To Di2 or Not to Di2? That is the question.

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by alastairb

"Fresh" mechanical is excellent; 8 weeks down the line, less so....

sealed cables

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by chiasticon

sealed cables

I've switched almost entirely over to using sealed cable systems. As you say, they keep their performance for much longer than non-sealed systems. They are more expensive than non-sealed systems, but mechanical shifters/derailleurs plus a lifetime supply of sealed cables is still less expensive than electronic shifters/derailleurs.

[jwd]

I feel like I have enough gadgets I have to charge. I know you don't have to charge battery that often but sometimes I just want to go on a ride and not worry about plugging anything in.

Curious though, how long is the battery life on these?

[PaMtbRider]

Originally Posted by jwd

I feel like I have enough gadgets I have to charge. I know you don't have to charge battery that often but sometimes I just want to go on a ride and not worry about plugging anything in.

Curious though, how long is the battery life on these?

Depends on how much you ride. My wife's Di2 gravel bike probably gets charged twice a year. I think riding every day you could still easily get a couple months.

[Wasatch]

Originally Posted by jwd

I feel like I have enough gadgets I have to charge. I know you don't have to charge battery that often but sometimes I just want to go on a ride and not worry about plugging anything in.

Curious though, how long is the battery life on these?

I charge mine about once/quarter.

[rlanger]

So to update my thread...

I got a really good deal on a 9150 upgrade kit from a nice forum member here a couple of months ago, but wasn't able to get it installed until yesterday.

Went out for a 40k ride and have to say that for me, it's absolutely one of the best upgrades I've made to my bike.

I had the shifting set to semi-syncro mode, which I think I will stick with. Haven't tried full-syncro yet, but I don't see much point, although it might be useful in winter to cut down on shifting when wearing thick gloves.

Not having to trim the front derailleur is extremely nice. Just shift the big ring and you're good.

The buttons on the 9150 shifters are plenty tactile with nice enough travel, and it's pretty cool to be able to change the pages on my Garmin with the hood buttons.

Finally, don't underestimate the addictive nature of the sound from that front derailleur when you make a shift. That's pretty damn cool.

All in all, it's almost like having a completely new bike to ride. Been saving up for quite some time to buy this gruppo and it's certainly been worth the wait.

[Hilltopperny]

I have mechanical groups on all but one bike at the moment. I have had di2 on a few bikes and liked it, but I didn’t really love it. I just received a bike with etap and I like it better than di2. New mechanical groups are great and you’ll never run out of battery power.

[zennmotion]

The way I look at it, wine bottles with a screw top is arguably an improvement over corks. But I don't think I've ever bought a bottle of wine because of the screw top. Some things are just wrong just because. Like banana emojis. and butts

[rlanger]

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

I have mechanical groups on all but one bike at the moment. I have had di2 on a few bikes and liked it, but I didn’t really love it. I just received a bike with etap and I like it better than di2. New mechanical groups are great and you’ll never run out of battery power.

Yeah, I also considered going with eTap, but in the end I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Why do you prefer it over Di2?

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by rlanger

Yeah, I also considered going with eTap, but in the end I don't think you can go wrong with either.



Why do you prefer it over Di2?

I like the ease of set up and ergonomics better. It looks cleaner and the batteries can be charged in my truck with a USB port. I also have the mid cage WiFli rd with a 11/32 cassette for a wider range of gears which I love.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by rlanger

Yeah, I also considered going with eTap, but in the end I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Why do you prefer it over Di2?

Why not EPS? Record ala $ as DA...

[Gummee]

After LOTS of years of riding mechanical STI, I have to think about shifting on my 1 Di2 bike. I don't like having to think about shifting.

If you have one or two bikes set up the same, it's great stuff. If you have many bikes set up with mechanical shifters and 1 bike without, I'd say 'save your $'

...but that's me... YMMV

M

[DrSpoke]

I've had Campagnolo on all of my road bikes since the 70s. And recently, just got my first SR group ever (mechanical). I will admit EPS is outside of my budget so I don't expect electronic shifting on any future road bike as I doubt I will every stray.

That said, I have Di2 on both my gravel bike (Ultegra) and mountain bike (XTR) and love it. It's superb at shifting under load when hitting a patch of soft sand or rounding a corner and finding a steep climb. Accordingly, I think it's very useful for off-road and maybe less useful on road. But, as stated, I haven't tried it on a pure road bike yet though I do take the gravel bike on the road. But think I would like it there too as all of my riding buddies love it. The Garmin display is a bonus.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Gummee

If you have one or two bikes set up the same, it's great stuff. If you have many bikes set up with mechanical shifters and 1 bike without, I'd say 'save your $'

As I've said before, I like to tell myself that I'm building new neural pathways by having a completely different shifting paradigm on every bike I own: I have four bikes, one each with Campy Record, Shimano Ultegra (6600), Suntour downtube shifters, and SRAM eTap.

Despite the fact that I have to re-set my brain every time I grab a bike and go for a ride, I wouldn't hesitate to say the electronic gruppo is "great stuff".

Not perfect...but great nonetheless.

[rlanger]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Why not EPS? Record ala $ as DA...

A few reasons in no particular order:

1. Not a fan of the thumb shifter, although I'm sure I'd come to accept or even appreciate it.

2. Availability (you don't tend to see as many sets available for purchase on the forums and their cost tends to be a bit higher than Shimano).

3. Harder to service where I live (not a lot of expertise or parts availability).

4. No Garmin integration (I really like this feature. I can control both my Garmin and my Bontrager lights from the hood buttons).

5. Maybe some personal bias. Always used Shimano and have never felt compelled to change.

6. I ride Fulcrum wheels (love them) and it would drive me crazy until I could find the cash to switch to Campy wheels!

Now, if I ever end up splurging for my dream bike, C64 (or whatever number they are up to by the time I go for it), I would seriously have to consider making the switch. As for now, I think the way my De Rosa is setup, is about as close to a dream bike as most anyone would want.