Long term reviews of Chorus 12 speed versus 11?

[slowpoke]

Much to my chagrin, 11 speed Chorus (used, or NOS) is somehow more expensive than 12 speed Chorus new. I thought "obsolete" technology would be cheaper!

With that in mind, is there any reason not to go to twelve, especially in 2020? The freehub is still the same going from 10 to 12. And I have access to less-expensive replacement parts if I smash my derailleur. I do wish the 11-34 was a 12-34, but that's roadie-culture.

(Please, no Ekar discussions given its availability and price.)

[woodworker]

I've had both. I've been riding the 12 speed Chorus for around a year. It's an improvement over the 11 speed Chorus. Shifting I think is a bit better, particularly at the rear. The 12 speed just works really well, and the Chorus pricing is really reasonable. I don't see any reason to stick with 11.

[cgolvin]

I have Chorus 12 on one bike, SR 11 on another. Both work great, the only difference I notice is that the front shifting on Chorus 12 is better. The only reasons I can think of for sticking with 11 is if you have wheelsets that you swap between bikes, in particular if one of them uses a S**M cassette (this is a small frustration for me). But if I were buying a new groupset it would be 12 speed.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by slowpoke

Much to my chagrin, 11 speed Chorus (used, or NOS) is somehow more expensive than 12 speed Chorus new. I thought "obsolete" technology would be cheaper!

With that in mind, is there any reason not to go to twelve, especially in 2020? The freehub is still the same going from 10 to 12. And I have access to less-expensive replacement parts if I smash my derailleur. I do wish the 11-34 was a 12-34, but that's roadie-culture.

(Please, no Ekar discussions given its availability and price.)

I don't have a crystal ball to predict the future of 11spd and 12spd parts availability, but I can comment that one of the reasons 12spd components may be less expensive is that the Chorus group went "down spec." for 12spd, with less use of carbon, and more use of aluminum and plastic. Maybe this was partially due to the discontinuance of the Potenza group, and they wanted to lower the price of Chorus to help fill the gap.

When I was building a "super light" hill climb bike a year ago, I was surprised to find out that 12spd groups were meaningfully heavier than 11spd groups. The weight difference might not mean much to most people, but at the time I was trying to build an 11 lb. bike.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I don't have a crystal ball to predict the future of 11spd and 12spd parts availability, but I can comment that one of the reasons 12spd components may be less expensive is that the Chorus group went "down spec." for 12spd, with less use of carbon, and more use of aluminum and plastic. Maybe this was partially due to the discontinuance of the Potenza group, and they wanted to lower the price of Chorus to help fill the gap.

Yep, 12 Spd Chorus works great, but it does seem to be a bit cheaper in construction.

The other notable differences with 12 spd are fewer cassette choices, and an overall shift to lower gearing in both the cassettes and chain rings.

[Hilltopperny]

I have Chorus 12spd on one of my bikes and think the biggest improvement over 11spd is the gearing. I am running 48/32 to the 11-34 cassette and it is probably my favorite 2x group for that reason.

I personally liked the aesthetics and materials on the 11spd as it was closer to Record and Super Record compared to the 12spd group. The 11spd is lighter and made of nicer materials.

IMHO both are great overall. They are both functional, aesthetically and ergonomically excellent. The gearing combos for the 12 spd make it a better group for the bike I am using it on. The 11spd is a bit nicer looking and lighter.


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[boywander]

How’s the quality between chorus 10s vs 11s vs 12s? Is it worth upgrading to 12 and skip 11s?

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by boywander

How’s the quality between chorus 10s vs 11s vs 12s? Is it worth upgrading to 12 and skip 11s?

I went from the “highest spec” version of record 10 to chorus 12 and have no regrets. Giving up a few pieces of carbon for aluminum maybe heavier, but it makes no functional difference outside of that. The titanium hardware on record 10 was nice, but the hardware on chorus 12 doesn’t feel cheap in any way.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by boywander

How’s the quality between chorus 10s vs 11s vs 12s? Is it worth upgrading to 12 and skip 11s?

In 2020 I wouldn’t be looking at anything 11-speed. Everything will be 12-speed or higher soon.

I would absolutely buy Chorus 12-speed if I were in the market. Probably with a 48/32 chainset and an 11-29 cassette. And a 32 or 34 if I lived in a hilly area.

[zero85ZEN]

Originally Posted by boywander

How’s the quality between chorus 10s vs 11s vs 12s? Is it worth upgrading to 12 and skip 11s?

2015 Chorus 11 speed is absolutely outstanding! I have it on two of my bikes and it is one of my favorite groups to use. I came from Record and Chorus 10 speed groups that I used for years. I also have Super Record 12 speed on one of my bikes. SR 12 is definitely the best mechanical group I've ever ridden. But the last iteration of 11 speed Chorus is right up there minus the extra cog.

[b33]

So I have 3 campy groups - 3 lines and 2 different manufacturing versions

1. 2015+ Chorus 11
2. 2015+ Super Record 11
3. 11 speed Record (pre 2015)

They all work awesome, but the 2015+ is an improvement. The shifting is just that much better, the rubber in the hoods is better and the 4 star cranks are great for one BCD and any combo.

I just secured a 4th bike for a build and really wrestled with Chorus 12. I went Ultegra 8000 11 speed since I can use whatever wheel with Campy 11 rear cassettes. I sought the advice from Old Potato and he said go for it you wont notice a difference in shifting with a campy rear cassette. So I did.

The 11 speed stuff is awesome - the 2015+ is the best. Sidenote: and this is a not a campy Shimano thing, dang those Shimano brifters do not have the quality of campy, not even close. They work though.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by woodworker

I've had both. I've been riding the 12 speed Chorus for around a year. It's an improvement over the 11 speed Chorus. Shifting I think is a bit better, particularly at the rear. The 12 speed just works really well, and the Chorus pricing is really reasonable. I don't see any reason to stick with 11.

there are actually a few reasons to stick with 11.

1 and most important, cheap cassettes. Can get 105 and ultegra cassetes for cheap and in tons of different gearing. With 12 you need special 12 speed cassettes from campy that cost $$$$

2 wheelsets - a lot of people running campy have wheels with shimano freehubs, because easier to find and the above reason. Having to get a campy freehub on some wheels is going to cost extra $$$

and final, 12 speed is ugly. The RD is aweful looking and the crank is not much better. Can get away with an old 11 speed crank but have to stick with the less appealing RD.

However you are right, price for 11 speed is getting ridiculous that I would considering going 12.

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by saab2000

In 2020 I wouldn’t be looking at anything 11-speed. Everything will be 12-speed or higher soon.

I would absolutely buy Chorus 12-speed if I were in the market. Probably with a 48/32 chainset and an 11-29 cassette. And a 32 or 34 if I lived in a hilly area.

Ya.

[DfCas]

I have chorus 12 and for me the only downside is the lack of 12-x cassettes. I have an 11-29 cassette but never use the 11 so i effectively (ave 11 speed. Its shifts great however.

[Dave]

Users who don't think they need the 11, probably don't have a 48/32 crank. A 48/11 is lower than 53 /12. Chorus 12 is the best deal for a mechanical group.