DI2 Upgrade Advice / Prices

kingrollo

Merlin Cycles have a rather good offer on this bike - with a discount it comes in around £1450 with Ultegra.

https://www.merlincycles.com/sensa-giul ... 06281.html


The only problem (for want of a better word) is the that I already have a carbon ultegra bike - albeit a 10 year old one- so for my new bike to be an upgrade I would like to have ultegra Di2 - I emailed merlin hoping the di2 upgrade would be £300-400 extra - sadly no ! the offer is only on bikes as built - so I would have to buy a di2 groupset - and have the ultegra as spare...

I just wonder in hope if anyone knows of a better \ cheaper way of doing this ? - I read somewhere that it can work out cheaper to cherry pick di2 components rather than the buy the full groupset ?

Also there seems to be different versions of DI2 - can someone advise on the differences - I don't want disk brakes

Thanks in advance.

StillGoing

If you want the latest version of Di2 with the hidden buttons to operate your GPS device from the hoods or change gear, you'll need R8050 for rim brakes. You can buy it direct from Taiwan for around £1,100 once you factor in shipping costs and import tax, but that relies on you keeping your existing crankset, cassette and brakes, which will work with it. You can source Ultegra 6870 for around £900 to include everything. For eTube connectivity (synchromised shifting and option to change what switches do what), you'd need to upgrade that by buying the B-DN110 battery and EW-RS910 bar end junction.

Dealers can turn out complete bikes at similar rates simply due to the large number of units they buy in.

pilot_pete

kingrollo wrote:

I read somewhere that it can work out cheaper to cherry pick di2 components rather than the buy the full groupset.

Quite correct, I have done just that with my last two Dura Ace Di2 builds. The main reason I did it was that I didn’t want the Shimano cranksets as I had Rotor already. This meant if I bought the groupset I’d have to sell on the Shimano crankset, so buying separately avoided this. I also bought individual components from where I could get them cheapest - I had BC 10% discount available from Chain Reaction and Halfords, but most of the online retailers had the parts at varying degrees of discount from RRP already, some at a cheaper price than with the 10% off the possibly already discounted price at CR or Halfrauds.

Also remember that many will price match, so with a bit of homework you can get prices down to cheapest available and stick with fewer retailers. I just started a spreadsheet and put in each component cost including delivery (where it applied) and discount, which clearly showed me the cheapest available. Haven’t got figures to hand but I am talking hundreds of pounds saved over RRP.

PP

StillGoing

I went the import route from Taiwan for R8050 levers and derailleurs that came with all necessary eTubing, plus the bigger capacity battery, charger, junction box and EW-RS910 handlebar control junction. I also already had Rotor cranks with Q rings and the bike it went on already had 105 direct mount brakes. It worked out slightly cheaper than buying from the UK stockists even with the extortionate shipping charges and VAT.

kingrollo

Hope I am not asking an obvious question - but what would I need to buy as a complete di2 groupset - not to fussed about power meters etc, electric shifting is all I want ...(for now)!!!

StillGoing

If you just want basic Di2 function with none of the bells and whistles, just a set of 6870 shifters, a front and rear derailleur, battery, junction box A and B and a set of eTube cabling. You'll also need a charger. This is providing you can use your existing cranks, cassette and brakes.

https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-ul ... cAQAvD_BwE

Matthewfalle

Just out of interest, why exactly do you want it so badly?

kingrollo

Matthewfalle wrote:

Just out of interest, why exactly do you want it so badly?

I don't want it so badly - I would just like to try it - (reasons in first post)

Matthewfalle

expensive way of "just trying something".........

i'd personally spend my money on a decent mechanical groupset and some nice riding days.

kingrollo

Matthewfalle wrote:

expensive way of "just trying something".........

i'd personally spend my money on a decent mechanical groupset and some nice riding days.

Thats your choice of course.

But this is a thread about Di2 in the buying advice section of the forum.

chadders81

Why don’t you buy a bike with Di2?

Ribble’s R872 can be had with modest wheels for £2,200. Bit of a steal.

StillGoing

kingrollo wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

expensive way of "just trying something".........

i'd personally spend my money on a decent mechanical groupset and some nice riding days.

Thats your choice of course.

But this is a thread about Di2 in the buying advice section of the forum.

Its your bike, your money so your choice. You're only here once (we think) so enjoy it. I was one of those that exalted the benefits of mechanical over electronic and I still do like the fettling side of mechanical. But electronic is so simple to install, set up and operate, and for anyone like myself with a medical issue that creates problems with front shifting, its a God send.

You've got a good frame and wheels, so upgrading your groupset to something that you want seems perfectly logical and the cheaper option to buying a complete bike to me.

jrich

If I were you I'd spend that grand on wheels rather than di2. As someone who owns Dura Ace di2 and mechanical, I can tell you that it's really really not worth spending 1000 pounds on. They do do exactly the same thing after all. One requires an occasional cable tension adjustment and the other requires you remember to charge your bike up every month.

If you really really want it still then, if I were you, I'd buy the parts on ebay and it will probably cost about 600 quid. I seem to remember my Dura Ace di2 setup cost about 900 when I converted from mechanical, although this was on a TT bike.

kingrollo

philthy3 wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

expensive way of "just trying something".........

i'd personally spend my money on a decent mechanical groupset and some nice riding days.

Thats your choice of course.

But this is a thread about Di2 in the buying advice section of the forum.

Its your bike, your money so your choice. You're only here once (we think) so enjoy it. I was one of those that exalted the benefits of mechanical over electronic and I still do like the fettling side of mechanical. But electronic is so simple to install, set up and operate, and for anyone like myself with a medical issue that creates problems with front shifting, its a God send.

You've got a good frame and wheels, so upgrading your groupset to something that you want seems perfectly logical and the cheaper option to buying a complete bike to me.

My existing bike is a 2009 kuota kharma - with nice wheels ! - I don't think that bike bike would take a di2 upgrade ?

Merlin do the sensa ultegra for £1400 - i did hope they would upgrade me to di2 for say an extra £300-400 - but they won't i have to buy the bike @£1400 - then buy a di2 groupset - I then get the ultegra stuff as spare. thats likley to be a gross cost of around £2300, bit unsure i want to spend that much.

sh3p

Recently changed from ultegra 6800 to ultegra 8050 di2 nit a massive change granted but I'd done the overtime and had the cash so why not .
Anyhow i went the ebay and from Taiwan option 849.90 shipped with another £25 import although i think this could and should have been higher,
Then spent another £80ish on the bluetooth connector so i could use the etube app. Along with a stem spacer clip to hold tbe junction box.
Was it worth it possibly not but as i say I'd earnt it so sod it i wanted it and so far love it ...but if its a stretch and a luxury i wouldn't have bothered better upgrades for the money

StillGoing

kingrollo wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

expensive way of "just trying something".........

i'd personally spend my money on a decent mechanical groupset and some nice riding days.

Thats your choice of course.

But this is a thread about Di2 in the buying advice section of the forum.

Its your bike, your money so your choice. You're only here once (we think) so enjoy it. I was one of those that exalted the benefits of mechanical over electronic and I still do like the fettling side of mechanical. But electronic is so simple to install, set up and operate, and for anyone like myself with a medical issue that creates problems with front shifting, its a God send.

You've got a good frame and wheels, so upgrading your groupset to something that you want seems perfectly logical and the cheaper option to buying a complete bike to me.

My existing bike is a 2009 kuota kharma - with nice wheels ! - I don't think that bike bike would take a di2 upgrade ?

Merlin do the sensa ultegra for £1400 - i did hope they would upgrade me to di2 for say an extra £300-400 - but they won't i have to buy the bike @£1400 - then buy a di2 groupset - I then get the ultegra stuff as spare. thats likley to be a gross cost of around £2300, bit unsure i want to spend that much.

If your frame won't take it, (you should be able to run an externally connected system) you've really only one choice and that's to buy a bike with it already on. There are plenty of cheapish options under £2,000 out there for 6870 equipped bikes from the likes of Giant, Dolan, Kuota etc

mr_mojo

I’ve just updated from 9000 Dura Ace to R9150 di2 Dura Ace. I initially looked at just upgrading the 9000 groupset but when I costed all the cables, battery, junction boxes and WiFi unit it was going to be over £1k. I wanted to buy new. I bought the R9150 groupset for about £1750 and I can probably sell the 9000 groupset for about £600 so When factored the new groupset isn’t massively more than just upgrading. Also I now have the latest components.

londoncommuter

How about one of these instead:

https://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/scott ... 17-p314525

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p74 ... A-DI2-2017

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p79 ... CED-0-2017

Or if you want to stick with Merlin, this looks lovely:

https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-nit ... 98952.html

Got to be less grief than stripping a new bike.

kingrollo

londoncommuter wrote:

How about one of these instead:

https://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/scott ... 17-p314525

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p74 ... A-DI2-2017

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p79 ... CED-0-2017

Or if you want to stick with Merlin, this looks lovely:

https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-nit ... 98952.html

Got to be less grief than stripping a new bike.

none of those really float my boat - and most of them come in at £2300 - probably what the sensa would cost.