One thing I kind of regret is putting so much money into building a high-end GRX 820 groupset instead of just focusing on more affordable bikes.
Ironically, I don't regret my Camp SR3D build with the Sensah Empire Pro 12-speed groupset at all. It has been surprisingly good. The GRX 820 is great — smooth and refined, and I understand why many people like it. The Sensah has a different character to it, and feels more mechanical. But for me personally, I don't think the GRX is worth the price premium.
One advantage of Shimano is that replacement parts are generally much easier to find. That was one of the reasons I chose it, and it has held up — GRX parts are far easier to source than Sensah ones. When I needed a replacement hood cover for the Sensah, I couldn't find one locally and had to import it from China. Thankfully, Hendra, the CEO of Element, helped me bring it in.
Another thing that surprised me was the hood cover itself. The material feels more plasticky than I expected. Replacing it was much harder than it should have been. Unlike Shimano road shifters, where you can usually slide the hood on from the front quite easily because the material is more flexible and rubber-like, the Sensah hood was so stiff that I couldn't install it that way. I actually tried, and ended up tearing the hood.
In the end, I had to remove almost everything: the handlebar tape, the shifter, and even disconnect the shift cable just to fit a new hood cover. It turned what should have been a simple maintenance job into something much more time-consuming.
I'm not saying the GRX 820 is a bad groupset. It isn't. It has its own strengths and it's built for a different purpose. I just don't think it gave me enough additional value compared to much cheaper options. Looking back, I should have stuck with a Chinese groupset and put the difference toward other upgrades, or even another bike.
