they always have run fine without an FD.

(Edit: i've been running electronic for 6 seasons.)

This.

Thanks, had no idea. I had the original Ultegra Di2 and for some reason thought the main processor was in the FD so it wouldn't work without it. So I could essentially just run with right shifter, battery, junction, rear derailleur without issue?

As a follow-up, while Shimano indicates a max rear cog of 28T, in actuality, you can run up to a 32T rear cog with the rear derailleur (assuming you don't have a FD & have the chain adjusted appropriately).

Thanks! I'm running an 11-28, but an 11-32 with single chainring up front would make me miss the FD even less.

You can also save a couple hundred $$ and get the 6800 GS rear that is rated up to 32 teeth. I am working on a conversion of a road bike that currently has downtube shifters to a 1x11 w/ di2.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

any pics of this? and how have you got around the lack of clutch on the rear derailleur? Want to do the same thing, but worried about the chain jumping off

No clutch necessary with a narrow/wide front chainring. I have posted this a few times, but I really think the clutch only helps with chain slap and is not necessary for chain retention.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

thanks, that's what I suspected