Ultegra 6870: worth a Di2 upgrade (easy DIY) ?

ridgeway_swiss
ridgeway_swiss Posts: 146
edited February 2019 in Workshop
So would it be worth upgrading my mechanical Ultegra 6870 set and is it an easy enough DIY job ?

Only ridden one bike with Di2 and that was only on a test from a shop so it was only about 20mins so it was hard to take it all in. I guess it's one of those "once you've had it you'll never want to be without it" features ?

I assume that click and reassuring little motor drive noise to change up/down is quite addictive and potentially faster and more reliable gear changes ?

Is the upgrade relatively straight forwards ?

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I'd only consider it if your existing gears aren't working.

    If the gears change- they change. I don't see what the improvement would be.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    no real advantage over properly set up modern mechanical.

    stick with what you have and spend the money on drugs/hos/cycling holidays.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • paulwood
    paulwood Posts: 231
    I love my Di2 and if I was buying a new bike it would be on the must have list. For me I do find it better than even a properly set up mechanical system

    but if I had a bike with a working Ultegra setup I don't think I would change. Put the money in the new bike pot or till your groupset stops working
  • ridgeway_swiss
    ridgeway_swiss Posts: 146
    I get what everyone is saying but the thing that doesn't back it up is that Di2 is an extra €1200-1500 on a new bike and yet people would choose it, yet as a retro-fit it could be done for around €800/850ish.

    Perhaps my numbers are wrong and that's what's confusing me (not hard...)
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Nobody can tell you if it is ‘worth’ it as worth is a relative thing based on individual circumstances. If money is not really a problem then you could argue that it’s well worth it.

    There is no doubting that di2 is excellent. Needed? No. Great to have and use? Yes. Easy to install? Maybe yes, maybe no, depends on your frame and whether it is di2 compatible. If it is then yes it is easy.

    It is utterly reliable - shifting is absolutely excellent, especially front shifting. It is totally customisable including synchro and semi synchro if that appeals and it simply doesn’t go out of adjustment. You can set it up and really fine tune it on the fly whilst riding and then simply forget it.

    So, if you really want it then give it a go. You could sell your current Ultegra mechanical or relegate it to a second bike, so it’s not necessarily a case of wasting money by replacing something that doesn’t need replacement.

    As I said, worth is relative, only you can answer that.

    PP
  • ridgeway_swiss
    ridgeway_swiss Posts: 146
    Good point about worth and that makes sense. In theory yes my bike is Di2 ready but i need to really check that before committing.

    Might test ride a bike with Di2 to see just how much it is worth to me.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Ridgeway Swiss wrote:
    Good point about worth and that makes sense. In theory yes my bike is Di2 ready but i need to really check that before committing.

    Might test ride a bike with Di2 to see just how much it is worth to me.

    OMG, don’t try it whatever you do. Why? Because you WILL want it and it might not be worth it! :wink:

    PP
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Pilot Pete wrote:
    Ridgeway Swiss wrote:
    Good point about worth and that makes sense. In theory yes my bike is Di2 ready but i need to really check that before committing.

    Might test ride a bike with Di2 to see just how much it is worth to me.

    OMG, don’t try it whatever you do. Why? Because you WILL want it and it might not be worth it! :wink:

    PP

    he may not. its not that great tbh. nice and different but not really that great.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    In your opinion...
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Pilot Pete wrote:
    In your opinion...

    well, most peoples' on here tbh......
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Pilot Pete wrote:
    In your opinion...

    and in your opinion.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    My opinion is not that it is not great.

    PP
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    its alright. nothing more, nothing less.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    So it’s not great, or it’s alright. Which is your opinion?

    PP
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    What benefit would I get if I changed my mechanical ultegra to di2 ? Currently it all works and needs no maintenance. The best outcome is that it still all works but needs to be charged.

    Spend the cash on a bike trip to the Alps. Memories last forever. Gear changes are just gear changes.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Try reading about the benefits of di2 which have been posted extensively on many threads.

    I charge mine less often than I tweak the indexing on my winter bike which is non di2. Nobody is suggesting that anybody should change a non di2 bike to di2. However there are a number of benefits should someone wish to change to di2.

    PP
  • ridgeway_swiss
    ridgeway_swiss Posts: 146
    cougie wrote:
    Spend the cash on a bike trip to the Alps. Memories last forever. Gear changes are just gear changes.

    I only need sweat and a full water bottle for that, no holiday in the Alps, we live here :D
  • ridgeway_swiss
    ridgeway_swiss Posts: 146
    Overall i get all the points about it not being worth it and spend the money on something else but then i'm just puzzled as to why anyone would actually spend €1200 more on a Di2 bike vs one that works perfectly well, especially when buying a non Di2 and then upgrading it is still cheaper.

    Spec'ing Di2 on a new bike is certainly the easy route to get there but even more expensive and according to the views here just not worth it.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Ridgeway Swiss wrote:
    cougie wrote:
    Spend the cash on a bike trip to the Alps. Memories last forever. Gear changes are just gear changes.

    I only need sweat and a full water bottle for that, no holiday in the Alps, we live here :D

    In that case book a cycling holiday to a flat and windy so you can appreciate the Alps even more.

    :-)
  • ridgeway_swiss
    ridgeway_swiss Posts: 146
    cougie wrote:
    Ridgeway Swiss wrote:
    cougie wrote:
    Spend the cash on a bike trip to the Alps. Memories last forever. Gear changes are just gear changes.

    I only need sweat and a full water bottle for that, no holiday in the Alps, we live here :D

    In that case book a cycling holiday to a flat and windy so you can appreciate the Alps even more.

    :-)

    :lol::lol::lol: excellent
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Pilot Pete wrote:
    So it’s not great, or it’s alright. Which is your opinion?

    PP

    pretty meh, really. Well set up mechanical is just as good.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    cougie wrote:
    What benefit would I get if I changed my mechanical ultegra to di2 ? Currently it all works and needs no maintenance.

    .


    None really tbh.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • sextoke1
    sextoke1 Posts: 133
    I have it since 2015 and put up about 25,000km. I love it. Does it give a few problems, yes. Last year, the battery discharged faster than normal during a two month period. I kept it charged up and it was grand after that. This year it started again and I traced it to the RD6870. It takes about a week to get to this point. I took the RD apart, and found a nice bit of wear on the motor shaft. I will change it with a new one now. I also stripped the FD one and the linkage arm and pivots have a little wear as well. I will leave this alone for the moment. Bottom line if you want it, go for it. No more problems with trimming the front chainrings. You get great confindence when changing the the FD with DI2.

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