Comments on: Bike Friday with Ultegra

By: oliver

oliver — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 08:30:06 +0000

do you really think that electric/electronic shiffting is sustainable?

By: Raz

Raz — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 23:26:23 +0000

I think if the pros ride electronic shifting in the Spring Classics, you’ll be fine.

By: Paul D

Paul D — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 23:05:28 +0000

Oh goody; I can’t wait to see how those fancy electronics work on my Pocket Llama after several days of touring on wet, muddy roads and dirty, salty water gets into the housing.

Is there a manual over-ride for when the electronics crap out, or are you left with seized-up derailleurs and 1-speed operation?

By: Ron Neher

Ron Neher — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:46:04 +0000

I replaced my 2003 PRP 62×9 (over 70,000 miles) with a Ultegra Di2 SuperPro 56×9 in April. A DuraAce 56T is as large as they can go now with Di2. At first I missed the 62T when motor pacing and in sprints but have been able to now generate higher RPMs to get back into the low 50 MPH range. I am getting around 1,000 miles on a charge so gets me around 4 week charge interval. The battery is rated at 300 charge cycles so I have a few years in theory before I have to replace (like 23 years).

If you are in the Austin, TX area and want to demo / test out the bike then contact Bike Friday to schedule a time with me.

By: Steve Jones

Steve Jones — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:16:27 +0000

Have to say that one of the things I totally love about bikes id that they DON’T require batteries, re-charging or electronics so it’s not for me. Not that I’m against anyone who likes or wants it.
But seriously…no, we don’t need it and no it DOESN’T look neat. Look at the mess of cables in the photo near the bottom bracket.
That is a mess! and of course this adds to the cost.
Makes a bicycle more complex than it needs to be.
Interesting but a big no thanks here.And all of this JUST for shifting? Not even for power?

By: Joe Wein

Joe Wein — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 01:59:02 +0000

My son test-rode a 700C Di2 bike a few months ago and loved it! I am glad to see Di2 to Bike Friday.

If I had the money to spend I would be tempted too, but for the fact that Di2 does not yet support triples. I love my 50/39/30 and would find settling for a 50/34 hard on some steep climbs I’ve done recently.

This limitation will make the Alfine 11 Di2 an interesting alternative for mountain goats, as it’s gearing range is 1:4.09 vs. 1:3.74 on a 50/34-11/28 setup. Also, it offers its 11 gears in a linear sequence via a single STI shifter, unlike the FD/RD setup of Ultegra Di2.

By: Rob English

Rob English — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:35:01 +0000

Thanks for all the comments!

Kevin – weight is a wash on the frame, so no change from a regular PRP. An Ultegra Di2 PRP runs $5565 and our database lists the weight at 18.4lbs (no saddle/pedals). An Ultegra Di2 SuperPro is $7200 and 17.4lbs.

Bob – it can’t easily be done as a retrofit owing to the reinforcement needed for the front derailleur hanger, so a trade-in would be your best bet.

Geoff – thanks for the ride report, great to hear how much you are enjoying the bike!

Will – hopefully Shimano will address this soon. There have been some hacks to achieve single-shifter functionality, but nothing commercial yet. There is now a Di2 option for the Alfine 8spd and 11spd hubs. And in other electronic news, Nuvinci just announced an autoshift feature for their IGH – just set your desired cadence and ride!

Rob.

By: Will Cronyn

Will Cronyn — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 03:49:54 +0000

With electronic shifting of front and rear it should be “only” a minor chore to have the shifting under control of a very simple controller so that there is only one pair of shifter buttons – one for up, other for down, with the controller deciding how to allocate shifting between front & rear derailleurs. Furthermore, this would enable far better control of shifting because if you work through the entire range of shifting for all front and rear combionations, it turns up some require up-shifting the front, then down-shifting, then up shifting again. In fact, this would enable shifting somewhat competitive with Rohloff because the rider only has to upshift or downshift, not upshift on front & rear or down shift on front and rear.
So go for it!

By: Geoff Bray

Geoff Bray — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 01:02:24 +0000

Rob,
What do mean we probably don’t need the electronic shifters? Of course we do!
I have to declare an interest. I suspect the bike in the photos is mine – same colour, wheels, and tyres. I received it about 3 weeks ago and it’s everything I hoped it would be. Acceleration is staggering (front wheel is only 800g all up), stability is perfect (but I’ve only had it up to 80km/hour so far so haven’t done a full test), and the electronic shifters are precise and fast (gets rid of the problem of the double 90 degree bend in the rear cable).
Am I happy? Too right.
Aussie Geoff (alias Jif the Brave)

By: Bob Folline

Bob Folline — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:34:05 +0000

Will this be offered as a retrofit?
Any guess on pricing for a NWT with current internal gear hub?
- I know the trade in option but wonder the update price.

Thank you,

Bob