TRP RRL vs Shimano Tiagra

[atreya...@gmail.com]

Folks, 

Want to give drop bars one more time on my homer. 

 Long background and context , I had drop bars set up TRP RRL but never got comfortable . But I think it had do more with the reach. I had around set back and 7 cm stem . Also I have short torso and long legs. I am 5'8.5 but have pbh of 86.5 . Out of curosity I tried Knee over pedal spindle with plumb bob. On my homer I had to set it up with zero set back and push saddle forward. ( interestingly same thing on my Atlantis translates to around 20 mm set back , didn't realize .5 degree change in seat tube could make such difference ). More importantly with  this saddle position it feels like my reach has significantly increased. I can comfortably reach 6 -7 cm beyond hooks of albatross set up on 100 mm Nitto faceplater. So I am thinking of trying 52 cm noodles with 7cm stem. 

I like aesthetics of Shimano better than RRL . So folks who have used both? Is there a difference in performance and comfort , to make the upgrade worth it. Also looks like ramps on RRL are longer, does it add to the reach? . My priority is in the following order 1. Comfort 2. Braking performance 3. Asthetics 4. Price. 

I would really appreciate your experience and insights. Happy weekend !

[mikel...@juno.com]

i find the Tiagras too narrow.

[deepak atreya]

Thanks Mike . Good point . Though I have smallish hands for my height ( wrist size 6.25 inches). But I do see your point . Appreciate your insight.

On Fri, May 17, 2024 at 18:19 mikel...@juno.com <mikel...@juno.com> wrote:

i find the Tiagras too narrow.

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[Mathias Steiner]

I have the same size hands as my 5'2 wife.. so your mileage may vary.

The Shimano aero levers have been called other names over the last couple decades, but there seems to be one mold. So Tiagra will serve as a name. I find them supremely comfortable, becuase they fit my hands.
My other favorite -- not quite as good, but non-aero and fits a Mirrycle bar -- is 1980s Campy, e.g. Triomphe. Much smaller than modern brifters, or the aero Tektro levers.

It's going to come down to what works for you.

The reach issue is simply a function of size; if you're close to the limit, an extra inch of reach due to oversize drop bar levers is not going to seem like a good idea. But the cause is not the brifters, it's a too-large frame and/or stem.

cheers -m

[Steve]

I've always found the Shimano levers to be just fine, but for my hands (glove size lg to xl) the TRPs with their wider hoods are so much better. I also find the curved levers provide more effective braking from the hoods. My $0.02

Steve in AVL

[John Bokman]

I have both levers on different bikes. I guess I have smaller hands (though I wear a medium or large sized glove). At any rate, I prefer the simple Shimano. The TRP RRL are too wide for my mitts. Sure enough, I can use them (and have been, for 9 or 10 years now), but I find them wider and bulkier than I prefer. Also, the button that releases cable tension has jammed and no amount of fidgeting has released them. Doesn't affect the braking, only the ability to use one neat feature of the brake levers. As Steve mentions, one advantage of the RRL is that the breaking power from the hoods is quite good.  In sum: both are fine. I think the Shimano are better than fine in my hands, and less expensive to boot. 

John

[deepak atreya]

Thanks ! I also have same size hand as my wife who is 5’9 . In men’s glove size I am borderline small and roomy medium . I guess I can always head to riv HQ and try couple of bikes set up with Shimano and TRP.

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[Ted Durant]

On Friday, May 17, 2024 at 7:58:26 PM UTC-5 atreya...@gmail.com wrote:

Folks, 

I like aesthetics of Shimano better than RRL . So folks who have used both? Is there a difference in performance and comfort , to make the upgrade worth it. Also looks like ramps on RRL are longer, does it add to the reach? . My priority is in the following order 1. Comfort 2. Braking performance 3. Asthetics 4. Price. 

I've used both of them extensively on brevets up to 600km. I no longer have the TRPs, but I have the Shimanos on several bikes, so I guess I've made my choice! I'm 5'6", 81cm PBH, and have mediumish skinny hands. I found the TRPs to be a combination of too wide and too long, though only marginally so. One thing to keep in mind with respect to reach is that the handlebar reach makes a difference, too. The reach on Noodle Bars is on the long side, especially compared to almost all current drop bars on the market.  So, the combination of Noodle Bars and TRPs makes for an especially long reach to the brakes. To me that can be a feature, not a bug ... it allows me to have the bar tops comfortably near and high and still have a nice low, flat position in the drops.

Aesthetically I very much prefer the Shimanos. I don't think I noticed any difference in brake feel, so I would guess the mechanical advantage is similar.

Given that your first priority is comfort, you're probably going to have to try them both. Given that price is your last priority, you'll have no problem selling the ones you don't want on this list :-)

Ted Durant

Milwaukee WI USA

[Jeffrey Arita]

@atreya: I rarely post to the RBW Owners Bunch since we no longer own any Rivs, but the topic of RRL vs Shimano caught my eye.

I (Jeff) am only 5' 7" with small-medium hands.  My wife (Lori) is about the same - 5' 5" with small-ish hands (PBHs in the high 70's, low 80's).  Back in the mid-2010's we rode standard road-racing type drop bars.  With small-ish hands, we gravitated toward the TRP RRLs since they were a bit more 'ergo' and made braking easier.  We rode these levers on singles as well as our tandem.  Everything pretty much okay.

Flash-forward to 2020 or thereabouts and I bought a Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross.  I decided to go with the latest-craze gravel-type drop bar handlebars, eventually landing on the Ritchey Beacons.  The Beacons definitely are funky looking and from an aesthetic view can be described as ugly.  They are simply drop bar handlebars where they've been flared out dramatically [36 degrees!].  

The Beacons (as well as other gravel bars on the market) have relatively short reach and shallow drop.  Upon placing any kind of road handlebar brake lever on them, it provides (in our humble opinion) much improved ergonomic use of the lever (any lever).  Again, note, both of us have small-ish hands and the combined cockpit allows comfortable spots on every part of the handlebar.  The short reach + shallow drop + ease of braking is there.  Strange, but one of the most comfortable spots is deep in the drops because it isn't too much of a reach - yet working the lever is easier (vs. the traditional road bars).

In 2023 we decided to change out all of our road-type handlebars to the Beacons.  We used them on our bicycle tourers and for PBP.  Interesting, but simply modifying the angle where the brake lever sits, it definitely helps out.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YBMwTzR6hCK7NNcL9

Best regards,

Jeff & Lori

Claremont, CA

[deepak atreya]

Thanks Ted . That makes a lot of sense  . Since I had already tried the TRP I am leaning towards giving Shimano a shot .  Though I said price was priority 4 , it would be less expensive experiment .

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[deepak atreya]

Thanks Jeff and Lori  for detailed response and photos . Bike looks very cool . I think trp goes very week with those ritchey bars  aesthetically . If the noodles don’t work , I will give them a shot . Also , atleast on swept back bar I do notice that I tend to move forward and backward often on handle bars and don’t vary my grip width often unless it’s a bad headwind .  So roomier reach on handle bars might work , atleast that’s my theory . Let see . Thanks again !

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[Nick Payne]

I have both Shimano and TRP RRL levers and prefer the TRP. For me the Shimano levers are a bit small, and I also frequently ride with the end of the hood in the middle of my palm, and prefer the more rounded shape of the TRP to the pointy Shimano hoods.

I take a 9½ or 10 in EU glove sizes, which is between L and XL US size.

Nick Payne

[Toshi Takeuchi]

For me, the big difference is whether or not I am riding in the drops or on the hoods.  For descents, I often will ride in the drops to reduce wind resistance and the TRP levers with the outward bend make it easier to brake while in the drops.  However, I find the Shimano levers more comfortable on the hoods.

Nevertheless, I tend to ride more in the drops than the hoods, so TRPs are the winner for me.

Toshi in Oakland

[DavidP]

I've used the standard Tektro RL340 levers for over 10 years, have had a bike with TRP RRLs for the past few years, and recently built a bike with the Shimanos.

I've heard/read more than once that the Tektros are based on the Campagnolo brifter hood shape, with many citing the extra width vs Shimano hoods being more comfortable.

The RRLs are similar to the standard Tektro levers but with some ergonomic changes (TRP is Tektro Racing Products, so the same company). I like them but they are a bit more modern and look better on a bike built to suit.

With the Shimanos I was a little concerned going in that the narrower hoods might result in feeling more pressure. Thankfully that hasn't been the case but the bike I have them on has very little saddle to bar drop (48cm Noodles). The reach on the Shimanos is noticeably less due to the smaller body and that suits this bike / bar position as well. I don't have a lot of miles on them yet but so far like them at least as much as the other levers.

Your mention of 52cm Noodles has me curious about the use of the bike? My drop bar mountain bike has the 52cm XL version of the Beacons that Jeff uses and I really like the width and shallow drop for leverage on trails, but that bike has the top of the bar above saddle height. On a more roadish bike like your Homer or the Pescadero I just rebuilt, the 48cm Noodles feel quite wide.

When comparing to the Albatross keep in mind that the feel of the reach decreases when your hands are closer together. I find my preferred stem length for Albatross bars is 30-40mm longer then with drops, but that's for more standard width drops (42-44cm range). Wider drops tend to need to be set closer and higher.

-Dave (near Boston)

[deepak atreya]

Thanks everyone for your response . Shimano seems to be working out fine for now . Will take it on a longer ride and report back . But quick spin around the neighborhood looks like the new set up wide noodles with 5 mm set and zero set back post is working well.  

Here is the latest photos from the evening ride .

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[Corwin Zechar]

I'm 6'0", 200 lbs. Both the RRls and Shimano Tiagra (and similar Shimano levers) work very well for me.

I find the distinction to be more in the areas of reliablility, ease of setup, and usability than comfort. Although I ride in a more "aerodynamic" posture than most on this list, the feel of both levers in my hands is not significantly different.

Regards,

Corwin

On Friday, May 17, 2024 at 5:58:26 PM UTC-7 atreya...@gmail.com wrote:

[Donzaemon]

Nice build. BTW, what kind of cassette are you running? 

[deepak atreya]

It’s 11 speed 42 t . Nexave rapid rise shifts it like dream in friction !

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