Shimano Di2................

paul.d

just had it retro fitted to my Cervelo RS-a revelation! it does everything it says on the box-the reviews don't lie-it realy is that good IMHO

redddraggon

If I had the money I'd do it too.

paul.d

Iwas really looking at a replacement second bike-but having read the reviews-and being a gadget freak!-I took the plunge-I've just got the LBS to swap the Ultegra from the RS to the second bike-Trek 1400

EKIMIKE

You must have a seriously satisfying riding experience. Lovely frame, perfect groupset. What more could anyone want? I'd love to try out Di2.

giant_man

I don't get what the fuss is about personally. Am I right in saying that what it does is to trim the front mech for you instead of you having to do it. Is that right?

And there's me thinking it should change gear for you depending on the gradient of the road ahead - doh! :roll:

rake

it also overshoots on the shift slightly to speed up the change .

Wheelspinner

Add me to the don't-get-it crowd.

Perhaps for the professionals, saving 1/5,000,000,000th of a second per gear change and the related 0.3 femtojoule saving in energy by pushing a button instead of flicking a lever is worth it.

But mere mortals? Pointless doesn't even begin to describe it. It's the answer to a question that should never have been asked IMHO.

Nice gadget and beautifully engineered, no doubt, but so is the electric door closing mechanism you can specify as an option on your uber-capitalist limousines these days. Equally silly!

ajb72

congrats Paul, if money were no object I'd be there too! Any chance of a pic of the complete bike?

Smokin Joe

Wheelspinner wrote:

Add me to the don't-get-it crowd.

Perhaps for the professionals, saving 1/5,000,000,000th of a second per gear change and the related 0.3 femtojoule saving in energy by pushing a button instead of flicking a lever is worth it.

But mere mortals? Pointless doesn't even begin to describe it. It's the answer to a question that should never have been asked IMHO.

Nice gadget and beautifully engineered, no doubt, but so is the electric door closing mechanism you can specify as an option on your uber-capitalist limousines these days. Equally silly!

Now where did I here those comments before?

Ah yes, when indexed gears came out.
Whenever an extra sprocket appeared on the rear wheel.
And clipless pedals.
And dual pivot brakes.
And integrated shifters.
And aluminium frames.
And again with carbon fibre.

And before my time, but doubtless when pneumatic tyres appeared.

inseine

Those who don't get it really need to try it.
Put it this way, if electronic shifting existed before mechanical shifting would you all be saying how great the 'new' mechanical stuff was? I don't think so.

APIII

Wheelspinner wrote:

Add me to the don't-get-it crowd.

Perhaps for the professionals, saving 1/5,000,000,000th of a second per gear change and the related 0.3 femtojoule saving in energy by pushing a button instead of flicking a lever is worth it.

But mere mortals? Pointless doesn't even begin to describe it. It's the answer to a question that should never have been asked IMHO.

Nice gadget and beautifully engineered, no doubt, but so is the electric door closing mechanism you can specify as an option on your uber-capitalist limousines these days. Equally silly!

I don't think it's anything to do with speed, just flawless shifting.

magliaceleste

inseine wrote:

Those who don't get it really need to try it.
Put it this way, if electronic shifting existed before mechanical shifting would you all be saying how great the 'new' mechanical stuff was? I don't think so.

I tried it. I was unimpressed on the whole

(but then I can set bikes up to shift properly)

Slow Downcp

APIII wrote:

I don't think it's anything to do with speed, just flawless shifting.

I get that anyway, by setting up my mechs properly.

ride_whenever

Yeah but you don't the thing that really impresses me about Di2 is how it only makes a shift when the cassette is in the correct orientation for the pickup, you cannot get that with a mechanical system.

dennisn

I think electronic will be the wave of the future. Sort of like kick starters on motorcycles
got replaced by electric. At first the purist's complained but no one's squawking now.
Derailleur's replaced single speeds and things were better. Electronics replaces cables,
the purist's complain, and yet there are more options with shifters, less adjustments to make, no real downsides that I can see, etc.

Pokerface

Smokin Joe wrote:

Now where did I here those comments before?

Ah yes, when indexed gears came out.
Whenever an extra sprocket appeared on the rear wheel.
And clipless pedals.
And dual pivot brakes.
And integrated shifters.
And aluminium frames.
And again with carbon fibre.

Yes - but these were significant advances.

Does Di2 make the bike faster/lighter/stronger? Easier to ride? Reduce the number of components?

Not really. At least not as significantly as some of the things you mentioned.

But - I still think it's a VERY cool toy and fall into the "if I could afford it I'd buy it" camp.

magliaceleste

True Dennis but motorbikes are already non-human powered devices.

I think it's actually at the other end of the market that there is the biggest benefit for electronic. Those who don't know how to/don't want to know how bikes work. They just want to press a button and the gear changes.

In fact it should really be tied to a power meter and change gears for you based on your power output/torque and hill slope. Automatic gearboxes have to be next.

Then all it needs is a motor ;-)

There will always be people who like pure bikes. Just look at the love for steel bikes or fixed gears.

cougie

It does look lovely - but I'm v happy with my oldschool gears - at least until the electronic kit is the same price anyway.

ride_whenever

i'm quite happy with a double fixed hub, one side for going up the alps, one for going down... :roll:

cougie

Actually I do ride fixed in the winter - I have a freewheel on the other side of the hub, but never got round to using it. New fangled technology you see...

giant_man

cougie wrote:

It does look lovely - but I'm v happy with my oldschool gears - at least until the electronic kit is the same price anyway.

+ 1

dennisn

Pokerface wrote:

Smokin Joe wrote:

Now where did I here those comments before?

Ah yes, when indexed gears came out.
Whenever an extra sprocket appeared on the rear wheel.
And clipless pedals.
And dual pivot brakes.
And integrated shifters.
And aluminium frames.
And again with carbon fibre.

Yes - but these were significant advances.

Does Di2 make the bike faster/lighter/stronger? Easier to ride? Reduce the number of components?

Not really. At least not as significantly as some of the things you mentioned.

But - I still think it's a VERY cool toy and fall into the "if I could afford it I'd buy it" camp.

I sort of agree with "smokin..." in that I've heard this all before and sure enough things are BETTER. As for electronic shifting being a significant advantage?? Very few products ever offer significant advances over previous versions. It's all about little improvements as time goes by. Maybe cable shifting has come to as good as it's going to get(at least for now) and electronic is the way to better things or at the very least the way forward.

inseine

There are always people who think todays technology is far enough, but would you have said that 10 years ago, or 20? I think electronic shifting is a big leap or a least as big as some of the others mentioned.
Would be go back to non hidden cables or frames with cable clips everywhere or quill stems or a dozen other things that didn't revolutionise cycling but make bikes a bit nicer in a small way?

paul.d

for the poster who said "when its as cheap as a mechanical system" it is! at wiggle

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus ... 360037580/

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus ... 360037578/

it must be a bargain for the Di2 version

inseine

Don't go posting links like that on here! Especially when some of us have just bought a new steed.......

Pross

I never used to get it but then I tried it and it is brilliant. Would I spend my hard earned on it though? No, not unless money was no object. I also still have concerns about its longevity but (obviously) time will tell if these are justified!

Smokin Joe

giant mancp wrote:

cougie wrote:

It does look lovely - but I'm v happy with my oldschool gears - at least until the electronic kit is the same price anyway.

+ 1

Same here, but the price will come down. STI/Ergo were very very expensive when they first appeared but now we all use them. The electronics in Di2 are no more advanced than those in remote control toy helicopters you can buy for a tenner.

Pokerface

paul.d wrote:

for the poster who said "when its as cheap as a mechanical system" it is! at wiggle

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus ... 360037580/
it must be a bargain for the Di2 version

My LBS had a guy bring in the Focus that you linked. The LBS was tasked with stripping the Di2 stuff off the focus and attaching it to what can only be described as a cheap-@ss winter-like frame.

Basically the guy got the deal on the Focus - bought it so he could have the groupset - and is now selling the Focus (with the Campag parts that were attached to his cr@p frame).


I guess it's one way to upgrade, but I would have started with the frame myself.

eh

Not very green is it. Neither is it very innovative, only replicates what already happens.

Still on the plus side you can knock a competitor out of a race using a simple pair of scissors :twisted:

Heckler1974

Silly question but when the battery goes flat, do the derailleurs stay in the gear they are in?

rake

Pross wrote:

I never used to get it but then I tried it and it is brilliant. Would I spend my hard earned on it though? No, not unless money was no object. I also still have concerns about its longevity but (obviously) time will tell if these are justified!

i dont think it will be a problem of lonevity unless its crashed or something. most of the force and stress on parts in a cable system are caused by the heavy springs that pull the cable. these are not present in the servo operated derailers it can push and pull so there is not as much effort to move like a spring. this is whythe battery can last a long time. its very nice but not at the Current porice.