Upgrade from SRAM red mechanical to Di2; worth it?: Triathlon Forum: Slowtwitch Forums

Upgrade from SRAM red mechanical to Di2; worth it?

Jul 12, 17 19:35

I've got a great deal on Shimano, and am contemplating moving from my SRAM red setup to a Di2 one. I know the FD shifting is so far superior, but is the switch worth it as far as increasing weight of the electronic. I'm mostly long course so shifts are not truly urgent, but especially climbing it would be nice to shift from the base bars instead of having to reach to the end of the extensions. Is the weight differences important, and if it is, is the differences between Ultra and Dura Ace wirth it at all? I'm upgrading an old (2012) frame, but this is a much cheaper upgrade than a new bike. Opinions?

Thanks in advance and I'd love any and all input....

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Re: Upgrade from SRAM red mechanical to Di2; worth it? [ggeiger] [ In reply to ]

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asellerg

Jul 12, 17 21:22

Post #2 of 7 (921 views)

I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't really think Di2 is all that great. I got it because I had a discount on a frame so I figured I'd apply the same money to an upgrade. It's been nice to not worry about shifting under torque and supposedly, the chain and cassette wear less quickly with Di2, but I don't think it's worth the money just for those things. I hated having the junction box on my stem, so I finally managed to hide it inside my frame (Shiv) but before that, it just annoyed me that I had to deal with that. To me, eTap might be worth it to be rid of the wires, but Di2 isn't all that great.

Coach at TriForce Triathlon Team: https://www.triforceteam.com

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Re: Upgrade from SRAM red mechanical to Di2; worth it? [ggeiger] [ In reply to ]

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Jul 12, 17 21:25

Post #3 of 7 (916 views)

i changed for absolutely one thing - shifting from basebar; and yees in most races i dont need it; however i still need to train on this bike which sometimes mean much hillier routes; dealing with traffic and stops; having the basebar shifting option makes much life very easy. I would not go back to mechanical

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Re: Upgrade from SRAM red mechanical to Di2; worth it? [asellerg] [ In reply to ]

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TriguyBlue

Jul 12, 17 21:35

Post #4 of 7 (907 views)

asellerg wrote:

but Di2 isn't all that great.

I've used Di2 on my brothers bike and it's nice, but as you've said, it isn't all that much different. To be honest, I'd be happy with sram RTC shifters on my mechanical set up, certainly not worth the expense at this stage for Di2.

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Re: Upgrade from SRAM red mechanical to Di2; worth it? [ggeiger] [ In reply to ]

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BrianB

Jul 13, 17 3:07

Post #5 of 7 (835 views)

for me personally, on the TT bike I would never go back to mechanical. Shifting from the base bar being the main thing. Maybe not a huge difference in a race if it's mostly flat, but makes all the difference in training.

I have it now on the road bike(s) too -- one with Di2 and one with SRAM. It's less of an advantage there, but I still would not build up a new bike without it. In particular as I've gotten older, my hands get more tired towards the end of hard races or long rides, and it's so much easier to just press the little button.

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Re: Upgrade from SRAM red mechanical to Di2; worth it? [ggeiger] [ In reply to ]

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dougo

Jul 13, 17 3:39

Post #6 of 7 (809 views)

Shifting from the basebar was a deal breaker. Think about down shifting/upshifting out of a hairpin, or downshifting at the lead in to a climb. Will never go back. Can't say the same for the road bike though.

As for ultegra vs dura-ace: shifting is probably the same. The dura-ace crank might be a bit stiffer. Seeing the added weight of tt bikes, wheels, and all the other stuff we pile on them (bento box, bta bottles etc), the few gram penalty for ultegra is probably not a bit deal.

Doug

Last edited by: dougo: Jul 13, 17 3:48

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Re: Upgrade from SRAM red mechanical to Di2; worth it? [dougo] [ In reply to ]

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ggeiger

Jul 13, 17 6:00

Post #7 of 7 (740 views)

Thanks to all for the feedback. It does sound like shifting from the basebar will be much easier, as well as the FD issues. I do train on my tri bike 95% of the time, so I'm thinking it is the time to update. Anyone feel it is worth it for Dura Ace over Ultegra? I could also do a mix if that's possible. I'm staying with my trig brakes and am installing the Enve front end. Being a bit anal, I'm looking forward to my shifters on the extensions not sticking up into the wind. ;-)

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