Since bikes are a hot topic lately....Di2...

berettafan · 06:18 AM

Been dreaming of my next road bike and was forced to do a very brief test on a Di2 equipped bike (Roubaix SL4).

Well **** I guess that's like Ferrari offering free test drives in a trailer park.

Happened to be on sale for $2,500. My wife sees this as about as sensible as said Ferrari would be.

Trying to negotiate with CFO for this. Negotiations going poorly.

If you don't want to spend $700+ more than a 105 equipped bike don't bother riding a Di2 bike.

but **** almighty is it cool.

between the fit of the bike and the unreal shifting I fell in love. rode defy advanced and madone 5.2 few days earlier and came away impressed with the ultegra brakes on the madone but otherwise feeling good about my bottom of the barrel current bike in terms of fit, ride and cost. but this Roubaix felt soooooo right and the Di2......well like I said don't ride it unless you're ready to spend $$.

wayner · 07-25-2016, 06:49 AM

I'm afraid of test rides for this reason

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

I accidentally bought a set of the Di2 shifters...If someone wants them cheap...

herr_oberst · 07-25-2016, 07:20 AM

Take the chairman of the board on your test ride on a bike with wireless SRAM shifting, and let her compare prices! That 2500-dollar Roubaix will seem like an impulse purchase!

Gogar · 07-25-2016, 07:23 AM

Buy a 105 bike and upgrade slowly in a sneaky manner!

look 171 · 07-25-2016, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red-beard

I accidentally bought a set of the Di2 shifters...If someone wants them cheap...

11 spd Dura Ace?

berettafan · 07-25-2016, 07:30 AM

i'm honestly looking for all manner of stuff in my hidden piles of treasure to sell. guns, jeep parts, longhood bumper....problem is getting it sold quickly.

I offered to sell stuff to fund it and CFO won't hear it. even offered to open the gun safe for pete's sake. i'm a bit lost at this but maybe if I present the actual cash with evidence of the sales she'd go for it. of course then she becomes aware of the value of what I've accumulated.......

herr-o she sees these figures as so out of the realm of reality that $6k or $2.5k are the same.

intakexhaust · intakexhaust's Garage

Don't own Di2 but have ridden twice on others bikes. Most impressive. Though the only peculiar slight odd thing is when wearing full finger gloves in colder weather. The one ride experienced was on a cold autumn day and I had this disconnected 'feel'. Minor and likely one just adapts to it.

Last Sat. was just talking to a LBS owner friend. We ride together occasionally and keeps me in the loop with late stuff. Tells me good luck on getting a Sram e-tap. Huge backorder. He went to the training school on it. Loves it over the Di2. Wireless code scrambles 10,000 times per sec.. Highly doubts someone could remotely hack and ghost zap it from within proximity of a rider.

Eric H · Eric H's Garage

You can get etap but it will take some searching and you will probably have to pay MSRP. Got mine a few months ago and it has been great! I can't imagine ever going back to mechanical shifting...

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

The 2 bikes that i ride most have the latest 11speed Shimano groupsets
one is Di2 the other Ultegra manual, both are vast improvements over the the 9speed Ultegra that was used prior.

Each has it's charms and i have no complaints about either. The new stiff whether electric or manual is so precise and easy to use that you would be happy w/ either. The big difference is the 11speed gear sets compared to the older 9s and the modern crank chainrings, I do miss the older regular 53/39 for high speed downhills and flats, and you can get these for use w/ the modern stuff, but my Di2 has a compact 54/39 and the Ultegra a semi compact 52/36. The compact and semicompact are great for the hills and the semicompact w/11 is almost as good as the old regular w/ 9

greglepore · 07-25-2016, 03:32 PM

Uhh, think the Di2 bike must be 50/34? 54/39 would be big gears...

Yeah, Di2 is nice...haven't dropped a chain in like 2 yrs. Have 1st gen DA, had 10spd Ultegra, and now also have DA 11spd. Sweet stuff.

stuartj · 07-25-2016, 06:27 PM

My brother has been riding a very nice Di bike for about 12 months now. I asked him recently was it worth it, Ultegra vs Ultegra Di2 and his view was "very sexy, but not really".

Edit- actually, his bike is DuraAce.

look 171 · 07-25-2016, 11:18 PM

I still have mechanical SRAM on my Ridley and love the way the levers feel in my girly hands. I an still running 10 speed on my Time with Di2. Its nice. Everything is automatic and requires little movement to shift gears. I like it. Now I just have to go 11spd because I like to have a 16 tooth cog and keep the largest gear to a 25. 53x16 is my favorite gear for my saturday ride.

nikita76 · 07-26-2016, 03:44 AM

I picked up Di2 for the Merlin I built last year. I didn't think I would ever go that way in large part to expense and practicality. Mechanical ALWAYS worked great. THEN, I road them! I would liken it to say the difference is just shy of: Electric is to mechanical as clipless is to toe straps. BUT, I road Etap last week and believe when my stainless frame comes back from repair, I may very well have to go that way! So smooth, easy, cost efficient and self serviceable.

I would listen to Eric H & intakexhaust! But, with Interbike less than 2 months away, reviews, pricing, and OE orders, I can't see it available till after the new year.

I'm waiting!!

wayner · 07-26-2016, 05:02 AM

Di2?
I'm still revelling in the joy of my new-found indexed shifters

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by greglepore

Uhh, think the Di2 bike must be 50/34? 54/39 would be big gears...

Yeah, Di2 is nice...haven't dropped a chain in like 2 yrs. Have 1st gen DA, had 10spd Ultegra, and now also have DA 11spd. Sweet stuff.

meant 53/39 but that is/was the standard for years, in back usually an 11/28 cassette, but 11/30 and 11/32 are/were available, these last 2 cassettes w/ 9 speeds left biggish gaps. I love the 53-11 for downhill and flats, you can maintain 30mph on the flats w/ these the issue for me is hills, I'm a big boy, my GF says "Big Ole Bear" till I hit my 60's hills were tough but doable, they didn't get easier w/ more years piled on

first option to come along was so called compact crank w/50/34 these may have been available w/ 9 gear cassettes but all the ones I've seen are 10 or 11 speed, again the cassettes are usually 11/28, 11/30 or 11/32 seems as if most folks get these new these days

recently a semi compact crank became available I bough mine last spring 36/52 in front and again 10 or 11 speed 11/28, 11/30 or 11/32 cassettes. I use 36/52 w/ 11speed 11/32, on the flats 52-11 is just a tad slower than 53/11. on the hills 36-32 is a tad better than 34 - 28. For a big old guy these are great gears, My daily ride includes a 13% and 2x 8% grades, the 8s I can keep the 52 and go to 16-20, for the 13 36-32 is a thigh saver.

Most of the guys I ride w/ are little, old guys, 140-160#, most retain the 39/54 11/28 or 11/30. These guys will walk away from me on a single hill but given the typical 45mi ride w/ 5000'+ of vertical most will be a one to two minutes behind.