To DI2 or not?

dahat

Deciding on upgrades for the bike and settled on a 50/34 with 11/25 so far.

Now without elaborating on the B2W scheme I may be able to upgrade my 11 speed Ultegra to DI2 which a lot have said go for it but reading online some say it's an luxury purchase if ya like. Low maintenance appeals as I'm not in any way a capable mechanic...

I'm hesitant to get another set of 1k plus wheels after getting Kryrium Pro sl this year so that's why I'm looking at a Ultegra Di2.

So is it the bees knees or just a flash Harry purchase?

jamesd

Ive di2, reason I went for it is the low maintenance.

dahat

jamesd wrote: »

Ive di2, reason I went for it is the low maintenance.

Happy you did?

godtabh

I bought my first Di2 bike Jan 2015. Hasnt skipped a beat since. Upgraded the second bike to Di2 a month ago. Its so easy to keep to going smooth. If price wasnt an issue Di2 all the way.

the only draw backs I've had is from a crash. I came off the bike and broke the rear de raileur. It wasnt cheap!

godtabh

PS I put the upgrade together for less than €500 through buying second hand on ebay.

dahat

godtabh wrote: »

I bought my first Di2 bike Jan 2015. Hasnt skipped a beat since. Upgraded the second bike to Di2 a month ago. Its so easy to keep to going smooth. If price wasnt an issue Di2 all the way.

the only draw backs I've had is from a crash. I came off the bike and broke the rear de raileur. It wasnt cheap!

Yeah that is a potential disaster alright but I have another bike while I get it sorted etc.

Unfortunately I can't go your route even though you managed to half the cost of it. It's either use this way or leave it go as I'm not getting wheels.

godtabh

dahat wrote: »

Yeah that is a potential disaster alright but I have another bike while I get it sorted etc.

Unfortunately I can't go your route even though you managed to half the cost of it. It's either use this way or leave it go as I'm not getting wheels.

If it was me I'd go for it if you have the good wheels already

Even forgetting the easy of maintenance if set up correctly the shifting is beautifully smooth

jamesd

dahat wrote: »

Happy you did?

Very happy, changes are so smooth.

dahat

godtabh wrote: »

If it was me I'd go for it if you have the good wheels already

Even forgetting the easy of maintenance if set up correctly the shifting is beautifully smooth

A set of deep rim wheels would appeal but going through the LBS does reduce the wheel I can get, can fault the onez I have really bar the rim depth.

My bike guy is a good mechanic and di2 capable so I'm sure he would set it correctly.

terrydel

dahat wrote: »

Deciding on upgrades for the bike and settled on a 50/34 with 11/25 so far.

Now without elaborating on the B2W scheme I may be able to upgrade my 11 speed Ultegra to DI2 which a lot have said go for it but reading online some say it's an luxury purchase if ya like. Low maintenance appeals as I'm not in any way a capable mechanic...

I'm hesitant to get another set of 1k plus wheels after getting Kryrium Pro sl this year so that's why I'm looking at a Ultegra Di2.

So is it the bees knees or just a flash Harry purchase?

Theres **** all maintenance with mechanical gearing, bit of indexing once every now and again, I dont see how that would swing it on its own for anyone.
I do virtually no maintenance on mine beyond oiling and cleaning, and it never misses a beat.

dahat

terrydel wrote: »

Theres **** all maintenance with mechanical gearing, bit of indexing once every now and again, I dont see how that would swing it on its own for anyone.
I do virtually no maintenance on mine beyond oiling and cleaning, and it never misses a beat.

Maintenance cost, cables etc assuming the di2 works well with no cost implications.

godtabh

dahat wrote: »

Maintenance cost, cables etc assuming the di2 works well with no cost implications.

Cables need to be replaced but I think they would last longer especially with internal routing

dahat

godtabh wrote: »

Cables need to be replaced but I think they would last longer especially with internal routing

Bike is internally routed, TCR Advanced 1.

RobFowl

Bike that need a battery to work properly are wrong.

Just wrong.

End of....

triggermortis

I went for Di2 Ultegra on my good bike and I love it. I went from 2010 Sora with the thumb shifts to this and it's like night and day in the difference.
It automatically trims out any cross-chaining so you have full use of all the gears and its really easy to use and adjust.
I only got it as I was getting half the tax back on the bike so it came into the budget I had, and I don't regret it.

Unknown Soldier

godtabh wrote: »

{snip}

the only draw backs I've had is from a crash. I came off the bike and broke the rear de raileur. It wasnt cheap!

It's not cheap but it's all relative! A Dura Ace 9000 is about 150ish now and the newer one 230ish. Nevermind SRAM Red, Campy etc which are all 200+

Last time I looked a Di2 RR Derailleur was about 160-175.

godtabh

Unknown Soldier wrote: »

It's not cheap but it's all relative! A Dura Ace 9000 is about 150ish now and the newer one 230ish. Nevermind SRAM Red, Campy etc which are all 200+

Last time I looked a Di2 RR Derailleur was about 160-175.

I was quoted €250 at the lbs. I sourced my own one for about that price.

Going from 10 speed 105 to 11 speed Di2 comes with a price shopping list of spare parts. It is relative but still price

cython

triggermortis wrote: »

I went for Di2 Ultegra on my good bike and I love it. I went from 2010 Sora with the thumb shifts to this and it's like night and day in the difference.
It automatically trims out hides any cross-chaining so you have full use of all the gears and its really easy to use and adjust.
I only got it as I was getting half the tax back on the bike so it came into the budget I had, and I don't regret it.

FYP. Just because you don't have the chain rubbing on the mech doesn't mean that you are not cross-chaining (the chain line determine this), and this is still bad for the chain. If someone is buying Di2 to run large-large gearing, then they should reevaluate their cycling style.

dahat

cython wrote: »

FYP. Just because you don't have the chain rubbing on the mech doesn't mean that you are not cross-chaining (the chain line determine this), and this is still bad for the chain. If someone is buying Di2 to run large-large gearing, then they should reevaluate their cycling style.

Just to follow on a bit from this, running a 50 25 gear will be less of a cross chain than 50 28 although still not ideal.

triggermortis

triggermortis wrote: »

It automatically trims out any cross-chaining so you have full use of all the gears and its really easy to use and adjust.
I only got it as I was getting half the tax back on the bike so it came into the budget I had, and I don't regret it.

The gears you use when it has to trim are ratios that are already available on the other chainring.

fat bloke

Mechanical is lighter.




That's the beginning and end of the discussion as far as I'm concerned.

dahat

fat bloke wrote: »

Mechanical is lighter.




That's the beginning and end of the discussion as far as I'm concerned.

Doesn't concern me, bike comes in at 6.5kgs approx as is so a few grams more won't make a difference plus at my bodyweight getting kgs off me is more of an issue.

tomasrojo

There's no issue with theft of these components, is there? Or is a bike featuring Di2 not the type of bike that's left locked in public anyway?

fat bloke

dahat wrote: »

Doesn't concern me, bike comes in at 6.5kgs approx as is so a few grams more won't make a difference plus at my bodyweight getting kgs off me is more of an issue.

Weeelll... 6.5kg is damn light by most standards. To build a bike that light someone had to think carefully about every component and every inch of the frame and fork and choose lighter and more expensive options. Therefore it is a complete anathema to me to voluntarily bolt on a heavier groupset when there are lighter, not to mention cheaper options.

For the same money as ultegra di2, you could probably get mechanical sram red or dura ace? That would be money well spent in my opinion if it was my bike.

Weepsie

dahat wrote: »

Doesn't concern me, bike comes in at 6.5kgs approx as is so a few grams more won't make a difference plus at my bodyweight getting kgs off me is more of an issue.

Doesn't the bike need to d 6.8kgs if you want to race?

dahat

fat bloke wrote: »

Weeelll... 6.5kg is damn light by most standards. To build a bike that light someone had to think carefully about every component and every inch of the frame and fork and choose lighter and more expensive options. Therefore it is a complete anathema to me to voluntarily bolt on a heavier groupset when there are lighter, not to mention cheaper options.

For the same money as ultegra di2, you could probably get mechanical sram red or dura ace? That would be money well spent in my opinion if it was my bike.

It is approx, weighed in shop with bike and wheels no cages etc. It's a TCR Advanced 1, I was surprised myself but essentially not a massive concern of mine as it so considerably lighter than the Alu Thompson R7200 I was using before.

Never considered mechanical Dura Ace tbh.

dahat

Weepsie wrote: »

Doesn't the bike need to d 6.8kgs if you want to race?

Don't know, as I said it is approx, done in shop when collecting it.

Cee-Jay-Cee

dahat wrote: »

Just to follow on a bit from this, running a 50 25 gear will be less of a cross chain than 50 28 although still not ideal.

I'm not convinced your entirely sure of what cross chaining is...Its using the large front ring and the largest rear sprocket or the small/small. The number of teeth on that set up is irrelevant as it refers to the line the chain takes from the front to rear.

dahat

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I'm not convinced your entirely sure of what cross chaining is...Its using the large front ring and the largest rear sprocket or the small/small. The number of teeth on that set up is irrelevant as it refers to the line the chain takes from the front to rear.

The amount of sprockets is key rather than the number of teeth then.

Unknown Soldier

You can have Di2 and like it, or you don't have it and tell people why it's crap.

Simple, really.

Anyone with Di2 that hates it?

fat bloke

Unknown Soldier wrote: »

You can have Di2 and like it, or you don't have it and tell people why it's crap.

Simple, really.

Anyone with Di2 that hates it?

Well I had a bad experience with a rental trek in the States when after a heavy shower of rain if wouldn't give me the big ring anymore and I thought "nuts to that for a game of soldiers".

And I've had nothing but good experiences with mechanical 105, ultegra, DA and now sram red. But really its the weight that kills it for me. 1000 euro buys you a 8kg bike. 6000 euro buys you a sub 6.5kg bike. Lightness is really expensive, so I simply couldn't pay more for a 3 or 400 g (or whatever it is) weight penalty for questionable convenience.

But yes, I know lads with ultegra di2 who love it.... But their bikes are heavier than mine!