Ultegra Di2?

GSTim

GSTim

Formerly M3Tim
Anyone have any experience with the new Ultegra Di2? A freind is looking at buying a new bike and I think he should consider it. Any input would be helpful.

Thanks,

Tim
 
I haven't tried the Ultegra but got to breifly try and got a demo of the Dura ace. Seems like they got it right. I am considering the Ultegra for the road tandem when my STI shifters wear out. I would also be interested in what everyone else thinks.
Ed and Pat Gifford
the Snot Rocket tandem
 
If you want electronic shifting its the ish right now. Until DuraAce Di2 is updated I'd rather have the Ultegra. Its better IMO, for half the price. Only gain ~350 grams.

Still rather have SRAM Red though...
 
Shimano is not hiding anything here. They took all they learned from the DA DI2 group and made improvements/changes with the UI2 group.

The next gen of Di2 seems to be headed to 11 speeds which I and most everyone I talk w/ thinks is dumb.

I am still a SRAM guy and the new SRAM red kit compounds that for sure.

The C-dale super 6 w/ UI2 should be a hit for us this summer.

http://www.cannondale.com/2012/bikes/road/elite-road/supersix/2012-supersix-di2-21285

The Giant TCR is in the same price category as well:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/tcr.advanced.0/9006/48836/
 
I have had the original DI2 on my bike for 18 months. It is impressive stuff. The quickness and ease of shifting is simply unmatched. Shift under any load, in any conditions, and it will shift. The Front derailleur auto-trims so the chain never rubs the cage. The Rear derailleur actually overshifts slightly then return to the center of the cog. That gets the chain to engage more quickly. It is a noticeable difference. The hoods and levers are the most comfortable I have ever ridden. The brakes are impressively strong. In 18 months, I have not had to make an adjustment to the drivetrain. I charge the battery whenever it comes to mind. I replace the chain. Nothing else has been touched.

I have not been able to ride an Ultegra DI2 bike. As Jdog points out, they made nothing but improvements.

I was fondling some Ultegra parts recently and closely comparing them to parts on my bike. The motors on the Ultegra derailleurs are larger and more bulbous. The wires are thinner and easier to hide. The hood and lever look identical.

I was told that the Ultegra DI2 does not allow the use of remote shifters. Not a huge deal but it's one advantage that Dura Ace has.

There are plenty of SRAM lovers. I admit I am not one of them. For the money, SRAM offers solid stuff. When money is removed from the decision making. DI2 blows the other brands away.
 
Ben,

Thanks for the input. This is good stuff, just what I was looking for. Did you ever have any issues with riding in rain or wet?

Thanks,

Tim
 
We have a few Di2 bikes out there and they've all held up very well. I was sorta expecting them to come back with issues but the group seems very reliable.

Ui2 is a leap forward as everyone has already said. I wish they would clean up the wiring around the handlebars a bit but I guess it is what it is. And also as everyone has already said, Red is the way to go. It's over 500 grams lighter, 1/2 the price, etc, etc, etc...Hell, even Rival is lighter than Di2.

-Jim.
 
What he said.....

BiknBen said:
I have had the original DI2 on my bike for 18 months. It is impressive stuff. The quickness and ease of shifting is simply unmatched. Shift under any load, in any conditions, and it will shift. The Front derailleur auto-trims so the chain never rubs the cage. The Rear derailleur actually overshifts slightly then return to the center of the cog. That gets the chain to engage more quickly. It is a noticeable difference. The hoods and levers are the most comfortable I have ever ridden. The brakes are impressively strong. In 18 months, I have not had to make an adjustment to the drivetrain. I charge the battery whenever it comes to mind. I replace the chain. Nothing else has been touched.

I have not been able to ride an Ultegra DI2 bike. As Jdog points out, they made nothing but improvements.

I was fondling some Ultegra parts recently and closely comparing them to parts on my bike. The motors on the Ultegra derailleurs are larger and more bulbous. The wires are thinner and easier to hide. The hood and lever look identical.

I was told that the Ultegra DI2 does not allow the use of remote shifters. Not a huge deal but it's one advantage that Dura Ace has.

There are plenty of SRAM lovers. I admit I am not one of them. For the money, SRAM offers solid stuff. When money is removed from the decision making. DI2 blows the other brands away.
Click to expand...


But be prepared once you get a Di2 bike you will likely never ride cables again. Likely not as many miles as Ben but with over 8k in a year I charged the battery twice.
 
Northern Ivy said:
But be prepared once you get a Di2 bike you will likely never ride cables again. Likely not as many miles as Ben but with over 8k in a year I charged the battery twice.
Click to expand...

Not to mention that you got hit by a car and crashed the shit out of it and it is totally fine.
 
Hey now....

jdog said:
Not to mention that you got hit by a car and crashed the shit out of it and it is totally fine.
Click to expand...


What are the rules of fight club again? Was it the durability of Di2 or my awesome bike handling skills that made the difference?


In all seriousness, I was hit by a car (t-Boned) and the RD did exactly what is designed to do to prevent damage. Which is way cool!

And I did crash in a very rookie bozo glycogen depleted moment; and I believe that my long spindle Speed Play allow the pedal to act as fulcrum. Man did it screw up my awesome D2 shoes though!
 
I got to check out the UI2 at the LBS today. It was pretty impressive. It did what I do manually, only consistently smoother all the time, at the press of a button!

Tom P.
 
I've been using DA di2 for 3 years now. I ran out of battery once and rode 40 miles back using my last 50 shifts on RD( FD stops working and get 50 shifts on RD when battery is out of juice). I go at least 1500 miles on a charge so forgot to check it night before a century ride to Bear Mtn)

I love the hoods in terms of ergonomics of any Shimano shifters. I have the satellite RD shifter and it comes in handy on climbs with changing gradient.

The only time I had to adjust the RD was between different brand wheel changes.

I got a second training bike with regular ultegra and going to sell everything but the frame/fork and upgrade to UDi2. I can't see myself going back to cables.

My only complaint is lack of more options for the battery mount. It would be nice to hide it under the BB like some di2 ready frames(I am thinking of home depot do it yourself soon). Still better than hideous Campy EPS battery/CPU unit.
 
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