.

[@buch0039]

Amazing advice and problem solving. Always a pleasure to watch. Do your thang Luke! 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@hugov392]

I lubricate gear cables too, even in full housing, and find it makes a difference esp. once things have worn a bit and the factory teflon coatings have worn off in places. (I used Rock N Roll Cable Magic and it worked well, but I'm sure anything would work).

[@whitebeardcycles]

I've had RX and GRT, Sensah SRX no issues. Braking is phenomenal on the Ltwoo especially (SRX is on a turbo) and shifting is spot on. Only Erx i haven't tried yet due to the issues you and others had.

[@UKBROOKLYN]

OK Luke fantastic vid as usual.. Will be interesting to see how the group survives an English winter.. Hey what about looking into budget cranksets..

[@rosomak8244]

My RIRO carbon survived this summer season and a few thousands km. However stay away from those lightweight aluminium ones with straight arms. The tend to break.

[@UKBROOKLYN]

@@rosomak8244 wow thats pretty dam cheap for a carbon crankset..

[@로드웨이]

I thought the outer cable would increase the friction, but it was amazing that the shift performance was good.

[@evs5240]

16:35 this has always bugged me. On these half integrated frames you always get these exposed cables which as you found already adds some friction it itself but whats even worse from my experience is that dirt and dust gets up there and messes with the shifting even more. Good call on running full housing

[@petert8931]

It's an easy fix. There are inner liners you can use there. Not as thick as a full outer. Saves a lot of cleaning.

[@TimInertiatic]

I've just put a sensah srx pro 1x11 group set on my MTB/gravel drop bar thing based on your approach. Mech looks a bit cheap but it all works really well and the quality seems pretty good.

[@LawrenceSeetoh]

Thank you Luke, and that is great advice about the shifter housing 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@SamuelBlackMetalRider]

Hey Luke, what about affordable 1x Gravel 12s hydraulic Groupset? Which ones are good? LTwoo? Sensah? Wheeltop?

[@yohansharp3040]

I use a sort of tiny cable housing for inside the frame (and older external routed bikes), helps with reducing friction

[@lucamoioli3424]

Hi, I use the gravel version ofthis groupset, called GR9.. is almost equal except for the derailleur. Already one year of use, the brakes are very good, the shift is good too, but must pay attention to the brake lever distance, if too near can affect the shifting. Wil I buy again? For sure YES!

[@zacharyk7006]

out of curiosity have you ever played with the cable liner? It's a 2-3mm plastic cable hose that is used on frames when going around corners and friction points. I had to buy some liner on aliexpress because no bike store around me carried it and when used on a TT frame I was tuning up it drastically improved the shifting feel on a spot that the cable had just been rubbing on carbon... I know the change is already made but I wonder if 2 pieces of that plastic liner on that spot would have done mostly the same thing

[@robbiek4400]

The big catch is actually getting it. Every time I’ve tried to buy the latest l-Twoo group set some KZbinr told me about it is never available or otherwise sold out. That’s a problem when you are in the middle of a bike build.

[@CurtisCycles]

Thanks for this, I think I'll get the mechanical brake version, have been watching your videos thinking between this and the Sensah one. Bonus to this one is being able to throw the 105 derailures on it if there's any sort of shifting issues after a while. Should be a nice upgrade as my 8 speed is feeling a tad dated lol

[@petercheuk9019]

I have the LTwoo R9 1X groupset on my gravel bike mainly because all of my drop bar bikes with integrated brake lever and shifters are Campagnolo. I set it up with a full length cable housing and I ditched the calipers for Shimano Ultegra as I didn't have the clearance on the rear of the frame for the adapters (the rear of the caliper would run into the chainstay, Trek Checkpoint ALR5). So far, so good with this setup but occasionally I would shift into one of the larger rear sprockets and it would hunt between gears. I'm tempted to try replacing the rear derailleur with a GRX derailleur at this point but I'm not convinced that this will fix the issue. The cassette that I am using is the Shimano Deore XT 11-46. I've been told that I could go to a bigger cassette but I'm tempted to install a bar end shifter to allow me to shift a front derailleur so that I can reinstall the GRX double chainrings and GRX front derailleur. I don't have a GRX rear derailleur, yet, so I can't test it. Maybe I'll save that for a rainy day but I ride in the rain, too. LOL!

[@kaseycarpenter73]

So I have the erx groupset, and I can say that the braking is absolutely perfect for me. You can feather and before you bottom out on the lever pull - and I mean JUST before - you can lock 'em up. This means you have a larger usable range of variable stopping power from zero to total lock. I don't know the science, or if this is just due to my setup, but they're the best brakes I've ever used.

[@Missinglink3003]

105 Break pads also fit. Had the Gravel version on my last gravel bike, and the pads were extremely noisy. So I switched to standard 105 pads and it was a dream.

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

You know more about bikes than i do, but the only time i built a bike it was Dura ace mechanical and i used cable outers through the whole frame.

[@alextorresphoto]

🥖 sign my bread Luke! I also realized keeping the housing together works better once I built a bike with external routing. Maybe internal routing leads to headaches because of this but I’m surprised other group sets work so well without the sleeve. I like sensah 11 spd hydro because of the lever style and so far so good but very nice to see the brakes from L-Two. The price is great also!

[@MediumHalf]

Timely vid! Have been considering upgrading to hydraulic braking, but as a fellow cheapskate, Shimano is spendy. Might have to make this a winter project! Great stuff Luke! 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@5tanw0rr311]

Instead of running the full outer cable, could you just strip off the outer casing and run the inner part through? I took a gear casing and cut off the outer part so I could replace the old one in my old bike as the gear cable went to the gear lever on the downtube, but I wanted to run a new cable to a bar end shifter on the ski pole. So instead of the spiral metal part as on brake cables, the gear cable metal is longitudinal tiny rods that I stripped away.

[@lolczyslaf]

🥖 I had the same kind of mind shock when I switched my rim brake émonda to new disc brake version. In the rim brake one, the cables of ultegra group were driven the same way as on your bike - housing from bars to frame, then cable alone run-through the exposed section of bottom bracket, and at back, housing from frame end to the derailleur. Often the shifting was not very good, and with time the cable degradated in the exposed area. Also, if you spilled your isotonic on this section (eg. dripping from the top of the frame), the gears stopped working almost completely until cleaned or lubricated. Imagine my shock when started using new émonda with cables routed via full housing run through the frame, the shifting performance is close to electronic one and honestly never felt a need really to switch to electronic (I will do eventually). Also, the cable replacement process is hundred times easier, as you simply remove old cable and put new one, instead of trying to navigate the cable from one housing to another run through some intersections. So indeed, housing run through the whole frame from start to end is the way to go :)

[@helicart]

another worthy insight. thanks for all your hard work.

[@helicart]

My suggestion is when you are installing a manual groupo, you want to test the shifters cables RD/FDs connected together, before you route the cables through the frame. This will give you fair indication of how good the shifting is before you bend it through the bars and frame. Most mechanical shifting is compromised due to sharp angles and friction through the bars/frame......the point is to minimize the friction. You eventually found a way to minimize friction points significantly. If you had done what I suggest prior to install, you would have realize there was nothing wrong with the shifters and RD.....and that it was cable friction compromising performance. Cheers

[@ryanmichael11]

Great video Luke.... (it's in the Aili basket) ❤ Quick hack which can help improve shifting - add plenty of oil to the cable outers before inserting the gear cable. 🥖🥖🥖

[@geoffreygood7517]

Hi Luke, I noticed you have tried the new Rush brake caliper (looks similar to the TRP HY/RD design), Do they perform okay/similar?

[@Ob1sdarkside]

Was thinking of upgrading my commuter to hydraulic, I like the sound of this. Must try shifter fix on my Cheapolini if I can get the shifting to work better

[@baconbreadwithbacon]

I'm definitely using this for my build. Saves me some serious money for other things. Cheers.

[@Agiyi]

Always a great day when you see a new Trace Velo video (: One unrelated question to the video: I see you've been using an igpSport BSC300. Any particular reason why you don't use your igs630 (? Did you have to send it back? If I remember correctly, they had sent it to you free of charge, but I assumed that you would still have it (like in 14:26 with that old clip..).

[@statosphereonline2008]

Yo Luke, great video! I got the mechanical versions of these shifters for under £50 on AE and fitted them with a 105 groupset I had spare. I used the TRP HyRds as disc calipers and they work great! Look the business, too. The only thing I am not too fond of is the thumb shifter on the left for doing the trim position of the front mech. It feels far too subtle and I feel its too easy to accidently downshift the front mech rather than just trim to prevent chain rub as working up the rear cassette. I dont know whether you encountered this. I would find if I was trying to trim on even slightly bumpy UK roads, its a bit too easy to click all the way down. The 'click' is way too subtle and small. Other than this minor gripe, though, They are grand. Work great with 105, too. Very precise shifts! Have some 🥖🥖🥖🥖 for the road!

[@CLONisKING]

I had similar issues with the shifting on their mechanical gravel groupset, however I used no cable stops. The cable outer went from shifter to rear derailleur. In my case the shifting problems occurred when I pushed the shifters to far over the last gear. When I stop the lever push exactly at the click, it shifted fine, but overdoing it by just a tiny amount would mess the alignment up. This was quite an annoying issue. I don't know if that was just an issue with my particular shifter or their range in general. With a slightly more discreet branding and these small shifting issued fixed I think the ltwoo groupsets would be perfect. They are so close, even with their electronic group sets, but the waterproofing and shifting makes them unreliable at times and this is why I still prefer shimano.

[@williwacker2774]

LTWOO recently added shifters for mechanical brakes to their website. Haven't seen those on offer anywhere in the wild but might be coming soon.

[@PeterSmithCA]

Also love a video about your "workshop" and tools and where you got them. That stand looks awesome, but I can't identify it! 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@CyclingAlgarvePortugal]

WOW! Super cool, great vid as always!

[@matttiggerward6147]

Full cable outer internally routed is pretty standard on mtb’s and it’s good. If you want to save weight fit something like alligator ilink instead of standard outer….

[@h3n488]

Thanks for the video! Would you happen to have anything to say about those Rush disc brakes?

[@TraceVelo]

So yeah, for a set of mechanical disc brakes, they were pretty awesome. They follow the same basic design as the TRP-HYRD calipers, so they have a separate oil reservoir, and I think they only cost me like £35 for the pair...

[@h3n488]

@@TraceVelo were they at all Available as post-mount? I only found flat Mount.

[@MacNeilR]

I'm sure you did this afterwards, drill out the rear bung and pass the cable housing through that. Full cable routing is definitely the way to go. Good stuff!

[@AdamPopovec]

On old Sram doubletap the continuous housing was gamechanger. Friend had some issues withs shifting and we solved it by routing full housing through the frame, it was very sensitive for cable routing. You should try it for front :)

[@victrolaman2007]

🥖🥖 I think there is something to full cable housing routed shift cables. I have run 5700 105, 6800 Ultegra, 7800 and 7900 Dura ace drive trains on various single and tandems and every one of them had finicky shifting that required a lot of faffing to keep operational. About 3 years ago I bought a low end gravel bike with Tiagra 4700 and that bike's shifting has been spot on with no issues whatsoever. The shift cables on that bike have cable housing for the full run from the brifter to the derailleurs. This might be an interesting investigation for your channel. Thanks for the great content, keep it coming! 🥖🥖

[@tintypemolly]

I have a 105 on my main bike and also an R9 on my indoor cycling bike. My experience is pretty similar. The only caveat is that I'm not confident with the shifter levers. They look and feel thin and weak. So I rarely use 3 speed change.

[@klausdietrich9475]

Swap out the short grub screw in the lever for a long 14mm one and have perfect reach adjustment.

[@35degC]

Will you upload a separate review for those Hybrid tanke rush calipers?

[@echtogammut]

Back in SRAM 10 speed days, "compression-less shift housing" became a thing because of a similar situation. It was never an issue with Shimano, but SRAM required full housing and/or compression-less housing in order to perfect shifts.

[@mrwhiteshorts]

Hi Luke, Do you try or have you tried the CA Max Smoothness gear inner wire? RRP is about £38. But you are correct, running a continuous outer from shifter to mech is a complete game changer... (my theory is frames are now made more slap dash because of di2/wireless). cheers.

[@william2788]

Giant has similar setup on the tcr and defy but the cable stops have like thin straw for inside housing that go all the way through the bottom bracket holder. I wonder if you are missing this special internal housing for your frame. One negative of these groupsets to me is the 11-32 max. Would be really nice if they could do 11-36. I'd guess you could take the latest 12 speed 105 derailleur and use that if you really want 11-36.

[@a.sarmiento5116]

Awww you missed a picture on how it looked when you fit the housing cable at the bb area. Does it fit snuggly no problem? Cause that plastic guide I think only fits the cable.