Electronic & Hydraulic Shifting (Di2, Ui2, customisations)

Ok, initial impressions.

Setup:

It's really, really easy. It felt too easy- you attach the mechs, battery and shifters, then plug in the wiring loom and it all works pretty much.

On the front you just set the limit screws, on the rear you back the limit screws out, then shift into fifth, press the "setup mode" button, then make sure that the mech is spot in in terms of position, and hit "exit setup mode". Then simply set the limit screws and you are done.

I zip-tied the wiring harness in place when putting everything on the frame, then used the Di2 wire cover stickers to run the wires properly.

This took some considerable time to do neatly- although I also ran an SRM harness which added to the time by a fair amount.

One issue I ran into is that the external harness has a switching block which is designed to fit in place of the bottom bracket cable guides which it supplants.

On my frame this was located with a fairly large hole, and kept in place by the wires- which meant that the Di2 block (which is designed to screw in) could not be attached.

I glued it into place with a glue gun, but will be drilling a suitable hole, tapping it, and using an M5 bolt to hold the switching block in place in future.

Operation:

I've only used it on the turbo once so far, but it was extremely snappy in it's shifting.

I found that it would shift the front under power, but it definitely preferred you to back off slightly as it shifted, rather than maintaining 320 watts and just hitting "shift".

I cannot get the chain not to rub on the front mech currently, when in the lowest gear- the front mech will not go toward the centre line of the bike sufficiently.

I will adjust it so it is slightly angled and see if this fixes it.

I'm going to take the bike to Richmond Park on Sunday if the weather is good, and will report back on what it is like after that.

Does the system automatically 'trim' the front mech?

I think one interesting system to investigate would be no switch to change chainring. If you have switches to change up/down then you can allow the coumputery thing to say that the chain angle is enough, it's now time to change chainring and drop the chain to the appropriate sprocket.

Does the system automatically 'trim' the front mech?

Yes- that's very clever. The front mech knows where the rear is, and moves in accordance with that information.

I think one interesting system to investigate would be no switch to change chainring. If you have switches to change up/down then you can allow the coumputery thing to say that the chain angle is enough, it's now time to change chainring and drop the chain to the appropriate sprocket.

What you have described is exactly how the Fairwheel bikes show bike (an MTB) was set up, the stem that Hippy pictured at the start of this thread shows the control PCB for it.

You might then also need to adjust the 'attitude' of the setup.

What if the gruppo had a big ring attitude and refused to go down to the small chainring?

Outed!

is it 700 quid better than non electronic dura ace dammit?

I dropped my crosser into Edwardes this morning, and they gave me this as a loaner whilst they fitted the cranks and brakes:

I can confirm that you can shift under full power at the front- I clearly need to work on my setup.

In fact, the front shifting is probably the single most impressive part of the package, that and the speed of the whole thing.

I think my SRAM Force is maybe as fast on up shifts at the rear, but for down shifts or anything at the front it is outshone.

With the possibility emerging that the new SRAM Red won't work without their cranks and rings, I am increasingly sold on a move back to Shimano, and a complete lack of cables in my life.

how do you convince people to do these things Neil? Didn't you get Sigma to give you an SRM on permanent loan or something too?

I need to take you shopping with me..

I think one interesting system to investigate would be no switch to change chainring. If you have switches to change up/down then you can allow the coumputery thing to say that the chain angle is enough, it's now time to change chainring and drop the chain to the appropriate sprocket.

You might then also need to adjust the 'attitude' of the setup.

What if the gruppo had a big ring attitude and refused to go down to the small chainring?

Or what if you were running compact gearing and you shifted down out of the saddle on a climb - the computer decides you're moving to the small ring without you know knowing ... suddenly shit loads of chain slack while it shifts up at the back ... and BAM your crown jewels are traveling north quickly after you fall on your stem and top tube. No thanks

It shifts so fast I don't think that would be an issue Dan.

And why did Edwardes lend me this bike?

I've put quite a bit of cash their way over the years, and there is a distinct possibility tha the cross bike will get Ultegra Di2, which would be from them.

To be fair though Shimano have put a lot of those bikes out for people to try out, anyone they think they can relieve of a few bob will be given one to try.

The programmed shifting decides which is the sweetest shift to make, so it avoids the big jumps without you having to think about it, and it knows when to avoid chain crossover. It won't change at the back and the front at the same time. The clever part is that it is a switch, not the levers, that you use. You can have one or more switches. So you can just press up or down and the electronics does the rest. This means you don't need sti levers which means a bit of a weight saving, and frees up a lot of component options.
It is also possible to connect it to a GPS or cadence switch, so it will always stay within a certain cadence range, and for example stay in the inner ring on a climb and the big ring on a descent. We are only just beginning to explore the possibilities of electronic shifting.

I think my SRAM Force is maybe as fast on up shifts at the rear, but for down shifts or anything at the front it is outshone.

That is probably the only part where cables have the upper hand, especially with ultra glide systems. di2 needs the button presses to move, but they are so quick and precise, it isn't really an issue. Knowing how many clicks you performed means you are not guessing which gear you ended up in.

Sunday is going to be interesting for sure.

One thing I noticed on the turbo (whilst dicking around, basically) is that my chain rubs on the big ring when cross chaining- small to small. There's nothing I can do about that other than avoid that gear, which is good practice anyway.

That's nothing to do with Di2 of course.

how do you convince people to do these things Neil? Didn't you get Sigma to give you an SRM on permanent loan or something too?

I need to take you shopping with me..

If I ran a bikeshop. I'd end Dammit every high priced piece of bling that came in.

.....keeps the sales ticking over.

Sunday is going to be interesting for sure.

One thing I noticed on the turbo (whilst dicking around, basically) is that my chain rubs on the big ring when cross chaining- small to small. There's nothing I can do about that other than avoid that gear, which is good practice anyway.

That's nothing to do with Di2 of course.

This is a nne issue. As you really shouldnt, and dnt need to, do this.

Having seen what some people spend in their LBS, as friends of mine own a high end shop, I think it is safe to say that Dammit is not a high roller.

I'm a pretty low roller I think.

i dot think the button between i and p on smallfurrys keybard is wrking...

Anyway, here's what you want for your cross bike;

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/trp-hywire-road-disc-brake-system-first-look-33380/

Hah- the cross bike is at Edwardes because these are going on:

I have decided to live my cycling life through Dammit.

If I ran a bikeshop. I'd end Dammit every high priced piece of bling that came in.

.....keeps the sales ticking over.

wouldn't you worry about him taking everything you leant him apart? ;)

i dot think the button between i and p on smallfurrys keybard is wrking...

Its the the fcking batteries on this cnting wireless keyboard.