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flag MWasson
Posted: May 18, 2016 at 8:00 Quote
vtown wrote:
No hate: I'm just wondered why does one need / want electric shifting? Seems like cables work well and are lighter. What is the upside?

It is not heavy. You can compare an XTR Di2, single ring, single shifter, Di2 cables and a small battery that last for months.

If you look at the top tier XC and enduro bikes, they are equipped with Di2-

Yeti SB6 C

Cube Elite C68 SLT 29

Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt 799 MSL

S-Works Epic Di2

SCOTT Spark 700 Ultimate Di2

Pivot MACH 4 Carbon 27.5 XTR Di2 1x



and while we’re on the subject of shifting, the Firebolts shifters are insanely good. All of my shifts felt light and precise and so far, there wasn’t any case of miss-shifts or ghost shifting (it can happen if you have a slightly bent hanger) and the chainlines are still perfect to this day. All that was needed to do was to set it up right, and shifting becomes a dream. It’s buttery smooth, even during multi shifts and mid-climb shifts, both front and rear. And because it was so smooth, I could easily shift more often to maintain my comfort-zone cadence, on lazy days and on hard-charging sessions. And because you don’t have to pull any cables to shift, it felt so light and easy. And so, it’s been an amazing 3 months and we’ve learned alot about how the XTR Di2 can change the multi faceted dynamics of mountain biking. In a nutshell, it’s smooth, brilliant, precise engineering and full on performance is what makes us flash teethy white grins like a crazy psychopath in the middle of Bukit Timah. It’s insanely impressive how Shimano has managed to cram all that performance and digital technology into these tiny works of art, and at the same time allowing multiple levels of custom setup. The XTR Di2 is a huge refinement of an already amazing mechanical groupset, and it has proven to be so much better than we had expected. And as long as nobody is turning bikes into T-800 Cyberdyne Systems Model 101’s, the future of electronics in mountain biking is definitely looking awesome.

Getting back to the shift quality, it always feels the same, no matter what the conditions are. With a mechanical shifter, chain tension can affect how hard it is to push the shifter. With Di2, it’s always the same. If you click the lever twice, the derailleur will shift twice, no matter what. Shifting is deadly accurate each and every time, even if you’re powering up a climb. It’s absolutely amazing. Your current shifting might be good, but this stuff is on a whole different level. Do you need it? No. But you don’t need full suspension or disc brakes either.
Read more at http://www.bikemag.com/gear/components/drivetrain/down-and-dirty-with-shimano-xtr-di2/#m4QqAYrlgagupIJC.99

Undeniably Shimano has hit a home run with electronic mountain bike shifting. It’s also essentially the same weight as mechanical XTR—a feat Shimano says it achieved because the electronic wires are so much lighter than cables and housing.

Complaints aside, XTR Di2 still works better than anything else on the market. It’s fast, seriously accurate, completely customizable, and looks beautiful to boot. It is, in my opinion, the future of components. If you want to be an early adopter, you’re going to pay a premium. But if you want to save some cash, wait a few years, because hopefully there’s an XT version in the works.

There is a reason that top sports car makers have abandoned the stick shift and adopted electronically assisted dual-clutch transmissions and paddle shifters. They shift faster and more accurately and, more importantly, paddle shifting removes much of the workload from the driver. The same can be said for Shimano's Di2 XTR. If money were no object, only nostalgia would be a reason to choose mechanical shifting on a mountain bike - or a stick shift on a road car.

For those of you that are weight sensitive, the Di2 XTR is reported to be fractionally lighter than the mechanical version, despite the inclusion of a display unit, junction box and battery. This is achieved through the use of only one shifter, and the fact that the electronic wires are much lighter than the cable equivalents of the mechanical version. If you can justify spending R35k on a hobby/sport, it is a no-brainer. If you can't afford that pricetag, wait for the trickle down to XT. Now that I have it, I would want it more if I didn't have it, if that makes sense. This is the future, this is bigger than the fad move from 26er to 29er, from tubes to tubeless, from 2/3x10 to 1x11, from seatpost to dropper. In my view, this is the single greatest advance in the sport that I have seen during my time riding. I was way behind the times when it came to the 29er shift, I want to be at the cutting edge of this move.

http://ambmag.com.au/chris-panozzo-why-di2-makes-sense-in-enduro-racing/

If you have the money, it is the best system available on the market. We shall see what SRAM comes up with when they release their wireless setup for MTBs.

I wanted the best shifting on my bikes, and this stood out over all the other options. My Rohloff is superb, but it is heavy.
flag titaniumtit
Posted: May 19, 2016 at 5:33 Quote
vtown wrote:
No hate: I'm just wondered why does one need / want electric shifting? Seems like cables work well and are lighter. What is the upside?

Maybe where you are in dusty trail land using occasional squirt of lube on the inners.

For average joe blogs it's ott but for racing and if you can afford it why not!?
flag MWasson
Posted: May 20, 2016 at 21:18 Quote
vtown wrote:
No hate: I'm just wondered why does one need / want electric shifting? Seems like cables work well and are lighter. What is the upside?

This Open bike comes in at 8 kilos including a full XTR Di2 setup.

Emily Batty s Race Shop Limited ProCaliber SL. Betty opts to run a 11-42 cassette.

Super light XC bikes with Di2....if it was heavy, they would not use it at this level where weight is everything.
flag titaniumtit
Posted: May 21, 2016 at 8:14 Quote
Damn that open looks nice but spendy frames!
flag MWasson
Posted: May 21, 2016 at 9:10 Quote
titaniumtit wrote:
Damn that open looks nice but spendy frames!

Oh, was just showing that super light XC pro bikes use Di2 as well. With one shifter, small battery, display, junction box and electric cables it is as light as conventional XTR.
flag titaniumtit
Posted: May 21, 2016 at 9:21 Quote
Yh I know as an example. Smile


I'm gonna ask, have you encountered any cons as opposed to all the pros if running electronic gearing yet?
flag MWasson
Posted: May 21, 2016 at 9:37 Quote
titaniumtit wrote:
Yh I know as an example. Smile


I'm gonna ask, have you encountered any cons as opposed to all the pros if running electronic gearing yet?

None...absolutely amazing. Cannot go back to "normal" shifters now..I am ruined!
flag titaniumtit
Posted: May 21, 2016 at 10:05 Quote
Lol yes I bet!

Good on you for laying out the cost to find it works for you well.

I'm sure it's a no brainer to do so but I cannot justify it unless I was fit and raced a lot.
flag MWasson
Posted: Jun 4, 2016 at 5:10 Quote
What about the weight? When it comes to the entire system, a 2x drivetrain with only one shifter will be the same weight as a mechanical M9000 system. The actual M9050 components are 47 grams heavier than M9000, but the subtraction of the weight from cables and housing levels the playing field.

Front derailleur (FD-M9070 D-type) : 115 grams
Rear derailleur (RD-M9050-GS) : 289 grams
System display (SC-M9050) : 30 grams
Shift switch (SW-M9050) : 64 grams
FD = M9050 is 5 grams lighter
RD = M9050 is 68 grams heavier
SL = M9050 is 36 grams lighter (if you just use 1 it is 136 grams lighter)
BT = 51 grams (extra item)
SC = 30 grams (extra item)

 


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