Converting from mechanical to Di2

funnights74

I am thinking of converting a Trek emonda mechanical r8000 ultegra to Di2. Keeping the rim brakes, mainly for the savings in weight.
Di2's with rim brakes are few and far between on the market so i thought this is an option worth considering.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Eamonnator

https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/video/mechanical-vs-electronic-groupsets-which-is-lighter

If my maths are correct, you will save 141 grammes by changing from Ultegra mechanical to Ultegra Di2.
If it's purely for weight loss, I don't think it's worth it.

godtabh

I have it in rim break and disc brake. Wouldn’t go back.

Paul Kiernan

godtabh wrote: »

I have it in rim break and disc brake. Wouldn’t go back.

+1. Wouldn't go back. DI2 is brilliant.

TerryDi2Center

If you want to run the wiring internally, keep in mid that the Di2 plug is about 5mm in diameter. This means the wires won't fit through standard (internal) cable stops, but most frames come with removable cable stops nowadays.

at1withmyself

TerryDi2Center wrote: »

If you want to run the wiring internally, keep in mid that the Di2 plug is about 5mm in diameter. This means the wires won't fit through standard (internal) cable stops, but most frames come with removable cable stops nowadays.

Is the new cabling not under 3mm diameter? I thought it was only the first version that was 5mm?

Cee-Jay-Cee

at1withmyself wrote: »

Is the new cabling not under 3mm diameter? I thought it was only the first version that was 5mm?

The cable itself is thin but the plug end is slightly bigger, maybe 3/4mm.

I upgraded my S-Works Roubaix (SL4) from mechanic 6800 to R8050 earlier this year. Bought the groupset in the pre Xmas sales and fitted it myself. I bought a Di2 grommet kit from Specialized and everything else was included in the groupset inc brake inner/outer cables and the plug tool.

Setting it up was a breeze and it works flawlessl and overall the bike is roughly 150g lighter than it was.

Rim brakes have been about since god was a boy and are more than most people need for leisure riding or even racing. I have fulcrum carbon wheels and the braking with them is absolutely excellent.

funnights74

Thanks guys, the disc weight is one of the reasons I want to stay with rim brakes, I had a Giant defy disc a few years ago and there was definitely more than 114 grammes of a difference .
Another reason of course is the smoothness of gear changing and indexing accuracy, mechanical can be erratic at times.

triggermortis

I have Di2 on the good bike and mostly Ultegra mechanical on the commuter/winter bike and the Di2 is excellent. If I could afford Di2 on every bike, I’d do it

TerryDi2Center

Yep, the wires are about 2/3mm, but the plug is bigger. Here are some images:

imgur.com/a/GJWyzqN (I'm not allowed to post links yet, so you'll have to copy/paste this yourself.. sorry.. )

at1withmyself

TerryDi2Center wrote: »

Yep, the wires are about 2/3mm, but the plug is bigger. Here are some images:

imgur.com/a/GJWyzqN (I'm not allowed to post links yet, so you'll have to copy/paste this yourself.. sorry.. )

Ah ya sorry, the older one was 8mm and now down to 5mm, i thought it was 5 down to 3!

Eamonnator

https://imgur.com/a/GJWyzqN

There you go