Has the future arrived?

Over the past 2 years we have seen many great changes in cycling equipment, particularly for road bikes. All the major players have introduced some great features to their products, and the healthy competition amongst Sram, Shimano and Campagnolo, all fighting for shares of the market, has really benefitted the consumer.

Sram created a niched with improved ergonomics and quick shifting. Campy brought us 11 speed groupos, while re-introducing Super Record, and incorporating the highest grade ceramic bearings into both the bottom bracket and derailleur pulleys. Shimano cleaned up its cable routing with its new 7900 series Dura Ace, incorporated some more carbon bits to its levers and somehow found a way to make its chainrings even stiffer. Shimano, Campy and Fulcrum have decided that 2-Way fit wheels are here to stay, and have increased their range of offerings.

Despite all they hype of the above mentioned products hitting the market, the biggest splash was made by Shimano's Di2. The departure of cable actuated shifting in favor of a drive train shifted electronically was met with both skepticism and intrigue.

Being the skeptics of new technology that we are at Studio Velo, we did not want to fully embrace this new system until we had a chance to take a very close look at it. After many months of testing it, installing it, and discussing it with very discerning clients who have put thousands of miles on it, we have formed some opinions.

We are genuinely impressed by Di2 for many reasons. Everyone saw a few select riders on some high profile teams racing on Di2 prototypes for the past few season. We all new it was coming someday, but that didn't prepare us for the first time we heard the front derailleur self trim for the first time, or for how precise, quick and accurate the rear shifting is ever time you push one of the shift buttons. One of the most impressive features of the Di2 is how much is doesn't feel like a first generation product. The Installation is clean and well thought out. We have installed it on several bikes with tubing shapes that could have made the installation process quite difficult, but the design up the product allowed us to do it cleanly. With manufacturers introducing Di2 specific frames, this is only going to get easier and cleaner.

Collectively, we like Di2. As 3 partners who have not had our bikes dressed in anything but Campy for many years, we were slow to embrace this new technology. As I began to accept the Di2, I frequently founnd myself telling people that I like it more than I wanted to. While we were a bit underwhelmed by the 7900 series Dura Ace, that has not at all been the case with Di2. It has been difficult for me to embrace the concept of electronic shifting. I was afraid it would create a disconnect between rider and bike somehow. It hasn't yet, and it has actually had the opposite affect for some of our clients.

Does this mean that everyone should be on Di2? No, we don't think so. There are lots of great offerings from Shimano, Sram and Campy, with each manufacturer offering compelling options at a much lower price point than the near $5000 the Di2 comes in at. This year we will see entire pro teams riding Di2 bikes, where in the past it has just been one or two riders on a team. Shimano and the rest of the industry have accepted it as something that is here to stay, so it won't be going away any time soon.

Here is a quick review from a good client of ours who has been riding Di2 for several months. If you would like to see Di2 in person, come by the shop and take a bike for a pedal to see what you think.

Review--Shimano Dura-Ace Di2

Di2 is cycling crack. Do not touch it. Do not take a Di2 equipped bike for a test ride. This will just cost you either your self esteem or $5k.

The problem is, once you have tried Di2, your current really expensive gruppo suddenly becomes wholly inadequate. Once you see what Di2 costs, your really expensive gruppo seems very reasonably priced; but, of course it is, because it is wholly inadequate.

Let's just stick to the sexy bits, shall we, and talk about the shifting. The shifters look mostly like standard DA7900, disguising the fact that you are rolling with the cycling equivalent of hi def porn. The most obvious giveaways are the large bulge on top of the front derailleur and the battery below the bottle cage. The shift buttons require about 7mm of throw (even shorter than Red), about 1/3 of normal shifters, and then the magic happens.

Electrons pulse along the handlebar, down the downtube, and into the electronic brain incorporated into the top of the front derailleur. The brain perks up and says "well, what have we here?". "Oh, you want to go up a cog, eh? Well, that is not what Cav would do, but I guess I can accommodate you, unworthy flesh sack. Oh, look at that, you're cross chaining again because of your feeble wattage. Why don't you just admit defeat and and go to the small ring? In the meantime, let me trim the front derailleur for you, lardass."

And while this seems like a long conversation, it only takes a microsecond and the derailleurs start moving. Rear shifts feel on par with DA7900. The lever throw is a lot shorter, so the whole shift process is a bit quicker. But once the derailleur is moving, the speed of the shift in the rear is really a matter of the ramps on the cogs, so the shift itself feels the same. Up front, the shifts feel crisper. The shift up to the big ring is especially satisfying. The brain applies just the right amount of pressure, depending on where the rear derailleur is, with a slight overshift and then adjustment back, so that you get a fast shift. I never noticed the shift effort on the front derailleur with my mechanical setups until I started riding Di2. After shifting with a light touch of one finger, mechanical shifting feels like a lot of work and not very precise. Yes, I know that is precious, but I no longer care what luddites think.

Is there any downside, other than cost? Functionally, the only downside is a 60g weight penalty--spit twice before a big climb and you are even there. The battery will last a month for mere mortals. HTC Columbia and other Pro Tour teams are going almost entirely Di2 this year on their bikes, so it has passed the pro peleton sniff test. So far, my only complaint is that the shift buttons are tougher to find with heavy gloves on than a big paddle (and Red is especially good in this regard). Some people complaint about not being able to do multiple shifts in one throw, but I can hit the shifter 3 times in rapid succession just as quickly and get a more precise result than a long throw on a mechanical shifter. Front derailleur adjustment needs to be carefully set to avoid throwing the chain, but that is true of mechanical setups as well. Apart from the very few frames designed for Di2, you have to run the cables with Shimano-supplied tape that is fairly elegant. But, you end up with your downtube shift bosses just hanging out there naked in the wind, with nothing to do. Maybe I will mount some old downtube shift levers on them.

After speccing it on my "race bike", I then declined to race with it for fear I would go down and scuff a $900 derailleur (to be fair, also because crit courses are generally so bumpy that I chose to ride the softer Ti bike). But, last weekend I finally took it out for some laps in anger, and it performed perfectly....much better shift precision than my Red-equipped bike when in serious oxygen deficit. Of course, the circuit was mostly left hand turns, so the derailleurs were safe.

But wait, you say. All this fancy gimmickry is unnecessary. My bike shifts just fine with mechanical shifting. Oh yeah? Does your bike's front derailleur sound like a Star Wars laser cannon when it makes a shift? No? Wholly inadequate. Of course, there is always the risk with Di2 that your bike will become self aware and try to destroy you. That would never happen with Record.

The future is here, my friends. I, for one, welcome new my electronic master. The SRM tells me how hard to pedal, Di2 does all the shifting. The Garmin tells me when to turn. I am now just a happy passenger, a feeble sack of flesh along for the ride. If you are going to go through the effort and expense to spec out high end ride, Di2 should be a consideration.