So, 65k on the road this morning.
The good:
- Downshifts on a par with electronic shifting
- Brakes are superb, even when not fully bedded in
- Thumbshifter is superb ergonomically
The less good:
- There is a ridge on the hoods right where my palm sits that is a bit uncomfortable.
- 9-42 is just a touch gappy (and the 42 cog is pretty redundant on the road).
- Upshifts can lack just a little precision.
So it works very well, but I really do wish you could switch between a 9-36 and a 10-44 without adjusting the chain. I am quite tempted to run the 40/9-42 off road and the 42/9-36 on, but that will be a 15 minute job, possibly plus a tweak of the barrel adjuster, whenever I switch over from road to gravel, which will be a bit annoying.
On balance I think an AXS 46/33 + 10-36 setup might edge it for a quiver killer setup, but that is 50% more expensive and a bit heavier (not to mention currently impossible to get in the UK).
First gravel outing likely Tuesday, so will update further then.