[Closed] Di2, ETAP.... or Mechanical

I figured if you knew you needed electric gears, you'd KNOW you needed electric gears, e.g. if maintaining cables really got too difficult or time consuming, or maybe (my particular bug-bear) if you got sick of internal cable routing making your bike RATTLE constantly.

I use my front mech a lot, so I guess the synchro shift thing would be cool, e.g. always finding the next ratio whether it's on big ring or small ring.

Maybe would be nice in the depths of winter if you could just do all your shifting with your thumbs as the rest of your fingers were all wrapped up in waterproof mitts, but that's what a singlespeed is for! 😀

I know riders who have suffered battery failures, firmware/software upgrade faff and I still reckon I've seen more issues in Pro races on television but we had a thread about that a while ago and I think I was convinced it was just my own confirmation bias 'seeing' the e-gear failures but not the mechanical gear failures...

I’ve had both eTap and Di2, plus mechanical of all variations.
I’m on mechanical now while I save for my next bike and this will be Ultegra Di2.
eTap looks neater, works well, but I prefer Di2. But....I’m intrinsically a point and shoot person, set it up once and leave it. Di2 just works well for me in setting 1. No fiddling, no unwanted gear changes etc. eTap is just that bit more expensive on a full build hence going for Ultegra Di2.
It’s the small things in life where Inget pleasures, like a little press on the button and the front derailleur makes the whirring noise, sublime!

Probably 6 years of Di2, total of about 30,000 miles, no battery failures, in fact no failures at all. No firmware faff.....but I do keep on top of the charging (4 times a year).

Running both mech ultegra and Di2.

They both work well. They both have pros and cons. Yes batteries go flat or fail but cables fray and snap. The only real issue with electronic setups is lack of experience in solving the problems. I've done about 25000 miles on my Di2 over 4 or 5 years. This includes packing it up and going on holiday a number of times. Had two issues. One a flat battery which was easily solved. The other was a faulty mech causing drain which was trickier.

I prefer Di2 by a long way but it remains a nice to have rather than game changing upgrade.

I gather the etap systems are not as good. Few friends have rebuilt etap bikes as di2 after getting sick of it. Reliability mostly I gather. Decided it wasn't worth the extra when I bought my latest bike so kept the wires.

you got sick of internal cable routing making your bike RATTLE constantly.

The more you post about your annoyances the more I think that rose bike wasn't really all that great value. Sounds like the missed out a number of important design features.

Mechanical ultegra disk here. No cable rattle or disk squeel.

Id have liked di2 . But the budget went from 2400 to 5grand for di2 as it's only available on the hi mod frameset.

The more you post about your annoyances the more I think that rose bike wasn’t really all that great value

Didn't say it was my Rose did I? 😎

Specialized Allez is prime rattler

Ive had various incarnations of Di2 and mechanical Ultegra over the years along with Campag Super Record & Veloce mechanical and Sram Rival

Out of all the groupsets di2 is top, reasons being no more trimming the front mech, no more having to push the whole brake lever when shifting and braking for a junction

Ive never had the wiring or junction box fail on me, only issue i ever saw with Di2 was with the first generation where the battery was externally mounted on the down tube by the BB, it was meant to be waterproof but eventually water got in and corroded the terminals, since they came out with the internal seatpost battery everything has been fine

Even when the battery gets low Di2 will still work, the front mech will stop working first, but the rear will still shift for quite a while longer, if it goes completely flat then you are stuck in that gear

Di2 is one of if not the best groupsets out there and im a Campag owner!

Out of all the road groupsets im currently running or have spend serious amount of time on id put them in this order

1. Ultergra/Dura Ace Di2
2. Campag Super Record (mechanical)
3. Campag Veloce
4. Sram Rival
5. Shimano Dura Ace/Ultegra mechanical

I can’t comment on etap as I haven’t used it, but Ultegra Di2 is loads better than mechanical 105. Both with hydraulic brakes. Amazing how little effort to shift the front mech especially. I haven’t played with E-TUBE yet - as standard I don’t like where syncro shift shifts from the big chainring to the small one so just using it completely manual. At some point I’m going to tweak syncro shift and see how that goes

Have all three, with Di2 and eTap on TT bikes. I like mechanical Dura Ace best if i am honest. But if you want hydraulics, then Di2 makes sense for shifter size on a road bike.

I smile every time i shift that DA9000. Its so nice. I also love the push to change on the TT bikes. I note no difference between the two electronic shifts (buttons are both on aerobars).

Hmm good feedback thanks.  I don’t want to use Syncro though as I want to be in the right gear when I switch on the power - our club rides can get feisty. Maybe I haven’t understood it enough bearing in mind I’ve never used it.

I can’t comment on etap as I haven’t used it, but Ultegra Di2 is loads better than mechanical 105.

This is my biggest issue.  I have 2016 105 on my “good” bike.  Now, I’m blessed through warranty and a slight leap into the unknown with a great setup via warranty replacement - an Eastway Emitter R0 which turned out to be light, stiff and comfortable and aero.  It’s a fast bike which with my carbon 50’s on holds a pace really well.  Anyway I find the 105 on it very crisp indeed, And in some respect it doesn’t need replacing at all.  The bike it replaced had Ultegra and it wasn’t as good as this one.

Obviously I need to ride both group sets.

I see it as a bit like comparing cable and hydro discs. New and well setup there’s very little difference but one stays feeling new and well setup much longer....

Interestingly a few in my roadie group have gone for Di2 front shifters (ie kept cable rear) on their winter bike, as they reckon that’s the best bang for buck wrt minimising setup and maintenance faffage.

Two lots of eTap here, first one bought when it had just come out as an aftermarket groupset. No issues over several years, but I've seen several people break/pull out cable connections on Di2... so just shows anecdote doesn't equal evidence based on others' experience mentioned above.

If you're fitting it to a frame, eTap will be much easier. If you're buying a complete bike then that doesn't matter.

Try both out, pick the one you like best.

I've been using eTap HRD 2x11 since late spring 2017 on my Bokeh with no problems both on an off road.

On the fitting / pulling out cackles on di2 this was the first set of di2 I’ve ever fitted. Most of it is fine - but the bit where you can have trouble is (a) measuring the cables right - you need more length on the cables than you think (I had to order one longer cable for the rear mech after the first one was too short) and (b) making sure the routing into the shifters is good. 2nd ride out at separate times in the ride I found the cable had pulled out of the shifter socket. Luckily I’d planned for teething issues and had some electrical tape with me - so I unwound all the grips / re-routed it / set it up properly again.

I think the key is to tuck the wires in below the brakes hoses and tape them firmly and then everything is grand.

The di2 routing round the bb (Cannondale Caad12 disc) was tricky too - although not actually as bad as trying to change a mechanical cable and get it sitting nicely. My bike doesn’t have internal guide cables - it just has the cables loose inside the downtube. No rattles though from the internal cables that I can tell.

(my particular bug-bear) if you got sick of internal cable routing making your bike RATTLE constantly.

You can get foam pipe that you put over cables on the inside runs so you can’t hear it slapping around inside.

Funnily enough of the handful of people I know of with DI2 and ETAP on both road and MTB the only ones who have had issues are those with DI2. The ETAP has run flawlessly. My brother runs it and he's up in Scotland with all the challenges of the Scottish weather and had zero issues. And he routinely is shipping his bike all over the place as he competes for GB veteran age group at triathlon.

However despite that I suspect overall both systems are supremely reliable. I've had issues from time to time with mechanical setups...often due to a lack of maintenance on my part but that is part of the catch with everything and no doubt the cause of the majority of failures of everything reported about by the internet.

I think the only downside to either DI2 or ETAP is cost. other than that why on earth would you have mechanical? Everyone I know who has gone electronic has said they'd never go back. I'm going to upgrade mine with AXS. Didi consider DI2 but just couldn't be arsed with the installation...running stripping the bike down, running cables all over the place, hiding junction boxes and batteries - rattling cables etc. A whole weekends work before dealing with the system crashes when attempting firmware updates (probably sorted by now I'm sure but something everyone with DI2 seems to complain about). Conversly I could have ETAP AXS installed and up and running in a couple or three hours. If I was buying a brand new bike then I'd have either DI2 or ETAP, but installing the stuff myself DI2 just seems like a complete faff.

Personally I changed from ultegra Di2 to dura ace 9100 mechanical and far prefer it. I struggled with the shift button with winter gloves on.

My best bike is 11 speed etap and it just works.

New sram AXS 12 speed I’ve not had myself but I get to fix plenty of it and all I can advise is run as far from it as you can. All the rear mech issues I’ve seen are force Axs. The red might be ok but I don’t know

I can’t comment on ETAP/AXS, but have been sufficiently impressed by Di2, that I upgraded all of my bikes from a mix of Dura Ace 9120 mechanical, R685s and GRX to Dura Ace 9170 and GRX 815 on three bikes during lockdown.

I’d never go back if money/bike security wasn’t an issue.

Yes, cable routing can be a pain, but firmware updates done via the laptop/charger are a doddle. Bluetooth firmware is a bit hit and miss.

I’ve had a faulty rear mech cause a power drain, but other than that, in 5 years of Di2, I’ve never had a fault.

The newer GRX stuff is much quieter in operation than the older XTR and Dura Ace stuff.

I’d not consider DI2 on my MTB. The XTR shifters are so smooth and simple in operation, that there’s just no need.

Which got me thinking, is Di2 and ETAP or electronic per se THAT much better than mechanical gears, bearing in mind I can service the latter myself?

The one aspect where it is better than a well set up and maintained mechanical system is the self trimming front mech- oh and if you want to use the synchro shifting option.

Note I said "well set up and maintained mechanical system". I reckon before I went Di2 about a third of my bike maintenance time went on adjusting and fettling gears. Since I went Di2 I charge the battery every 2-3 months and that's it, literally no other maintenance over the last three years.

If you have the cash its really a no-brainer

We have 3 Di2 bikes. Team members have had di2 as well. I prefer the idea of eTAP.

List of issues:

i)batteries die - happened to a few now - sure it would happen to eTAP - but the eTAP ones are so much easier to get your hands on.

ii) internal routing of cables can be easy, can be a pain. Had problems with mine (not di2's fault - kids fault) and you have to remove the cranks to get at the junction box

iii) problems seen in races - crash protection - I believe that most of the issues we have experienced and seen is to do with the mech trying to protect itself. You need to "reboot" the mech for it to work again

iv) DI2 batteries just seem to be die. After a few years you start to have issues with some of them. You just need to accept that you need to buy a new £120 battery that has £10 worth of cells in them...

I only know one friend who uses eTAP - he is very happy with it - but it gets far less abuse than the di2 listed above. So not fair comparison.

I know one big national team had AXS last year and riders were seen having issues. So, in similar situations AXS has it's own issues too.

Given the choice, I would buy AXS, certainly not saying it is any better though.

It’s probably worth less than official value, but my two pennies is that if it takes batteries, it has no business in cycling. The fundamental aspects of cycling, that is...

😉

Given how much longer Di2 has been around than Sram stuff, you’d expect to hear of par more issues, but I don’t.

The batteries don’t simply die after a while - as others have said, they last for years with nothing but a recharge every few months. If your batteries are dying then get the system checked with the PCE02 Diagnostic tool with battery drain functionality. Likely to be water ingress at one of the cable to component junctions.

Di2 just seems a half way house, what with wires to route through frames. Etap being wireless seems like it has the most benefits in both use and maintenance/fitting.

The batteries don’t simply die after a while –

oh they do , might not be intended design feature but this does happen.

Be it via a duff battery or a duff load .

any systems susceptible to either failure.

but i view it the same as a (mechanical) cable failure..... those happen too.

chance of either is slim though - but (mechanical) cables its a bit less random you can feel/see it coming . When a battery decides its done its done.

Looks like ETAP though, although I'm a Shimano fan so needed persuading, I looked over a bike yesterday with the removable batteries and it looked nice - except, has anyones batteries popped out over a pothole or are they very secure?

FWIW, this is 2020 version of my 2022 savings plan potential outcome....

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes/endurance-bikes/endurace/endurace-cf-slx-disc-8.0-etap/2398.html?dwvar_2398_pv_rahmenfarbe=RD%2FBK&quantity=1

Select "Red Tinted" colour for the full effect.

I've had 11sp Red eTap for just over 2 years, only issue I had was when the rear derailleur started missing/banking shifts - a known issue, replaced under warranty.

Would imagine it's resolved with the new AXS which I'll be getting for my build, although most likely Force as I'm on a budget!

Can't compare with Di2 as I've never used it.

No problems with the batteries.

Di2 is magnificent, works faultlessly, the shifting is soooo good. I have a well set-up 105 groupset on my other bike and though that works fine, the Di2 is different gravy.

Bear in mind that I have Ultegra 6800, I'm sure the latter versions are even better. I had the dilemma of whether to go mechanical Dura-Ace or electronic Ultegra when I bought the bike and am very glad I made the decision I did.

Not tried eTap, but like most of SRAM's stuff, I hear a disproportionate amount of complaints from club mates and friends about it's durability and reliability compared to Shimano stuff.

Trailrat - I disagree and used to sell it for a living. Expect I've had a bit more exposure to it (upsides and downsides) compared to most.

I recently had to pick between the same bike with Di2 or Force eTap and in the end I went with the Di2.

It mainly came down to battery life in the end, Di2 just seems to last a lot longer and you don't need to charge/change as many batteries. As I wasn't building it I didn't see any other benefit to the wireless SRAM.

One other thing to consider is cost of consumables in the future (i.e. cassettes) - the 12sp SRAM ones are nice, but expensive without options to downspec i.e. put a 105 cassette on instead of Ultegra.

I'm loving the electric shifting, it just works without faff every single time.

Etap is amazing, you dont realise how much you are compromising using cables until you try it.
the downside is that when you crash and scrape your levers you get quoted 3-4 months lead time and £300 per lever to replace them. fortunately ive been able to supress my OCD for keeping my bike looking like new, i was considering replacing the lever until i crashed and damaged the other side, £600 is insane!

Genuinely struggling to see how cables are a compromise. @sailor74 what do you mean?

If you are talking about the app etc, Di2 has this too you just need the wireless adaptor.

Just on the above point, I don’t see di2 as a compromise once it’s fitted. You only have 1 battery to charge instead of 4 (presumably 1 per mech and 1 per shifter) and there is an app you can use with the Bluetooth sensor. Albeit the app isn’t particularly modern looking and firmware through it can be quite buggy from what I’ve heard.

I just plugged my di2 all in and it worked, so I haven’t actually enabled the Bluetooth module in there as I haven’t needed to. I thought I’d like syncro shift but actually I’ve tried it a few times and not a huge fan.

The main advantage of eTap seems to be ease of fitting - although you’ve still got hydraulic brake hoses to route if using discs.

Etap for me. I was 'forced' to an extent as my frame I was upgrading has external routing, but I love the wire/cable free lines and simplicity. I also like that the batteries are removable and interchangeable, so I don't have to try and store the bike near a plug to charge and you can remove when flying and take in hand luggage. Batteries easily last >700km between charges, and that's on the rear.

Shifting wise, I don't really notice whether the shift speed is faster or slower than Di2 etc, it works and that's about all I need. I test rode a bike with DA Di2 and would say the Shimano front mech is better as it auto trims, but I hated the buttons as I found them way two small. I much prefer the distinct 'click' you get with etap. I used to Run Ultegra and Force mechanical previously and front shifts especially are much crisper especially under load. It's also crisp every time and stays that way, not just when the cables are new. Do I 'need' electronic? No. Would I give it up and go back to mechanical? Nope!

There is the obvious point that everyone is missing. For fixed money, do you go dura ace mechanical or ultegra Di2? There is always something a bit special about a bike with DA. And it really doesn’t shift any better than Ultegra mechanical now. But shiny.

I went DA9000.

@chrisdb im talking about the compromise on shifting performance. before trying Etap i thought my cable shifting was fine, new cables now and again but nothing to complain about. after running Etap on one of my bikes i notice the perfect shifting every time, no cable stretch, no slight clicking you get around 8th gear with cables, no stiffening up over time and a consistent super light touch shift that can be programmed to move numerous gears and/or do other things. my left shifter moves the gears up the cassette, my right shifter moves then down, both together drops the seatpost.
its certainly not a necessity but it does make a real world difference, i was more than surprised with it

^ So you mean the compromise between mechanical & electronic, not between Di2 & Etap

Electronic is better than mechanical for me although I’ve never tried dura ace mechanical - only 105 and Ultegra (and Tiagra, and Rival).

The front mech shifting is the biggest game changer - I’m a few months in and it still surprises me how easy the shift is up to the big ring. Plus never needing to adjust the gears to keep it shifting properly.

I’ve got a DA Di2 roadie which has been flawless and no issues with it at all.
Have Ultegra Di2 on gravel bike, had two problems which I’ve now traced in both instances to something leaning on the shifter and draining the battery. For me it’s very fit and forget, good for frames with dodgy routing as well, I’m looking at you Stigmata. I’ve added climbing shifters under the bars and that’s is fantastic. I’d struggle to go back to a cabled bike esp where I ride in the flag a lot.

@sailor74 got it - you are talking about the compromise of using cable operated mechs. I thought you were talking about wireless v *electronic* cable operated mechs i.e. Di2.

Totally agree with you that electronic shifting (whether wired di2 or wireless etap) is far superior to mechanical cable shifting.

I can't add to the comparison much as have never ridden ETAP or mechanical Dura-ace. But I love my Di2. As others have said it's just perfect, effortless shifting every single time. I'm definitely in the "would never go back" category.

But just to add to the synchro shift comments, I didn't get on with it either but do use the semi-synchro option. With that enabled, you still manually shift at the front, but it will automatically change 2 (by default, it can be configured) at the back in the opposite direction. So a front change has a smaller effect, but you still know when it's going to happen. It's the perfect middle ground for me.

I do like the idea of the auto trim on an electric front mech, but I don't race now so changing gear isn't such a matter of life or death 😉
I use DA mechanical on road and CX,XTR and XT on MTBs, it’s perfect for the riding I do and has never ,ever let me down .
I also just really like that feel /feedback of a mechanical change on a well set up drive train.

In the spirit of genuine enquiry and not trying to prove any particular point:

1) Snapped gear cables, really? I think this last happened to me 15 years ago when I put in a massive winter's riding on the MTB and ignored a front mech outer which was jammed with grit, and a front mech that was solid with rust, and even then it was the outer which exploded, gear cable stayed intact...

2) Maintenance - from the few comments up there it sounds like the occasional rebooting of rear mechs or even quarterly 'having to charge batteries' is already as much time as I spend maintaining my 105 and Ultegra shifting, very seldom will I tweak a barrel adjuster and since I have inline adjusters I can do this whilst riding anyway...

3) Effortless shifting - how much effort was your mechanical shifting? Even my slightly gummed up 105 drivetrain on the 'winter' bike (read - 3+1/2 seasons bike in Scotland...) is almost as effortless as it could be, and the Ultegra drivetrain on the summer bike is an even lighter action (almost too light in fact, would prefer it clunkier).

Are the D12ers just putting in massive miles? My two mechanical bikes share 10,000km between them on original cables and outers. Again, I don't care what folks spend their money on, just surprised my experiences seem so out of step, makes me worry I'm not riding enough! 😀

Again, I don’t care what folks spend their money on, just surprised my experiences seem so out of step

I don't think they are, and this is the spirit of my original question; having never ridden with 'lectric gears, it may be better avoided in that you don't know what you don't know.  If'm happy with 2016 105, and I never try/know how good electric gears are, I could go for a cheaper-dish Dura Ace mechanical bike, feel an excellent upgrade at the hoods and save some cash.

I also have the 50 coming up in 15 months and a similar spending spree has crossed my mind. Only ridden Di2 once for a week on a hire bike in Mallorca and it was heaven.

My current 2015 road has 105's and I cant fault it really but the bike has taken a few on and off roads knocks over the years and I can easily convince myself it can become a good winter bike.
I've been thinking about heading this way for a while but had put everything on the back burner planning wise, but now I've looked at that Canyon page again after successfully weening myself off it, the voices in my head have started again!

I'm not convinced I could currently be persuaded to go electronic due purely to price (and minor faff with having to remember to charge the battery) however I've had minor niggles (dodgy shifting from a damaged cable or a cable outer that's frayed at the end for instance) and near total failure (cable ended up on two strands, not really shifting very well, before I noticed the damage) on mechanical, along with the commuter cables needing done about once a year. So I wouldn't discount electronic shifting on the basis of reliability. And it does sound like once it's set up, it just works, and offers more flexibility with additional shift buttons etc.

I guess if I was building a dream road race or TT bike, it'd have it on.

I could go for a cheaper-dish Dura Ace mechanical bike, feel an excellent upgrade at the hoods and save some cash.

Yeah, I'd be wondering what else I could spend that extra money on, extra posh saddle? Power meter at cranks?

I do actually think I'd quite like the extra shift buttons, and as an obsessive front mech trimmer it would be quite nice to have auto trim, but on the flip side I have all the tools and know-how to work on mechanical shifting, I wouldn't want to have to learn anything new!*

*see also: tubeless, discs... 😀

Are the D12ers just putting in massive miles? My two mechanical bikes share 10,000km between them on original cables and outers. Again, I don’t care what folks spend their money on, just surprised my experiences seem so out of step, makes me worry I’m not riding enough!

Yes I think so. The experiences I am listing is based off young racers (who love to crash), who do massive miles (~15,000km per year, per rider), some of which has been bought secondhand. If you limit di2 experience to just what I have experienced - I have had no issues.

Even things like crash protection (eg Sagan playing around with his mech - where it had probably gone into crash protection mode) is irrelevant to 98% of us. It is also easy to rectify (unplug/reboot). But I have seen it happen "just" going into the first corner of a crit where unnatural forces at put into the drivertrain.

Somebody else I know who does 2 x 30 miles x 4 days a week x 48 weeks a year swears by (campag) electronic shifting.

I'm starting to realise that my gravel bike would be better replaced with a proper road bike - for all the gravel riding I do, my HT would be better, and my Strava times will be better on something a bit more aero - so I'm also starting to look around. The Canyon Kryton mentioned, or possibly something like this Cannondale: https://www.cannondale.com/en/bikes/road/race/supersix-evo/supersix-evo-carbon-disc-ultegra-di2?sku=c11551m1044. So I'm having the same thoughts...

On this:

3) Effortless shifting – how much effort was your mechanical shifting?

...having just got back from a quick morning ride, it's really annoying how round about the 4/5/6th sprockets on my 105, it'll shift up the cassette instantly, but shifting down (ie to faster gears) they always hang a bit, and I have to overshoot by one then shift it back if that makes sense. There's nothing else wrong with the cables or derailleur, just I need to adjust the cable tension minutely I guess. *That's* the kind of irritation I'd love to do without

Di2 isn’t essential, but it’s definitely a nice to have. Even several months in I notice how nice the gears are - and when you try manual shifting in comparison there’s just something not quite as nice. As I mentioned above it’s the ease with which you go from small chainring to big chainring that’s still surprising me, plus no fiddling needed for the gears to just work perfectly all the time.

Actually I’ve realised I’m on a fairly low rent Sram chain with a 105 cassette, Ultegra mechs and a Cannondale Spidering crankset. I’ve got a new uktegra chain waiting to go on - I doubt it’ll make much difference but it might just make shifting that bit sweeter too. When this Ultegra chain ends it’s life and the cassette is at the same stage I’ll prob pickup an Ultegra cassette and chain to replace them.

…having just got back from a quick morning ride, it’s really annoying how round about the 4/5/6th sprockets on my 105, it’ll shift up the cassette instantly, but shifting down (ie to faster gears) they always hang a bit, and I have to overshoot by one then shift it back if that makes sense. There’s nothing else wrong with the cables or derailleur, just I need to adjust the cable tension minutely I guess.

Off topic, but if the cables are clean and nothing has play in it, check the B tension as well as the cable tension setup. It can make a big difference and a lot of people don't bother with it.

Off topic, but if the cables are clean and nothing has play in it, check the B tension as well as the cable tension setup. It can make a big difference and a lot of people don’t bother with it.

Thank you, will do! Would screwing it in or out help?

Loosen it (cable)

B screw depends on where it’s at now. Have a look at the online guides, generally its a case of putting it in the biggest sprocket and setting the separation to top jockey wheel to about 6mm.

Any comments on the 48/35 default ETAP crankset?  Why have SRAM made that move, and does it matter...?

Cassette comes with 10 sprocket so big ring doesn't need to be so big.

I only have Di2, prefer over mechanical.
Mate prefers Di2 over Etap
Other mate loves Etap, never had Di2, but prefers mech Red on a perfectly set up bike.

Big thing for me on Di2 hydro is no cables, especially on an all year bike. On a summer fair weather lightweight bike then Red is awesome.

Etap very useful on non Di2 frames.

I guess if I was building a dream road race or TT bike, it’d have it on.

I would not go back to manual shifting on a TT bike. A few reasons: cables are often subject to some serious sharp curves out of the aerobars, front end tinkering with position is very common for TT, as is swapping extensions, when you are knackered a button push is simple! But there is no difference in shifting between the two brand (have both).

ETAP has the downside that the blip box is harder to hide out of the wind. Di2 has cables. Both of my bi/trikes have steel frames so the cables are external. Doesn’t really show to be honest.

I haven't tried ETAP, I was put off by the shape of the levers on the HRD versions.

I ran mech ultegra with RS685 shifters (none series, but kind of Ultegra level) and then switched to Hydro/Mech Dura-ace (9120), caved after around 6 months and installed 9170 dura ace levers with 9070 mechs (I was running 9000 crankset and wanted them to match). The DI2 shifters are so much nicer in the hand than the mechanical version, this is what drove me to switch, the ease of shifting was just a bonus. You can see the difference in size on this photo

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I'm now on a 1X setup having sold my genesis zero frame to build a 3T Exploro. I have an XT DI2 rear mech paired to a wide range cassette (Hope 10-44) for gravel use and an Ultegra RX805 rear mech for road riding paired with an e13 9-34 cassette (dedicated chains for each setup). Without the plug and play capability of DI2 there's no way I'd be able to switch so easily.

I do keep thinking about a wholesale switch to SRAM so that I could run an Eagle AXS rear mech for ultimate range on the gravel and still be able to use the Force 10-36 for the road, but I do think the Shimano DI2 lever shape takes some beating.

Does anyone have a rough guide of what length wires are required for fitting Di2 on a CX bike running the bar end junction box Ew Rs910 and throwing a wireless EW Wu111 in there too.

Cheers