Tired of waiting for Shimano to come out with electronic shifting? Well Ki2Bikes have done it for you so you don’t have to wait. It takes factory Shimano Dura Ace Di2 shifters and mechs, pulls them apart and remakes them for mountain bike use. This involves a new cage on the rear mech, new springs and pivot points, oh and custom made shifters that use the Di2 buttons. This gives you push button up/down shifting under each thumb.
Closeup of the custom machined control pod that mounts directly to the XTR brakes. Operation is pretty crisp and direct and it moves the electronic rear mech a step at a time.
Dura Ace rear mech is given new pulley cage and the springs are beefed up to cope with the new purpose.
Doesn't look that odd, does it?
Front mech works on a 2x10 XTR crank. There's no triple option with Dura Ace anyway! Battery lives in that grey box.
Really nice, stealthy looking Tomac Supermatic
Left hand pod for front shifting.
That's the little Dura Ace control pod and battery indicator. It can be hidden away if not needed.
You’re going to be asking about the price for all this, aren’t you? Well, for a complete electric XTR kit, including brakes too, you’re looking at around $5000. For just the shifters and mechs, it’s a paltry $3500 or so.
With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
I’d love to try this as it’s sounds great. Some armour plating round that rear mech would be good though – you wouldn’t want to rip that off in a crash!!
Looks good, but I can’t help thinking all of these Di2 conversions are a bit of a waste of time. Surely Shimano must be working on an electronic off road version of their own which is a bit less cobbled together that will make these homemade efforts a bit redundant.
Why ? Whats wrong with cables – they work without batteries and are very very cheap in comparison. They will work in the wet and mud and weigh much less, dont need recharging. All other issues will be the same as for the electric ones.
Why not make steam powered ones ? Or wishfull thinking powered ones 🙂
I love it when people solve a problem that does not exist. Are people with £5000 burning a hole in there pocket also, so lazy they can’t be bothered to use there thumbs anymore?
I have no idea why any road rider would buy Di2 either, again solves a problem that doesn’t exist. I guess the next step is wireless shifting, which would be awesome if you could hack it and start shifting other peoples gears for them from your phone.
Cost – Ouch, but i gues it is pretty much bespoke.
Shame they can’t shove the gubbins into an XTR shadow mech, but i guess thats just not possible.
I do like that though!
its costly to start with before you even start modding,
upper wire harness with junction box – £89
lower wire harness – £150
shifters – £80 a pop
battery – £72
battery charger – £60
its the rrp of the mechs thats the killer £500 each, i guess the above prices are working on that
my di2 mech was 200 quid off eBay and i paid similar for a brand new boxed front mech – bargains can be had if you look around
Can they not dump the battery and drive it off the cranks/cassette, since you need to be pedaling to shift anyway?
like the black chainring bolts. Makes the XTR chainset look a little less contrived
That Supermatic is lovely but I would be worried by the rear tire clearance!
Liking the idea of pedal power! Though I’m going to wait until they’re wireless…
Nice work though. Men in sheds and all…
I’d love to try this as it’s sounds great. Some armour plating round that rear mech would be good though – you wouldn’t want to rip that off in a crash!!
Looks good, but I can’t help thinking all of these Di2 conversions are a bit of a waste of time. Surely Shimano must be working on an electronic off road version of their own which is a bit less cobbled together that will make these homemade efforts a bit redundant.
Awesomness… looks soooo coool!
Bang on! I was wondering how come that was the first 2011 XTR chainset I’d seen that actually appeared to look nice. It’s the black bolts, init..
Why ? Whats wrong with cables – they work without batteries and are very very cheap in comparison. They will work in the wet and mud and weigh much less, dont need recharging. All other issues will be the same as for the electric ones.
Why not make steam powered ones ? Or wishfull thinking powered ones 🙂
I love it when people solve a problem that does not exist. Are people with £5000 burning a hole in there pocket also, so lazy they can’t be bothered to use there thumbs anymore?
I have no idea why any road rider would buy Di2 either, again solves a problem that doesn’t exist. I guess the next step is wireless shifting, which would be awesome if you could hack it and start shifting other peoples gears for them from your phone.
>Can they not dump the battery and drive it off the cranks/cassette, since you need to be pedaling to shift anyway?
Any form of dynamo would take up some of your power, fine for most of us but not for racers!