It’s new group, and maybe new bike, time. The Dura Ace 9 speed on my Merckx is long in the tooths. I have Sram on my cross bike and dig it … it’s light, easy to adjust, works really well. And once you master Doubletap it’s fantastic. So, mechanically speaking, the choice is easy: Red (with a Force front mech).
I’m intrigued by Shimano’s electric stuff. I took an Ultegra Di2 Tarmac on a parking lot tour and the stuff is pretty cool, but butt ugly and looks cobbled together (the battery bracket … meh … ruins the lines of the bike IMO).
Opinions? Anyone with serious miles on Di2. Any logical biases? Thank you.
Here’s a comparison of the major groups I thought was good: http://redkiteprayer.com/?p=7508 (from Red Kite Prayer, one of the best bike blogs on the interwebs).
I know some friends that have been using U Di2 for a little bit and LOVE IT. They swear by it. If you are looking at going red, I would wait a little bit as they are just releasing an updated group in the coming weeks.
As a recent convert to Di2. Sure, you don’t NEED electric shifting, but it really is that good. Everything happens just a little faster and a little more accurate with less worry and effort. you never need to trim your front derailleur.
For me, the best part is being able to shift from either the bull horns or the aero bars- but that’s a tri bike specific benefit. for a road bike, you could rig up two position shifting so you could do it from the top position. neat.
One consideration that may effect your decision is that the new 2012 Red is going to be released any day/week now from what I’ve seen. It’s going to be like 200 grams lighter and apparently have improved front shifting and an improved cassette. Also, I believe there have been rumors of a hyro rim brake system like Magura but that is just rumors.