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im about to drop the bomb on a Canyon Speedmax TT bike. It’s a choice between the Ultegra models, one Di2, one Mechanical, otherwise identical specs, but £900 difference. I’ve never had Di2 on my road bikes but I imagine it’s handy on a TT bike when on the extension bars. Does it actually make much difference? How much of a hindrance are mechanical gears on a TT bike, if any?
Di2 is wonderful to use, never mind all the practicalities of shifter positions etc, you should get it for that.
Don't suppose you fancy a 56cm Cervelop P3 Di2 instead do you 🙂
I am taking a break from Ironman/TT and fancy a change to a S3 Disk for the summer.
for me the benefit would be changing gear when you're on the base bars. when you're in the red, having to think about gears before entering a corner, was always a struggle. If you have the satellite shifters on the brakes that problem is gone, as is the nightmare of changing gear on a climb
and, Di2 is wonderful to use, and maintain (i.e zero maintenance)
Oh and answering the OP's question, Di2 is brilliant and it does have the advantage of being able to shift from the base bar and the extensions as Warton said.
I would not buy a bike without it now.
Having tried it in a workshop, if i buy another road or cx bike, it will have di2, it is absolutely the dogs bollocks.
Di2 is brilliant, I've been running it for a few years on my roadie. Couple of failures which have been annoying but otherwise shifts as well as it did when I bought it. I wouldn't buy a "nice" bike without it now.
I'd love a cheap option for my winter bike. Did a cold race the other week in the snow and it was really good for shifting with cold wet hands.
On the TT bike I assume the cables are neater and will shift better so that is a big plus.
Would put it on every bike except for the cost. If you are spending a lot anyway then I'd go for it. On a race TT bike it should last forever.
I haven't used Di2, but I'd guess cabling is probably the main advantage on a TT bike, because you can clean up the front end a bit if you are not routing mechanical gear outers. If you want to save £900, mechanical end shifters on TT extensions work fine. You'll be spending most of your time with your hands right over the shifters in a TT, and it's rarely a problem to reach across on the odd occasion when you have to change while on the base bars.
Di2 is fine but I recon you'll see more benefit, in terms of time, by going mechanical and spending that £900 difference on fancier wheels, unless it's the super-duper one which already has the Zipps, then go for Di2
Both come with DT Swiss Dicut 1400 wheels, 60/80 mm rims iirc. So not much if anything to gain from there. It’s purely down to having Di2 or saving £900.
Electronic on a TT bike. Shifters give a better UCI compliant position. More importantly, when you are tired, finger touch shifting is an absolute Godsend.
Btw eTap is miles nicer and so much easier to instal on a TT bike.
I went from 9spd Dura Ace to 11spd eTap. Even Di2 testers are moving over due to ease of installation
If the difference is 900 quid but all other parts are the same surely the di2 parts don't cost more than 900 quid bought separately.. So you can then sell the non di 2 stuff and save some cash
Just got my first TT bike, a second hand P3 with mechanical Dura Ace. I love it but already been pricing up Di2 kit... Not sure if I'll pull the trigger on it, but that's mostly due to being tight and getting better with the mechanical shifting and planning ahead every ride. We'll see!
when you are tired, finger touch shifting is an absolute Godsend.
If you get to the point in a TT where pulling a gear shifter is a problem, the solution is eating something, not Di2!
£900 could buy you lots moar aeroz couldn't it?
If you're already sorted for helmets, skinsuits disc wheels and shoe covers then Go for the Di2, but I thought the TT mantra was prioritise Aero, then power and all the other fancy gubbins sits further down the list?
My TTs might be a bit longer. Trust me the difference is huge.
Might not make you any faster but the first time you replace a gear cable on a TT bike you will wish you had Di2.
Being able to shift from multiple positions is nice, no sticky cables is nice, auto trim is nice.
On the flipside if Di2 shits itself there is not much you can do to get going at the side of the road, spares are expensive.
DI2 is great , even when you forget to check if it is charged , like me today . still managed a good ride on small ring with only rear shifting .
£900 is taking the piss to upgrade from mechanical ultegra to Di2 - id buy the mechanical one, strip it all out, sell it and buy an eTap aero groupset, would probably come in cheaper than the ultegra di2 bike
My TTs might be a bit longer. Trust me the difference is huge.
Longer than what?
Red etap aero for £1036 from ubyk. You will need a set of brake levers as well though
Longer than typical for a TT. After a few hours, button shifting makes a difference. I wouldn’t go back.
The positional gains are also real, if riding UCI or BC events. The regulations include the shifters in vertical and horizontal mode when calculating extension length.
It wasn’t monitored at the Tour of Cambridgeshire Chrono, but quite a few riders fell foul of the regulations once they got to the world championships in Albi