DI2 Gimmick

chakattack

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/first-ride-shimano-dura-ace-di2-sprint-shifter

Opinions? Is it that hard to shift in the drops with Shimano?

I know with Campy it's easy so long as the shifters are setup in a good position for you.

iregk

Don't trust it. Looks suspiciously like a button that activates your go faster seat tube motor!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE

chakattack

Yeah maybe it's a very elaborate decoy rolled into a gimmick for people with too much money. :pac::pac::pac:

spokeydokey

Cavendish talks about it in a video on the velonews site. His sales pitch isn't great.

levitronix

During the sprint most spriters dont shift they pick the gear before they pull the hammer in the last few hundred meters

Gimmick !!

Lumen

There's no point having electronic shifting if you can't have auxiliary shifters everywhere.

Therefore, this is a completely necessary development of a completely unnecessary groupset.

Tau

Really what you want is some form of tongue switches...

cormpat

When they develop a mind shift, that's when you should lay down some major coinage.

TheDocMan

Have you used it lads? Well the shift is sublime and immediate. Self trimming on the front mech is wonderful. The fact you can add accessory shift buttons can only be an advantage. So it`s a superb upgrade.

Now is it worth it? Well that`s harder to call. It won`t make you faster as such. But then a 6700 groupset won`t make much difference over a 7900. So i suppose if you`ve a top frame and top end pair of wheels, it`s a classy way to finish a package that delivers more than any of us could ever need from a bike.

Anyway like it or not it`s probably going to be universal on all top end groups in the next 2 - 3 years. Progress!

jiffybag

I also have the Di2 groupset . Shifting percision is out of this world. Faultless changing everytime. As for the 'sprinters button' , well this just looks like another toy!
As for the comments regarding Di2 as a pointless groupset , I ask to do this ....just try it!!

levitronix

No douth the DI is excellant but is the sprint shift buttons really needed

blorg

Much is made of the Campagnolo feature (copied by SRAM) where you can pull the shift paddle in towards the drops and hold it there to make upshifting easier. This would have similar benefits, just slightly easier shifting from that position (as the shifters are certainly more than reachable from the drops as it is.)

I certainly shift during a sprint; jump in an easy gear and then upshift as I gain speed. I think this is a pretty common approach.