Nice ain’t it! 😳

Swore last year when I bought a modest road bike that would be it, it was purely going to be an occasional tool for a bit of extra fitness and time on the bike when Mountain Biking wasn’t practical due to time or other constraints. And that’s how it stayed for over a year, until recently.

FFWD til a week or so ago, just started a new PT job in local bike shop that sells some very nice road bikes (and mountain bikes) and I’m getting all excited about road riding! And have even been talked into doing a 92 mile sportive in a few weeks! 😕

Then yesterday when it was quiet, the boss tells me to have a spin on his Pinarello with Ultegra Di2 on it! 😛

Nice barely describes it! WOW more like… Never had a go on a proper nice road bike before, and this was something else! And that’s still with relatively modest wheels fitted, so I bet with tubs and light Carbon rims it would be incredible!

Di2 is nice, have it on my road bike and makes riding more enjoyable strangely. Never have to worry about dropping the chain when doing a shift under power (when I am struggling up a hill)

Long term plan is to wait until discs on the road are sorted, and then buy into the whole lot.

“Mechanical” road bike ought to be worn in by then… 😉

I wanted to wait until discs for the road, but having ridden Ultegra brakes they are far far better than stuff from lower down the shimano line-up.

New boss in ‘let’s see if I can get him to pay me while he works here’ shocker 😉

New boss in ‘let’s see if I can get him to pay me while he works here’ shocker

Hehe

Quite the opposite actually! But was keen for me to understand the difference it can make so I have a bit more knowledge when selling road stuff… I’m the go to guy for Mountain Bike knowledge already, but when it comes to road bikes, I’ve got a fair bit to learn still.

I wanted to wait until discs for the road, but having ridden Ultegra brakes they are far far better than stuff from lower down the shimano line-up.

Well set up high end Road Caliper Brakes really are quite shockingly powerful aren’t they! In the dry… I’d suggest discs still make sense on a commuter bike, but less so on a full on head down arse up Race Rep road bike still.

Di2 is nice, have it on my road bike and makes riding more enjoyable strangely.

It is nice, but from someone who knows, is it £1k nicer than regular Ultegra? Cos that’s the price difference we’re talking here on two otherwise same spec bikes, one with regular Ultegra and one with Di2. I’m still massively impressed just how good my 9spd Tiagra setup is when compared with its MTB equivalent (probably Deore) in terms of function.

What you should be asking is “does it shift as nicely as mechanical Dura Ace which is comparable in price?” or even “does it shift as nicely as Dura Ace Di2 which is much more expensive?”.

Oh and I don’t think the price difference between mechanical and Di2 Ultegra is really a grand is it? I would guess more like £650ish? If the two bikes are a grand apart there must be other spec differences?

It is nice, but from someone who knows, is it £1k nicer than regular Ultegra?

Seeing as Canyon do £1800 bikes, with a full Ultegra Di2 groupset, WCS finishing kit, kysrium elite wheels and a 1150g frame that seems like excessive hyperbole!

Never tried it, but I’ll probably buy in next year if 2 things happen.

1) ultegra goes 11 speed, no point buying into something about to be obsolete.
2) SRAM go 11 speed, just to be sure they don’t spoil the party with an xx.1 style freehub and 44-9 top gear

Not that either really matters, but I waited last time when DA went 10 speed and was proved right so fancy keeping my winning streak of buying in at the right time.

Seeing as Canyon do £1800 bikes, with a full Ultegra Di2 groupset, WCS finishing kit, kysrium elite wheels and a 1150g frame that seems like excessive hyperbole!

On said bike, you’re paying for a LOT over and above what you get with a Canyon other than the Di2. Don’t get me wrong, I like Canyon, but in this instance we’re talking about a boutique Italian Brand’s high end hand made carbon frame and top drawer finishing kit Vs mass made in Taiwan ally frame and parts.

Though to be honest, the Canyon is possibly worth buying for the components alone to stick on another, more boutique frame, should you so desire, it’s that good value!

that’s why I went for 2 year 0%… in 2 years time Di2 and discs should be in my budget window, and the mechanical drivetrain on my bike will be wearing out!

Yeah £650’s closer, no way it’s £1000.

Reckon I’d go Ultegra Di2 over DA mechanical now I must say.

On said bike, you’re paying for a LOT over and above what you get with a Canyon other than the Di2. Don’t get me wrong, I like Canyon, but in this instance we’re talking about a boutique Italian Brand’s high end hand made carbon frame and top drawer finishing kit Vs mass made in Taiwan ally frame and parts.

So it’s still not 1k for Di2… I’d have the £2500 Cube with the <1000g carbon frame. Most of the ’boutique’ Italian frames are heavy and ridiculously overpriced.

I like Canyon, but in this instance we’re talking about a boutique Italian Brand’s high end hand made carbon frame and top drawer finishing kit Vs mass made in Taiwan ally frame and parts.[/b]

I’m pretty sure all Pinarello are all made in Asia…

And the Dogma frame, at £3500 weighs more than the alu Canyon.

I thought that too. And that the Canyon has exceptional reviews,redifining what can be done with Aluminium.

And if we are talking about a Pinarello then MOST finishing kit is far from top drawer, your average Canyon is better!

Yeah £650’s closer, no way it’s £1000.

I was surprised, but it’s the FPQuattro Ultegra at £2999 Vs the FPQuattro Ultegra Di2 at £3999 I’m comparing. I can’t see the spec differences elsewhere myself!

Reckon I’d go Ultegra Di2 over DA mechanical now I must say.

Does it really feel better you reckon? And how much extra weight does it carry?

And the Dogma frame, at £3500 weighs more than the alu Canyon.

Hey, I don’t make the prices! But every man on the street knows which British cyclists ride a Pinarello…

I thought that too. And that the Canyon has exceptional reviews,redifining what can be done with Aluminium.

Like the Cannondale CAAD10 then? Be interesting what price the £1800 Canyon would be if they didn’t sell direct to market…

Oh, and there definitely seems to be a huge amount more snobbery in the roadie world regarding brands than MTB. The Bianchi Oltre we have in is lovely, but it’s £7500! I don’t think I could ride that… Ever! I’d be too scared.

which British cyclists ride a Pinarello…

Round here, fat middle aged ones.

Round here, fat middle aged ones.

😆

FWIW njee, we also sell Merida… Really like the look of the new £1500 Scultura with 105… Shame I don’t have the money or the need for it really!

Be interesting what price the £1800 Canyon would be if they didn’t sell direct to market…

Looks like gbp 1625 now or am I looking at the wrong canyon ? 😯

stupid question,but what happens when the batteries run out 😕

batteries should be available for many years to come, I suggest.

I was surprised, but it’s the FPQuattro Ultegra at £2999 Vs the FPQuattro Ultegra Di2 at £3999 I’m comparing. I can’t see the spec differences elsewhere myself!

That’s the whole bike, there isn’t £1000 difference in the groupset. Top Google result, but here the upgrade kit is only $1355. The mechanical group is about $600 or so for the same parts. How Pinarello price their bikes is sommat else, but you don’t pay £1000 extra for Di2.

Does it really feel better you reckon? And how much extra weight does it carry?

IMO yes, definitely, it’s a totally different feel. Dunno about the weight, not much, think it’s about 200g over mechanical Ultegra, a pound over mechanical DA.

But every man on the street knows which British cyclists ride a Pinarello…

No they don’t. ‘British’ cyclists use UKSI bikes anyway! Don’t get me wrong, a Prince has always been my bike of lust (admittedly less so since it was superseded by the Dogma, as everything else has moved on), but they are not cutting edge, light, handmade or value for money!

stupid question,but what happens when the batteries run out

When they completely run out, then you have a singlespeed. But IIRC there’re limp home modes and warnings to tell you its going flat and the battery lasts something silly like 3 months of regular use.

Ultegra Di2 weighs half a lb less than 105 mechanical (but most of that’s in the other bits not the Di2), the mechs/shifters/battery/cables are about the same (similarly DA Di2 was similarly lighter than ultegra mechanical, and lighter than 7800 mechanical!), so it’s a fair bit more but not enough to wory about with 6.8kg limit, weight weenies use Red anyway as that’s a huge chunk lighter than DA again.

DA – the best shifting
Campag – the best niche/price tag
SRAM – the lightest

Looks like gbp 1625 now or am I looking at the wrong canyon ?

Nope, it really is that cheap! £1250 with mechanical ultegra too!

The limp home mode stops the front mech from working as that uses the most battery. Then you still have enough juice to complete more than the average STWer road ride before the rear stops working.

Doesn’t it warn you for a few hundred miles too? Just strikes me as a complete non issue frankly!

Strangely the Cannondale I want is £1000 cheaper if I buy it with Dura Ace Di12.

Can’t see me going electric for many years yet. I bet I see it appear more on Sunday socials before on the local race scene.

That’s the case with any high end stuff, and not at all unreasonably, far less likely to trash it because of some other idiot’s poor riding on a Sunday ride than you are in a race! I want a new Madone 7 series, but I’d think twice about rising a local crit on it!

You do come across as a pompous arse fairly regularly OG!

I see the new 2013 DA will be using 11spd and ultegra style wiring.

I feel like such a luddite – still on 9spd DA here. I’ve had a play and di2 is very slick but I have to say though I don’t go out riding and think the ride has been totally spoilt by clunky gears – cos they just aren’t. I’m more than aware the main defect in my riding these days is the dodgy engine, not the transmission! Everything still has to be hardwired together (not wireless) but you now have a battery to find a space for. Just not convinced there was a problem to solve, or more correctly this is the solution to derailleur’s main issues as a drive system.

edit – retract that. I can see the improvement using it for TT bikes used on mixed courses where you might want to change gear from both the base bar and the aero bars.

njee20 – Member
And the Dogma frame, at £3500 weighs more than the alu Canyon

I don’t really do “road” but presumably the current UCI weight rule means there’s not much point in making superlight pro frames, especially if the groupset are getting lighter with each iteration. May as well make it stiff as hell instead ?

Couple of points on the Ultegra Di2, the battery is usually good for 600-1,000 miles on a charge. It warns you when it is getting low and it still has 125 miles of shifting when it gives the minimum charge light. If you carry on riding it past that 125 miles then it goes into limp home mode. It takes 60-90 minutes to charge from empty to fully charged so there really is no reason for it to ever be an issue. The battery can take 500 cycles so the battery itself is good for 300,000 to 500,000 miles. I would think that everything else on the bike might be somewhat tired by that point.

Also it is worth mentioning that although Ultegra is 10 speed at the moment the change to 11 speed is expected to be a firmware update rather than different mechs/shifters etc.

I have to say it is fantastic to use, like having brand new cables on your shifters but with no degradation of performance over time.

I don’t really do “road” but presumably the current UCI weight rule means there’s not much point in making superlight pro frames, especially if the groupset are getting lighter with each iteration. May as well make it stiff as hell instead ?

Well most brands are going aero, but manage a make an aero frame that’s 300g+ lighter, whilst being more aero. Pinarello trade more on heritage and desirability frankly!

Frames like the Cervelo R5CA, Madone 7-series, Tarmac SL4 etc are about half the weight.

Also it is worth mentioning that although Ultegra is 10 speed at the moment the change to 11 speed is expected to be a firmware update rather than different mechs/shifters etc.

So just a new cassette and chain? That’s certainly a cheaper upgrade path than mechanical.

I’m planning to build an SL-4 for next year and I’ll be going down the DA mechanical route, 11 speed.

2 reasons for this, and the first one is purely aesthetic I’m afraid! The Ultegra Di2 looks shite! They’ve built it down to a price and it shows: massive servo/motor, looks clunky and ugly. I wouldn’t want it anywhere near a £2k+ frameset!

Secondly, the reviews I’ve read of the 11 speed mechanical groupset suggest it makes significant performance improvements over 7900 DA. The shift action is something like 40% lighter – one reviewer said it’s almost as effortless as Di2.

And in a year or 2, I can always upgrade to DA Di2 with new shifters and mechs…

So just a new cassette and chain?

Isn’t the hub narrower? I can’t imagine the rear mech would accommodate the wider range… Have to wait and see I suppose.

I feel like such a luddite – still on 9spd DA here.

Same here!

Handed in a spare rear wheel at a race the other week and the guy looked at it like I’d just taken it off a penny farthing. Only my TT bike is 10spd, all the others are 9. Given the smallest sprocket on an 11 speed cassette is usually an 11T, I’m not sure exactly what I’m missing out on and wonder where it ends…

Electronic looks great, but I’m waiting a while for that I reckon.

I mistakenly thought this was a mountain bike forum 😉

I saw an earlish incarnation of Di2 fitted to a scott mountain bike, it looked fab, some of the cable routing wasnt great but allegedly it shifted perfectly. So whens the mountain group set out?

mboy – Member
Seeing as Canyon do £1800 bikes, with a full Ultegra Di2 groupset, WCS finishing kit, kysrium elite wheels and a 1150g frame that seems like excessive hyperbole!
On said bike, you’re paying for a LOT over and above what you get with a Canyon other than the Di2. Don’t get me wrong, I like Canyon, but in this instance we’re talking about a boutique Italian Brand’s high end hand made carbon frame and top drawer finishing kit Vs mass made in Taiwan ally frame and parts.

Though to be honest, the Canyon is possibly worth buying for the components alone to stick on another, more boutique frame, should you so desire, it’s that good value!

That Canyon got in the top 5 bike of the year thing from bike radar.

Shibboleth – Member

So just a new cassette and chain?

Isn’t the hub narrower? I can’t imagine the rear mech would accommodate the wider range… Have to wait and see I suppose.

The hub is wider so you’d need Cassette, Chain and hub. The hub is now the same width as Campag so 11 speed wheels just need a different freehub.

The mech can cope with the increased range. Confirmation it can be done here right at the bottom of the article