Bike Nirvana
Yet another cycling blog
Shimano Ultegra Di2
October 8, 2016
I had a dream, a dream of building a Euro-branded bike with the Eddy Merckx Blockhaus 67 with its Deda cockpit as the platform. I have not owned the Italian groupset and having one together with their wheelset is the dream...
... or was.
The first thing I looked for was the groupset. The new Campagnolo Potenza 11 was the perfect choice for me with the availability of 11-32T cassette. I asked the usual sources locally, nada. I asked T3 Bicycle Gears Pte. Ltd. in Singapore as they're listed to be a Campagnolo Pro shop, still nada.
It would have been a perfect combination for me- the Campagnolo Neutron Ultra wheelset + Potenza 11 groupset.
But the dream died...
Going electronic
I therefore pursued another dream, and that is to have a bike with an electronic groupset. The SRAM eTap is out, due to the fact that it only supports up to 26T cog and I'm too wimp to live with it. I need a 32T. [update] I just discovered that if the rear derailleur is Wi-Fli type, it can take up to 32T cog.
When I closed the deal on the Carbon Nation Cycling wheelset, we head over to Cristy's in Cartimar to have the owner's cassette removed as it's not part of the deal. I know that Cristy's have the Ultegra Di2 as I already inquired for the price over the phone, but when I asked again for the price in-store they gave me a figure which is five thousand Pesos lower than the phone-in price. Something triggered in my brain and the next thing I know are these in front of me...
Do it myself
Yes, I'll be doing the install myself. The first thing I did is to do an actual weigh-in of the components.
| Component weight (in grams) actual1/manufacturer claimed | ||
| ST-6870 | 153 | 157 |
| FD-6870 | 139 | 155 |
| RD-6870 | 268 | 260 |
| BR-6800 (front) | 174 | 168 |
| BR-6800 (rear) | 170 | 165 |
| FC-6800 (50-34T, 170) | 680 | 765 |
Note: 1 my scale may not be 100% accurate so I take these with a grain of salt.
The SM-EW90-B junction attaches to the underside of the stem and weighs 4g.
I then tested each component if they're working by wiring up the system together. It's alive!
Testing the Ultegra Di2 6800 from azcruz on Vimeo.
Installation woes
Before the purchase, I exercised due diligence on my bike to see if internal cable routing is possible and I was certain it is. On the day of the assembly, I found out my due diligence wasn't accurate.
The EW-SD50 cable connector won't fit this entry to the down tube. Sigh. Similarly, I thought of having the other EW-SD50 cable leading to the seat tube mounted battery exit thru one of the bottle cage mount hole. Double sigh.
There is only one way to make this happen, and that is to splice the Di2 EW-SD50 "electric wires." I was so thankful it was analog, and only contains two wires inside the cable assembly.
I ran one spliced cable through the down tube and the other one through the seat tube then soldered them back. Thids is as clean as it gets.
Here's the cable and connector up the seat tube ready to connect to the battery which I secured to the seat post using a foam.
All the cables meet together at the SM-JC41 mounted near the bottom bracket. I could have made a stealth install without any wires visible but I need to remove the press fit bottom bracket to achieve that for which I am not equipped to do so.
After securing everything and performing the initial adjustments to the high and low limit screws of both derailleurs, it's time for a test.
The E Tube application allows me to do further tuning on the setup but I really didn't do anything more. I will post a review of the E Tube application soon.
Shimano Ultegra Di2 shifting test from azcruz on Vimeo.
Here's the upgraded Eddy Merckx Blockhaus 67 with Carbon Nation Cycling high profile wheelset and Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset.
Here's the SM-EW90-B junction strapped underneath the stem which still allow me to mount the Garmin quarter-turn bicycle mount.
[update: October 22, 2016]
I found time to bring the bike to Life Cycle and asked Mang Boy to simply remove the non-drive side bottom bracket, afterwhich I took the bike home and worked on my plan.
Here's the cable mess from the current setup where one the EW-SD50 cable exits the screw hole of the bottle cage holder and into the junction box where the other cables meet.
With the bottom bracket removed, I have full access to the routing holes so I repositioned the junction box and the down tube hole is large enough to let the junction box pass through and hide itself.
When the bottom bracket tube is inserted into place, the wires are now completely routed out of the way.
Here's the photo with the bottom bracket inserted and ready for tightening.
Outside, these are the cables that lead to the front and rear derailleurs.
Make sure that the cable leading to the front derailleur is secured via the cable grip as shown in the photo.
On the road
I have never experienced shifting so precise and smooth from any of my mechanical groupsets. The precision in which shifting is achieved is so quick it is simply marvelous. The unique auto-trim feature of the front derailleur flushed cross-chaining issues down the toilet. In addition, the fact that the system is also water proof eliminates worries about rain, mud, and washing.
The ST-6870 levers with its tactile feedback provides confirmation of shifting, otherwise due to the super-smooth operation, the only way I would know the system did shift is change in my cadence.
I am extremely pleased with the performance of the Shimano Ultegra Di2 that I am considering a SRAM eTap (or perhaps Campagnolo EPS, if I win the Lotto) in the future.