Shimano GRX — First few KM
You already know it, I wrote it here: I hate front derailleurs and the other thing I am really not sold on are SRAM brakes. Don’t get me wrong, Force 1 is a FANTASTIC group, but I am affected by OCD.
I was upset at Shimano for their “no it has to be this way” kind of thinking. Sometimes I believe you just have to go forward, now due to their delay on the 12-speed-game, I am not using Shimano shifters on my Mountainbike and I completely lost faith in their MTB brakes. (Even though little birds say that they sorted both problems, shall I trust them and get back to them? my Tech3 V4 gave me HOPE). But for me Shimano it is like that first love, you really never forget her, and even if you broke up, all will surely end up with white flowers and wedding march.
I loved the 2x11 Ultegra on my OpenUP as much I hate front derailleurs, and I had lost hope on Shimano's GRX a few months ago. So, after some tinkering, I started thinking about using one of the brilliant wolf tooth components inventions: the TANPAN and my old 11-speed XTR derailleur. While I was about to click on the“buy” red button, magically Shimano GRX derailleurs became available in Switzerland, and my mouse clicked naturally on that and on a 38 teeths single ring from my Ultegra, this one from Wolf Tooth.
Shimano setup — Are GRX and Ultegra compatible?
Besides Shimano’s claims, it is possible to use your ultegra (105 or dura-ace as well) hoods to shift GRX derailleurs, no magic. You just swap the rear derailleur and it works. Of course, if you want to use the HUGE range of the front derailleur as well, you will need a GRX one, but, let's talk clearly here, who cares about front shifting?
Of course, I could have used this trick to make my Ultegra shift up to 40t on the cassette. It is a clever trick: it just drops the derailleur a bit lower. But for a few bucks more you actually get a new derailleur and you know what?
11x46 Cassettes are not an issues with GRX rear derailleur
So you can go 36 x 11/46, which is HUGE. No need for expensive AXS eagle “mullet” setups. Yes, gaps are huge too, but here we are talking gravel/bike-packing not racing CX.
Goes without saying that you can use any other crank pleases you, but now let's talk any single component of the Shimano GRX and let's see how cool and useful it is.
The Rear Derailleur
Jesus, what a piece of work! The shifting quality is fantastic, the setup is a breeze, the clutch is working wonderfully. I have no complaints at all, that's the kind of stuff we all love about Shimano.
Obviously, I haven’t tried the front one, and probably I will never do it #onebyteam.
The Cranks
Cranks are very similar to the old XT ones, I am not much into cranks stiffness and so, I’ve never noticed anything wrong with my cranks since I don’t use a squared taper crank, but this time I was a bit puzzled. The chainline of the GRX cranks is different, it is 2.5mm wider than usual, which is somewhere between road and mountain bike. (Maybe the new “all road standard” will be boost, as mtb world is going “superboost”, so Shimano wanted to make it last longer…but that is just a speculation)
Honestly, I can’t see why Shimano did this, it should work with any modern frame but it gave me hard times to set up my rig with an SRAM cassette. I swear I have no idea why, but with Shimano cassettes just work, and work better (they are heavier too, but hey….you can’t have everything).
Another thing I didn’t quite get is why the “official” ring is either 40 or 42, but you can get a 38 from Wolf Tooth and any little thing is gonna be alright.
The weight isn’t exceptionally low, but they are very fair priced, and they work just fine, to me weight isn’t a concern on a gravel bike, durability is.
If you want premium options, the market has plenty: Hope, Cane Creek, 3T but, hey, we talk about money here.
It is worth mentioning that Shimano is “stuck” with their 24mm “hollowgram” spindle, which isn’t fancy by modern standards but would clear any bottom bracket configuration.
And with hollowgram, you can fit a multitool in your cranks.
All killer no filler.
The Hoods
They are as ugly as they are comfortable, I’ve used them a few times while testing bikes, but I preferred to keep my Ultegra ones which are fantastic already, and they look better.
If you are going 1x, you can use the “big” lever to activate a dropper post, Shimano sells it as a feature of the GRX left lever, but it will work with an Ultegra lever too, the same you use tho move your chain upwards.
If you are wondering how to route a dropper on your drop bar bike, you’ll just use the same route that you have for the front derailleur, and stick it up on the seat post.
Bottom Line
GRX is a fantastic option for your gravel bike, it doesn’t cost a fortune, it keeps ticking and it is compatible with your actual Shimano setup. So if you want to go 1x just put a derailleur and a convert your cranks to 1x and you are set.
I think that after all these years Shimano did an amazing job on building up a fabulous gravel/CX dedicated group and so far, it might have been late but I can’t see any reason not to go for it.
