Electronic & Hydraulic Shifting (Di2, Ui2, customisations)

planned obsolescence and greed and nothing else

I the case of the first 10spd version of Di2 I think it was a case of finding something better and the first version was orphaned. I doubt Shimano wanted to waste time using a system they ultimately replaced. Anyone smart who didn't jump on di2 v 1.0 saw fairly soon that that system was going to be orphaned and waited. It was a completely different comms system between 10 and 11 spd Di2 (see CANbus) so it wasn't just a firmware update.

I'm in the weird bit of the Venn that couldn't give much of a toss about the bike but definitely wants Di2 and a powermeter and can replace a chain. Mummy always said I was special...

13-speed (which is also on the way)

2014...
https://bikerumor.com/2014/09/10/ib14-13-is-the-new-12-phil-wood-shows-off-1x13-drivetrain/

Clearly the kind of consumers buying Di2/eTap are not interested in cheaper, more versatile, or the long run.

Maybe not cheaper but certainly more versatile. I can haz ALL THE BUTTONS. Long run, well current gen Di2 is 7 years old. How long did Shimano's 10mm chains last? Or Biopace?

Does anyone have a foolproof workflow for setting up a brand new R8070 groupset with a bluetooth EW-WU111 unit on an iPad? I'm sure I found a thread that explained how to do it that included a password change at some point in the process to avoid it disconnecting but can't find it now.

I do have access to a pc, but don't own one so would prefer to stick to Mac devices if possible.

A little ironic all this technobike chit chat given I'm riding an old, steel, singlespeed these days. :)

No idea, but maybe...

https://road.cc/content/forum/223950-di2-bluetooth-conversion

https://forums.roadbikereview.com/components-wrenching/bluetooth-pairing-ios-shimano-e-tube-project-356282.html

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/di2-to-etube-bluetooth-pairing-wont-connect.216820/

I'm in the weird bit of the Venn that couldn't give much of a toss about the bike but definitely wants Di2 and a powermeter and can replace a chain. Mummy always said I was special...

I want Di2 and a powermeter and I can build my own frames. Everyone always says I'm special...

With Di2 eTube (2 wire), You can take a 10 speed Ultegra setup, change the mechs, cassette and chain for 11 speed and keep the same shifters, controller (junction-A or display unit), battery and cabling. That's a whole bunch of non-obsolescent stuff.

I've got a welder in Oz and I'm over there later in the year. Couple of hours with some RHS off-cuts in the old man's shed, job done, specialer!

I've got a welder in Oz

Just the one? Pfar.

Actually not sure these days. I was thinking of the old man's cheapie but my brother is a fully qualified actual welder dude who used to do stainless wine tanks and shit like that so there's likely to be more kit around than just that little arc welder. #notbiting

Apparently the old 10 speed shifters only work with 11 speed stuff if they weren't updated to the latest firmware version, so you do have to be careful, but yeah for the most part they'll work

Apparently the old 10 speed shifters only work with 11 speed stuff if they weren't updated to the latest firmware version, so you do have to be careful, but yeah for the most part they'll work

Think that is just the FD not the shifters.

Correct. 10 speed eTube shifters (i.e. 6770 and 10 speed non-series) shifters will work perfectly well with 11 speed derailleurs even if they are all updated to the most recent firmware. That's the set-up my Brommers Bike #3 has, and it was working just fine and dandy yesterday. The only thing that won't work is a 10 speed FD and 11 speed RD with more recent firmware.

But the point is why should you have to replace two derailleurs to just to fit an 11-speed cassette? One of the cornerstones of electronic groupsets is basically the superior indexing; it is possible to adjust that through firmware alone. Mechanically those derailleurs will be good for at least another decade. It's horrifically wasteful to replace the whole thing just to change the indexing.

it is possible to adjust that through firmware alone

No, it isn't. The derailleurs have internal hardware in the form of rotary encoders which define either the number of gears (for the rear) or the intermediate indexing points (for the front). That's why the FD6770 could be used (with the old firmware) with an RD6870 or RD9070 rear derailleur, but the trimming function would stop working because the indexing points were no longer correct. That's why Shimano blocked out RD6870/FD6770 mismatches using a firmware update, because although it would work to a degree it didn't work very well, and Shimano don't want people fucking up Di2 by using less than optimal configurations.

Anyone wanting to avoid horrific waste could always stick with 10 speed throughout.

That's me telt

horrific waste

(selling their old stuff on here)

Anyone know what's the maximum size of cassettes for eTap? SRAM say 28 but seeing people saying online that 30 is fine without the WiFli mech

Anyone got an internal type Di2 charger they want rid of?

That's a bloody stupid place to put the socket on an electronic rear mech given that no frames have the shifters behind the rear mech.

It's hydraulic. Not electronic. Still seems a rather odd place to put that dry-break connector, I agree, but there may be packaging reasons which aren't obvious which means it has to go there.