Probably easier to find deals on mechanical parts than electrical components. Either way, the R8000 mechanical group is really good (I only do bike racing, crits and road races in SoCal and the mechanical ultegra has been awesome to the point I don't know what else could be better in an electronic group).

I think the real value of Di2 is far stronger on a Tri/TT bike since having multiple shifter positions is so crucial. I wasn't sure it was going to be worth it being new to Di2, but now I'm really glad I have it.

I run mechanical on both my road frames (Dura Ace, Ultegra/105 Mix) and don't see much of a benefit to switching, maybe in a few years if/when the overall cost comes down. I wouldn't avoid buying a road frame that already came with Di2, but it wouldn't be a hardcore requirement either.

The actual "electronics" of a Di2 system including junction boxes, PC interfaces, and e-tube cables should realistically cost only a few dollars and cents per foot, but instead they are marked up to crazy high prices (hundred of dollars for these components not including the damn front/rear derailleurs themselves) to keep them proprietary and profitable.

From a value per dollar perspective I think Mechanical still reigns supreme, so unless you have a surplus of dollars to splurge or really like the "feel" of Di2 relative to mech - save it for the TT bike.

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Clubs/Affiliations: The Rippers / Charles River Wheelers / Cambridge Sports Union

Having upgraded my Speed Concept from mechanical to Di2, this is exactly where I come out. It’s pretty damn nice being able to shift from the base bars, especially coming into and out of corners. Synchro shift is also a great feature, in either version of it (semi or full).

I have also found that I shift more frequently with Di2, so I stay in my target power zone better. I’ll never do a TT bike without electronic shifting. I even upgraded my XC mountain bike to electronic shifting recently (SRAM AXS), although it’s a more subtle upgrade on a MTB.

Just to echo what others have said, I’ll never own a TT bike without electronic. It was a game changer. It’s sort of like remote door locks on a car. Once you have it, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.

My road bike is still mechanical. Would Di2 be nice? Sure. But I also don’t feel I need it.

I have Di2 on my road bike (no longer have a TT bike) and absolutely love it and will never go back to mechanical. Does it make me faster? Nope. Is it a nicer ride experience? Absolutely.

I went mechanical on my gravel bike and regret it. I'm already looking at building up a new gravel/bikepacking bike for some long haul adventures and am seriously considering going with Di2.

Wow, thanks for the great response everyone. Easily makes sense and the other parts is kinda the reason why I want to stay away from it.

Thanks again for all of the help!

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2020 Team Zoot MTN

With regards to shifting performance for mechanical, there’s no real reason to pay for more than tiagra for the recreational cyclist, it just works. 105 if you want 11-speed. I do love di2 though and that’s the only reason I’m riding ultegra. If 105 came with di2, i’d go with that. My experience is that from a shifting performance standpoint, mechanical tiagra and dura ace are the same. The difference is mainly weight and braking isn’t as good on tiagra. I honestly Can’t find any good reason why someone would choose mech ultegra or dura ace, unless they are Pro and it just come with the bike. I’d go for di2, But considering what I just wrote is di2 worth the upgrade from mech 105? - probably not, But I like it and it shifts better than mech and way easier to adjust (I admit that a perfectly afvistes mech shifts the same, But it doesn’t last, calbles need to be adjusted and so on). Aside from the bling factor, delete mech ultegra and dura ace from your list

I'm going to derail this thread a little. I got caught in the rain this weekend and my bike picked up a lot of road debris. As expected, the mechanical ultegra on the bike got sloppy - The RD could pull up the cable fine, but to let the cable out there was a delay, because the RD had picked up debris in the joints and the spring - which is perfectly normal for mechanical systems. Clean and lube and everything is back to normal.

What does electronic do in that case? Does the system see the problem and correct, or does the system miss shifts like the mechanical does? Or does it do something else? I rode electronic a few years ago just to play with it as a bike shop demo but obviously not under the adverse conditions of riding in the rain on sand covered and dirt covered roads. When things get dirty what happens?

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

It shifts. IMO that's the major advantage of Di2. It just works. If you stay on top of keeping the battery charged (so like once every 6 months), then it works great. The only downside might be the feel of the shifters. I haven't used any of the newer stuff (GRX, etc.), but I do with there was a longer lever throw similar to mechanical.

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Strava

I have an older '08 Dura-Ace group on my Cervelo TT bike and a newish 10sp Tiagra (<2yrs old) on my road bike.

I agree that mechanically, the shifting isn't much different, maybe a hair subjectively slower and louder on the Tiagra, but certainly not limiting in any means.

I never considered this when I bought it but for sure though, the DA mech hardware is manufactured to resist corrosion and impacts much better than the Tiagra. My Tiagra derailleur screws have already partially rusted and it shows mild damage from chipping where I must have laid it down on my car. Whereas my 10 year old DA FD & RD have no corrosion and still are shiny despite several significant surface scratches where I wiped out in wet conditions. I heard in the past the DA was 'cold-forged' or something like that, and didn't care about it, but now I'm 10 years out I do see the difference.

The caveat will all that cold-forged DA build advantage though is totally tempered by the reality that Shimano is intentionally obsoleting their parts every 5 years or less. So even if you WANT to run your DA 11-sp for 10 years+, for sure, they'll have 12 sp, 13sp (and their 10sp of data likely won't even be back compatible with your older 10sp), and I wouldn't even be surprised if they pull a quickie down the road and suddenly say 'with more weight/aero testing, 8 speed is back in vogue!'.

Mechanical will be much cheaper but when it comes time to sell and replace the Di2 will hold its value better.

If this is a rim brake bike the difference in cost might not be bad. There is a fair amount of stuff out there on the used market. Disc not much and not much of a discount if it is.

Have moved for mech to Di2 I will never go back. I like riding in full synchro where I only use the right shifter. Easy to switch back when I want a bit more control.

Get the DI2. Imagine never again having to replace shifting cables nor having to fiddle with barrel adjusters. If you take your bike to the shop, the savings will eventually catch up to you as your only maintenance beyond cleaning and lubing will be on the brakes. Additionally, depending on how aware you are of your gearing, it automatically prevents cross-chaining when you aren't paying attention.

I've tested Di2 and it's definitely a vanity purchase. It shifts super smooth and it's awesome to have other positions that you can shift from, but it's not going to make you faster. It's akin to an upgraded sound system in a car. Is it worth it? That entirely depends on how much you care about music. One day I'll upgrade because it's pretty sweet, but it'll literally be the last thing I upgrade on my bike

My wife’s first road bike from 3 years ago came with Tiagra and it shifted perfectly fine. I mainly encourage getting at least 105 because of the 11 speed. In addition to smaller gear ratio gaps, it leaves room to upgrade components.

I actually do think Di2 is a performance improvement. I have a much easier time maintaining and accelerating out of corners from the base bars during races, where the corners are often congested. As most people are in the wrong gear, I can weave my way through and pass a lot of people and keep up my momentum better.

Even at speed, personally I shift more frequently to maintain my power target with Di2 as the wind / elevation changes. It may sound silly if you don’t have Di2 as moving the lever with mechanical shifting isn’t a big deal, but something about just pushing a little button makes me more likely to change gears when I should.

But in terms of bang for the performance buck, I do agree that Di2 is pretty far down the list of things you can buy to help you go faster.

And think of all the energy you save tapping buttons compared to the extra calories spent moving the levers. Marginal gains

Def the best answer here.

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2020 Team Zoot MTN

Fully agree, what ^^^^ said above

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Team Zoot-Texas, and Pickle Juice

For me it's all about the front shift.. if you are building a 1x bike, then I'd say plus/minus when considering the cost/performance, but if you have 2 chainrings and you use them.. Di2 is absolutely worth the upgrade. From my personal bikes I can tell you that Di2 front shifting is better than Campagnolo rear shifting, and that is not at all a knock on Campagnolo.. it's just THAT good, combine that with the auto trim function AND the ability to custom program and tune it to do all sorts of other stuff.. pretty awesome.

The only downside is the lack of a loud/hard click in the shift action.. which is something I really like about Campagnolo and something I tuned into all of my SRAM drivetrains with stiffer springs.. but other than that, the smoothness, quiet, and shift speed are really phenomenal.

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I have used both and currently have mechanical (SRAM Force) on my road bike.
Mechanical shifts great nowadays and there isn't a big difference.
I feel mechanical is more purist and traditional and that electronic shifting takes away from that in some way.
Di2 does shift pretty flawless and takes less effort which is important if you have issues with your hands / arms.
My wife has Di2 on her bike and she likes it for that reason because she has Arthritis in her fingers.
But recently she is having problems with it being intermittent and when it stops working you are stuck in one gear.
I believe the problem is a bad connection with the wiring inside the frame and still trying to figure it out.
With mechanical if you carry a spare shift cable it is pretty much bullet proof.
If I was going to go electronic I would probably go with SRAM eTAP wireless since there are no wires inside the frame to go bad.

there are actually quite a few threads here on this topic. It comes up pretty regularly.

You're going to find a group, like me, who will say they will not go back to mechanical on either road or TT/Tri bike.
And some who say they must have for their TT/Tri bike, but can go either way for road (or don't want it for road).
And some who say that electronic isn't worth it for them (for various reasons), period.

It's going to come down to whether you try it and get hooked or not. I wanna say that most people who have gotten it and used it regularly are pretty much hooked, but maybe that is my own view seeping in.

Put me in the camp who's unlikely to go back, as long as disc brakes are here to stay.

The mechanical shift / hydraulic brake levers are just too uncomfortable for me.

Maybe I was doing it wrong for years, but is this common? Perhaps our at home maintenance schedules are different and I babied my bike more than most (new cables each season at minimum), but I have never, nor have those in my circle, ridden with spare cables.

I can't speak for others but it is standard procedure for me and prevents you from getting stranded.
It does not weigh anything and fits in a saddle bag easily. Shift cables can break for a variety of reasons.
One time my wife and I were riding our tandem along Big Sur and the bike wasn't shifting good which was not pleasant and could even be a safety issue.
At our turn around point I discovered that the cable was shredded inside the shifter. It took some doing to get it out.
I replaced it with the new cable and our ride back was back to normal. I hate to think what would have happened if I wasn't able to change the cable.