Hi all, I’m in the market for a new bike and the canyon speedmax Cf 8.0 sl is one I am considering. It comes stock with ultegra parts.
There is a di2 version at 1k more, but every other component looks to be the same. Would it be worth it to buy the ultegra version then upgrade to di2 later on in the season or maybe even next year?
Or should I go for the di2 version right away because cost and effort wise its not worth it to upgrade?
Thanks!
Not sure of current pricing to do an upgrade - but did this a few years ago - the upgrade kit was close to $1000 then labor etc - - and a quick google search show current upgrades are closer to $1200. given the numbers perhaps better to bite the bullet now. Hope this helps
I started with a 105 bike. I upgraded that to 6000 Ultegra mechanical. Then I upgraded that to 8050 Di2. $1K USD for 8050 Di2 shift parts is a bargain. New parts are around $1,500.
If you are leaning toward Di2 now, just get it.
Nope. Trite post fail. No wires. TT bike. Try again.
Wires are included.
That caught my eye but with a triathlon, would the op be better off with a time trial set rather than a road set?
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Agree with others; do the Di2 now. You will NEVER regret that! I cannot see how I did without it so long. Plus you’d be selling the old parts that are diminishing in demand. As my son says, “go big to go home”. Love my Di2, especially for tri.
Let’s look at it this way if you upgrade to Di2 later you’d probably need (and want in there too):
Let’s for simplicity sake assume same Di2 parts as Canyon offers on the CF SLX 8.0 SL
Dura Ace 9160 Bar Ends - $200
Ultegra 8050 Brake Shifters - $290
Junction A (Assuming a EW90 5 port but I don’t know for sure but a new one is $91)
Junction B (TBD on how many but let’s say 1 JC41 is required at $21)
8050 FD $180
8050 RD $190
Battery (assume internal DN110 versions $120)
Battery Charger (BCR2 - $79)
Wires - Assume need say 4 or so totaling $80
Wireless/Bluetooth unit (Optional and not necessary) - $80
That comes up to $1332 (not including tax which is going to happen now that pretty much all online shops have to collect). This is all local US prices from a quick google search and backcounty prices. Good luck getting the places like Wiggle/Ribble/Chainreaction to ship you Di2 parts because Shimano/SRAM has clamped down not allowing them to ship their products outside of their geographical regional territories.
But you could offset some of that cost by selling your mechanical bits so you’d have R8000 front and rear derailleurs, bar-end shifters and the brake levers you could sell (maybe you’d net $150-175 at best based on those current prices new).
So if you can spare the extra $1000 now I’d say it is a good deal versus upgrading later. You don’t have to worry about installing and routing everything properly. Getting those little Di2 grommet plugs in there (those are PITA to install on a non-Di2 frame since the holes are sized for cable housing…I had to drill to get enough clearance to run Di2 wires to my derailleurs but installing the those rubber grommets was still a PITA).
But if you want to be thrifty Ultegra 6870/9070 parts can be had pretty cheap on the used market these days…well at least the derailleurs can be had in functional condition for $175 total or less if you are lucky for both front and rear. If you piece mail the parts used on the best deals while waiting patiently you could spend less than $800 upgrading everything but it could take months to piece a kit together. I pieced my own (combo of 6870 and 9070 TT parts) and it cost me just under $750 total (before I sold stuff to offset things). And it took me months to source everything (last thing I bought was the battery and wires because I wasn’t sure where to place an internal battery were it was clean so almost went external in my Tri bike).
Nope. Trite post fail. No wires. TT bike. Try again.
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Whats up with the snarkiness? The dude looked up a deal even it it was for the road version.
He gave a wrong answer. This person has a long-standing pattern (thousands of posts) of responding to threads with one-liners that may be technically correct, but contextually misleading. Sometimes his posts are useful, but often lack actionable value. In this case, it was both misleading and incorrect. Maybe someone peed in my cornflakes. I don’t know. I cannot always explain myself.
I just did pretty much this - I bought an ultegra S5 and upgraded it right away to Di2 - mainly because I wanted the frame colour that only comes in mechanical ultegra.
Cost to upgrade was about £1000 and I fitted it myself - so in your situation i’d just buy the Di2 version.
He gave a wrong answer. This person has a long-standing pattern (thousands of posts) of responding to threads with one-liners that may be technically correct, but contextually misleading. Sometimes his posts are useful, but often lack actionable value. In this case, it was both misleading and incorrect. Maybe someone peed in my cornflakes. I don’t know. I cannot always explain myself.
For sure…the 8050 TT set is about $500 more, or ~$300 more than doing it all at once.
Not only are the di2 plugs mentioned above often a pain, but its other little things that often don’t come in the kits…the battery/seatpost holder thing, are the wires long enough? Are there frustrating wire runs that require a lot of patience, but ultimately the $70 park wiring helper kit? Are any bits of the frame or finishing kit mechanical specific that will require you to buy again.
I like tinkering. I have the tools and several spare Di2 wires. I have no problem pulling parts and selling to recoup costs. Considering all of that, I would definitely save up the $1000 and buy the Di2 version.
The only reason I would consider not going that parth is if you are dedicated to getting the latest 8050 kit and were betting on prices dropping or you can find some cheap TT shifters/levers. Those are the big money pieces. You could certainly slowly build up a Di2 kit, mix/matching any of the eTube components while enjoying mechanical ultegra and throw all of that on in the offseason.
Are the mechanical and electronic frames the same? I know there were different frames on the road bikes but unsure on the TT bikes. May be worth finding out for sure either way…
Buy the bike you want, not the one you don’t want.
Di2 FTW.