The Xenon Ergopower levers are so light and 'spring-like' in operation that they have more in common with Shimano than their other Ergopower levers.
We previously criticised the nine-speed levers for needing a longer throw, but they appear to have addressed this by making it easier for small hands. In addition, the convex kickdown lever is a better shape than the concave version on the groupsets further up the range.
The brake and gear lever actions are always light, and the lever can shift the chain across four cassette sprockets at a time. This feels far more accurate than the old nine-speed system. The left-hand lever is indexed for double and triple operation. The only minor complication is the fact that the lever must be pressed twice to bring the chain from the outer to the inner chainring on a double chainset.
