User Review: Shimano XTR Di2

[GrantRH]

Only when I'm riding the Spruit. Too many blind corners not to have a bell.

[Ryanpmb]

Only when I'm riding the Spruit. Too many blind corners not to have a bell.

So you remove it when you're not riding the Spruit?...?

[GrantRH]

So you remove it when you're not riding the Spruit?...?

Only when it fooks with my chi!

 

I go through patches when I ride the spruit a lot, and then it tends to stay on. I also go through patches where I hardly ride the spruit at all and then I take it off. I like a clean cockpit!

[Gadgetplayer]

Hi all, I too recently lashed the cash on an XTR Di2 2x11 groupset for my Pinarello Dogma XM.  Cable routing is all internal and there is no external cables visible - in fact less so than the SRAM XX1 I had before.  Like GrantRH, I too opted for the single shifter solution.  It is simply amazing.

 

I also got the Shimano D-Fly, which is the bluetooth wireless link.  It tried in vain to establish with internet searches if the D-Fly actually works with the XTR Di2.  Eventually I couldn't get clear confirmation, but took the plunge and ordered it on Amazon.  I had the D-Fly installed out of sight in the seatpost with the battery (not next to the real derailleur as recommended by Shimano).  It worked 100%.  I have a Garmin Edge 1000, quickly paired the D-Fly and now I have real time display of the front and rear gear position on the Garmin Edge.  I am finding this very helpful because the Di2 display turns off immediately after changing gears, so often one doesn't know which gear you are in.  The link with the Garmin sorts this out beautifully.  After pairing with the Garmin, the display is automatically adjusted for the number of gears in front - whether you have a 1x11, 2x11 or 3x11.  No settings required.

 

I believe this works with all Di2 enabled Garmin Edge's - the 510, 810 and the 1000.

 

My initial assessment is that its worth every penny.  Put this one of your bucket lists...

[GrantRH]

Congrats Gadgetplayer. I'm still over the moon with my Di2. I also recently picked up a Garmin and was wondering about the D-fly myself.

 

I know you can set the Di2 display to show the gear for longer, but I think I like your idea of full display on the Garmin. I might take the plunge.

[GlockG4]

Hi all, I too recently lashed the cash on an XTR Di2 2x11 groupset for my Pinarello Dogma XM. Cable routing is all internal and there is no external cables visible - in fact less so than the SRAM XX1 I had before. Like GrantRH, I too opted for the single shifter solution. It is simply amazing.

 

I also got the Shimano D-Fly, which is the bluetooth wireless link. It tried in vain to establish with internet searches if the D-Fly actually works with the XTR Di2. Eventually I couldn't get clear confirmation, but took the plunge and ordered it on Amazon. I had the D-Fly installed out of sight in the seatpost with the battery (not next to the real derailleur as recommended by Shimano). It worked 100%. I have a Garmin Edge 1000, quickly paired the D-Fly and now I have real time display of the front and rear gear position on the Garmin Edge. I am finding this very helpful because the Di2 display turns off immediately after changing gears, so often one doesn't know which gear you are in. The link with the Garmin sorts this out beautifully. After pairing with the Garmin, the display is automatically adjusted for the number of gears in front - whether you have a 1x11, 2x11 or 3x11. No settings required.

 

I believe this works with all Di2 enabled Garmin Edge's - the 510, 810 and the 1000.

 

My initial assessment is that its worth every penny. Put this one of your bucket lists...

Sounds amazing, not a brain teaser why you picked that specific user name!

[GrantRH]

Update time...

 

So I did a 40km today (Pennypinchers Silverstar). It was supposed to double up with the Juma tomorrow, until the Juma was cancelled due to bad weather conditions. Well, I was surprised Silverstar wasn't cancelled as well. It was a mudfest of note.

 

 

The picture above doesn't do the mud justice. This is what it looked like after I had ridden through some puddles to clean things up. It was so bad that people, including me, stopped occasionally to clear the mud from various sections. It was so thick that some peoples back wheels were stuck. I remember taking handfuls of mud/clay from my back wheel arch and around the front dérailleur. It was messy!!!

 

So how did the Di2 fair in those conditions? In one word "unbelievable"!

 

 

Yes, the gears occasionally slipped when pedalling, but it only because there were so many layers of clay that the derallieurs had no idea which gear it should be in. That is to be expected.

 

More importantly for me, was how the shifting in those conditions performed. It remained crisp and clean, against all odds. The riders around me were complaining that they couldn't change gears at all. I had no such problems. A touch of the lever and the gear changed. I, personally, put this down to the strength of the electronic mechanics above the cable version. It just did its job.

 

There was some scratching in some gears, but that is to be expected given that the free space usually occupying the chain guide was crusted with clay.

 

The verdict: well beyond my expectations. I really thought that it would battle in such extreme mud.

 

 

The only question left to answer is the lifespan of the system, especially after some punishing treatments like today.

 

More on that later.

[GrantRH]

I have seen more and more bikes coming out with the Di2 over the last couple of months.

 

Anybody want to share their views - good, bad or otherwise?

[DikBuffalo]

Running XTR Di2 1 X 11 which also controls my Fox iCD. Absolutely love it and doubt I would go back. What i'm finding especially with the shock, i'm using it 50% more because of the ease of use, which obviously makes the ride a lot more enjoyable. For those worried about long rides, I rode Desert Dash in December 369km solo, with only one bar of the battery being used. The other benefit i find is changing gears under pressure or when standing and climbing, kt just works effortlessly.

[Heel Drop]

Running XTR Di2 1 X 11 which also controls my Fox iCD. Absolutely love it and doubt I would go back. What i'm finding especially with the shock, i'm using it 50% more because of the ease of use, which obviously makes the ride a lot more enjoyable. For those worried about long rides, I rode Desert Dash in December 369km solo, with only one bar of the battery being used. The other benefit i find is changing gears under pressure or when standing and climbing, kt just works effortlessly.

just the rand dollar at the moment making anything cycle very expensive , but I would love to add this 

[GrantRH]

Update: I had the immense pleasure of riding the W2W in November, what a fantastic stage race. I used the opportunity to put the Di2 to the test in terms of on-the-go trimming and battery life.

 

The gear trimming is incredibly easy to use. Similar in effect to barrel adjusters, but much more precise and simple. You can see the adjustments up or down a point with each click of the shifter. Very precise. The only irritation was that you can only trim the front chainrings when in granny gear. This is irritating because when you are in granny gear you are likely to be doing some serious climbing and the last thing you want to worry about is adjusting gears. Perhaps there is some mechanical reason for this? But on the whole, gear adjustment/trimming is incredibly easy through the ICU and shifters. I managed to figure it out during the ride and without reading the manual. It is also helpful that you can always remember your original settings so you can revert if necessary. In my view, gear adjustments using the ICU and gear shifter are much easier than using the computer app.

 

Regarding battery life, as Buffallo has mentioned, it lasts much much longer than I had hoped for. I used only 1 bar during the entire W2W. I also discovered much later after the race when my battery life did eventually reduce to 1 bar, that a far faster way to recharge it was through a standard power bank, rather than through the usb laptop connection that I had originally charged it through. It took about 1/4 of the time than through a laptop charge. It also only used 25% of my power bank, which made me realise just how power efficient the entire Di2 system is. By way of simple comparison. I can get one iPhone charge out of my power bank, and my iPhone lasts maybe a day. I use 25% of my power bank to charge probably 80% of the Di2 and it lasts for probably (at least) about 800kms of riding.

 

All in all, and 6 months down the line, the Di2 is still looking invicible and shifts as cleanly and precisely as it did on day 1.

 

As others around me start upgrading to Di2, they appear to be equally blown away by it.

Edited January 6, 2016 by GrantRH