# 6700



## jksu (Mar 8, 2004)

just took my first long ride with the 6700 shifters installed (hilly 60miler), with yokozuna cables. rest of drivetrain is 7800.

pros: 
- flat top, large girth levers (the reason i did the swap for the 7800 shifters) great for riding on the hoods
- very easy to brake from the hoods or drops due to the shape and longer length of the new levers
- carbon levers look great on a carbon bike
- adjustable reach shims included, a nice touch compared to having to buy specialized's shims for the 7800
- front shifting is outstanding as before
- rear downshifting (into bigger cos) is just as easy as before
- braking is even better with the compression-less yokozunas
- can still do fighter pilot, but top knob is smaller
- hidden cables look nice and makes potential hood changes easy

cons:
- upshifting (down to smaller rear cog) is not as smooth as 7800; i'm not sure if this is because the throw has been changed from the 7800 so i'm not used to it and thus not engaging it accurately. despite advertising a 20% reduction in throw, mechanically it requires a more forceful push, similar to sram or campy, to activiate the shift compared to 7800, definitely not the easy tap as with the 7800. perhaps this will improve with breaking in...
- hoods are thick but don't thin out and taper as nicely at the edges like 7800 or campy hoods...i hope shimano or hudz makes some thinner replacements
- longer lever body means i will need to get a 110mm to replace my 120mm stem
- there is more exposed metal parts below the area of the rubber hoods compared to 7800. it doesn't interfere or catch on my hands, but visually is not as clean as 7800

overall, not perfect. i'll ride it a few months before i decide to keep it or go back to the 7800s...

jksu


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## dougrocky123 (Apr 12, 2006)

*I agree*

Thanks for the report. I have full 6700 with stock cables and guides on one bike. I went back and rode my bike with Ultegra SL yesterday and find it much smoother with less pressure needed to shift.


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## Clevor (Sep 8, 2005)

I was just thinking the other day about the 'clothelines' inherent to pre-6700/7900 Shimano groupsets. Maybe that is why they shift slicker and with less effort. And perhaps that accounts for the clunky nature of Campy shifting. I mean it's not rocket science; it's pretty intuitive. Yeah, hidden cables look real nice, but there is no free lunch. Those cables sticking straight out maybe have less friction.

I'll take those clotheslines on Shimano 7800 over Campy any day. Anybody with any semblance of objectivity will note Shimano shifts quicker, slicker, and more quietly. And no Grand Canyon distances between the trim. :thumbsup:


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## asad137 (Jul 29, 2009)

jksu said:


> despite advertising a 20% reduction in throw, mechanically it requires a more forceful push


Well, there's no free lunch. The derailleur still has to move the same distance, and if you change the mechanical advantage to get a shorter throw, there's no way around it requiring more force. The cables may add additional friction on top of this, though.

Asad


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## jksu (Mar 8, 2004)

*update*

riding about a month...

shifting in the rear had gotten a bit off the past few weeks. i tighted up the cable tension with a couple twists of the knob at the derailleur and all is shifting perfectly now, as good as 7800. a lot of complaints from some new 7900/6700 adopters maybe just typical new bike/cable adjustment.

definitely do not plan going back to 7800 -- the 6700 are great.

jksu




jksu said:


> just took my first long ride with the 6700 shifters installed (hilly 60miler), with yokozuna cables. rest of drivetrain is 7800.
> 
> pros:
> - flat top, large girth levers (the reason i did the swap for the 7800 shifters) great for riding on the hoods
> ...


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## Clevor (Sep 8, 2005)

jksu said:


> riding about a month...
> 
> shifting in the rear had gotten a bit off the past few weeks. i tighted up the cable tension with a couple twists of the knob at the derailleur and all is shifting perfectly now, as good as 7800. a lot of complaints from some new 7900/6700 adopters maybe just typical new bike/cable adjustment.
> 
> ...


The great thing about 7900 being out is I now can afford 7800!  My bike came stock with Ultegra shifters but at $400-500 for 7800 shifters just 1-2 years ago, forget it. Now you can pick them up for under $300. Same with 7800 brakes.

Velonews did a review and said no difference in shifting between 7900 and 6700, as long as it's set up right.

I have 6703 planned for my trainer bike. For the same price on a groupset, all I could get with Campy is a double Athena.


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