Last month, I announced my intention to check out the Sensah Empire 11-speed mechanical groupset. Shimano now has electronic 105, and while mechanical 105 is still available as I write this, my fear (and experience) is that higher-priced, novel technology tends to drive away older, tried and true technology (one of my old riding buddies, Ron S, once said, "If you find a saddle you like, buy ten of 'em, because eventually they're gonna stop makin' 'em.") The cost of entry to road cycling is already too high and isn't getting any lower, so I wanted to try this Chinese-manufactured groupset I'd seen on the internet, which was getting good reviews, and which is incredibly inexpensive.
I got it from the Ali Express Sensah Empire Store (there are other stores on Ali Express that sell it... but the Chinese are famous for violating patents and trademarks of foreign companies; why would I think they'd have more integrity with another Chinese company?). The store must have US stock available, because I had the box a day or two later.
I installed as explained in my installation post. I've had it on the bike for about 500 miles, and I'm ready to have a final opinion.
Installation: As I've already explained, installation was straightforward, except that the included clamps did not fit my larger-than-specification 80's-era Cinelli bars. They will fit drop bars with the current specification; for the rest of youse, invest in a couple of these. Other than that, it was the quickest, least troublesome install I've ever done.
Performance: Shifting is quick and decisive. I like them as well as I like any index-shifting system (I don't like the "cla-DUNK" noise that announces the shift, and I don't like the fact that I can't shift four or more gears at a time in the rear, as I can with my friction Gevenalle system, to which I will be returning). A few days ago, I found that the front derailleur was not dropping to the smaller gear reliably. A cable adjustment fixed this, and it's my belief that the bike knows when the hot weather is mostly over and cooler weather is coming, and signals this by requiring a shift adjustment; similar things have been happening to me for years. It's back to behaving nicely.
I went for the set that came with the 34-tooth large gear on the rear derailleur. I never used the large gear until a ride this Saturday, on which we had a climb of about 200' in about a quarter-mile. I've gotten religion and seen the error of my ways, and will be fitting a cassette with a 34-tooth large gear on the Yellow Maserati when time and finances permit.
Aesthetics: I like the look of the Sensah set. The front derailleur is nothing-in-particular; front-derailleur-undifferentiated-type, but I like the look of the rear derailleur and the controls. The hoods have some texture molded in, and the levers have a techie look to 'em. The rear derailleur has a carbon-looking sticker on, which I could do without, but the structure is handsome.
I like the feel of the levers when I'm riding on the hoods, too. The ramps on my bars point forward and down, so there's a bit of extra weight on my hands when I'm riding on the hoods, but they support comfortably.
Cost: $174 shipped. This included shifters, front and rear derailleur, cassette, and chain (11-speed, nothing-in-particular Chinese brand). I went for the all-alloy set; it's available in carbon for additional cost in cash and savings in weight.
Recommendation: Do it. Especially if you can do your own mechanicals, or if you can get it done and just do the adjustments yourself. If you don't need electronic shifting and the latest-and-greatest, this can definitely work.
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