User Review: Shimano XTR Di2

[Patchelicious]

Hub generators will surely come. With electronic group sets, all our GoPro stuff, electronic suspension bits coming in and all important cell phones... These things will drive a need for hub gennies, and therefore someone will develop one.

[PeterF]

I'm sorry but you lost me at "R35k".  To me the effort of changing gears with the XT shifters on one bike and the XO shifters on the other is insignificant.

[_C50_]

Hey, it's not for everyone, I get that.

 

I am not enduro, I focus on multi-stage races. I am not a pro, but I can just crack A group on some races.

 

I can ride rigid, do I have to? No, I like full sus. Do I need padding in my cycling shorts? No, but it's much more comfortable. Could I survive changing punctures on tubes? Yeah, but what a hassle. Can I cycle mechanical rather than electric? Hell yeh, I have done so since I've started. Do I want to go back to mechanical after tasting electric? Not if you paid me. Does that mean I have a soft thumb? Maybe, but it goes well with my soft @ss.

 

Why make life harder when it could be made easier. Embrace advancement, why fight it?

 

I never said you shouldn't go with an electronic group set. In fact, enjoy it and I hope it gives you many hassle free miles. 

 

But to say it's the biggest advancement in cycling since... well, I don't think so. That's also just my opinion. 

 

My mechanical group set doesn't need a 35K "fix". I find that price point absolutely absurd. No matter which way you look at it. 

 

If I ever were to throw that amount of money at a group set, there shouldn't be ANY limitations. It should be set and forget. I sometimes forget to charge my garmin. Now I have to remember to charge another battery. Or carry a spare in case I want to do some ultra endurance event. Just another thing you need to remember to do before you go for a ride, or race. I need less things to worry about, not more of it. 

 

I crash, sometimes.   What happens if you damage the "display unit" in a crash? Will the group set still function? 

[Erroli8a8]

Technology is coming and coming fast. I am reminded of a saying in a movie "Build it and they will come".

 

bring technology and it will be used, I am one for technology and advancement. all mechanical things are changing to electronic. there are many examples.

 

for me I will change as soon as I have the cash. charging batteries is the least of my worries. I play another sport that is mechanical dominated but there is one manufacturer who has changed to electronic and I love it. (rifle trigger, from mechanical to electronic)

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

There's a tremendous amount of kool-aid being consumed here...

 

Bigger than tubeless? Carbon frame technology? Dropper? Narrow wide rings? Clutch derailleurs? Thru axles? Hydroforming? Gains in suspension tech? Geometry refinement?

 

Nope. Sorry. It's merely the electrification of a mechanical mechanism. Droppers allowed an on the fly adjustment of the height of your seat. Tubeless allowed the tech of the tires to evolve at a rapid rate, running lower pressures and thus increasing grip in all situations. Narrow wide rings and clutch derailleurs allowed the retention of chains without the use of a chain guide. Suspension tech has revolutionized the way a fully suspended bike behaves on the trails. Carbon fibre tech has allowed for truly wonderful shapes and frame strengths not to mention far lighter parts...

 

Nah. At the moment it's like drive by wire vs normal cable actuated accelerator pedals etc.

[GrantRH]

I never said you shouldn't go with an electronic group set. In fact, enjoy it and I hope it gives you many hassle free miles.

 

But to say it's the biggest advancement in cycling since... well, I don't think so. That's also just my opinion.

 

My mechanical group set doesn't need a 35K "fix". I find that price point absolutely absurd. No matter which way you look at it.

 

If I ever were to throw that amount of money at a group set, there shouldn't be ANY limitations. It should be set and forget. I sometimes forget to charge my garmin. Now I have to remember to charge another battery. Or carry a spare in case I want to do some ultra endurance event. Just another thing you need to remember to do before you go for a ride, or race. I need less things to worry about, not more of it.

 

I crash, sometimes. What happens if you damage the "display unit" in a crash? Will the group set still function?

All the points you make are good. Trust me, I considered those before forking out a small fortune. As the technology develops some of those concerns will be alleviated. As the technology trickles down, the electric will become much cheaper.

 

The only point I am making is that it certainly makes life easier and riding much more enjoyable, to me at least. The attraction to me is that it is pretty much set and forget, far more so than mechanical, and on a longer term basis. If that means I have to plug it into a socket every couple of months, that is fine with me.

 

And the relatively easy customise-ability on top of that.

 

Looking at the future, I can easily see a world in 5 years time where most mid to top range bikes will come standard with electric. In 7 or so years time I doubt you will be able to buy any new bike with mechanical groupset.

 

Add to that the fact that the system already integrates with shocks, and if the rumours are correct, soon with dropper posts. Now think of a system where your shocks and dropper post anticipate the terrain according to your gear selection. All of this requires little more than a software upgrade. One step further and your gears shift automatically depending on your heart rate to keep you at an ideal level.

 

This is only the start, and from that perspective, it is revolutionary. I can't see it going backwards from here, only forwards.

 

As for a crash affecting the display unit, only time and experience will tell. However, I have often seen countless crashes that damage current mechanical systems, rendering the victims to single speed for the rest of the ride.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

It's an evolution, for sure, and for that reason I would embrace it myself. But it is simply not the game changer that it's being portrayed as. Yes, it's good tech. No, it's not the biggest thing in the last 10 years. 

 

Is it bigger than the "change" to niners? Yes. 

[jcza]

Want!! Hope the price will come down soon. 

 

Also on the list - disc brakes for road bikes. To be introduced next year. 

[rouxtjie]

ye' old law of diminishing returns....give me standard XT...sits beautifully at the crescent of said graph.

Edited June 11, 2015 by rouxtjie

[GrantRH]

I'm sorry but you lost me at "R35k". To me the effort of changing gears with the XT shifters on one bike and the XO shifters on the other is insignificant.

I personally preferred XO to XT. That is until my groupset lost its crispness over time and the gear shifts were no longer clean, regardless of what tinkering I did.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Grant, I think I was the first to ask for this review and I am impressed with the write-up.

Thanks very much.

Makes me excited to see the advancements being made.

There are always complaints that all bikes are starting to look the sameish, and then when something revolutionary comes around everybody gets all bullish about it.

Yes there was nothing wrong with mechanical shifting but the same can be said for many things that have had improvements made. Progress, there's no stopping it.

SRAM adopted the 1x revolution very quickly and everybody asked where Shimano was, well they were developing this obviously.

I see SRAM following suit very soon, if not they will fall behind very quickly.

[nox1111]

Thanks for the review! Good read!

[GrantRH]

Grant, I think I was the first to ask for this review and I am impressed with the write-up.

Thanks very much.

Makes me excited to see the advancements being made.

There are always complaints that all bikes are starting to look the sameish, and then when something revolutionary comes around everybody gets all bullish about it.

Yes there was nothing wrong with mechanical shifting but the same can be said for many things that have had improvements made. Progress, there's no stopping it.

SRAM adopted the 1x revolution very quickly and everybody asked where Shimano was, well they were developing this obviously.

I see SRAM following suit very soon, if not they will fall behind very quickly.

 

I heard that SRAM's groupset is designed to be wireless. I also took this into consideration before buying my Di2 XTR. Imagine having to replace or recharge batteries for each component and keeping track of the battery life. That sounds problematic to me. I am a little worried for them that they haven't even introduced the road version yet, so many years after shimano first released its dura-ace. I think they are way behind the curve. That being said, SRAM are very good are introducing something new that people trust almost instantly. 

[Terminator]

Great review 

 

I'm riding the same set up on my mtb - single shifter on synchroshift - and agree with everything you say. I have customised my S2 setting to change the front ring a little earlier and I'm very happy with it. I rode Sani2C with mine and the battery level indicator dropped one bar (out of 4) for the entire event.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

 

 

I heard that SRAM's groupset is designed to be wireless. I also took this into consideration before buying my Di2 XTR. Imagine having to replace or recharge batteries for each component and keeping track of the battery life. That sounds problematic to me. I am a little worried for them that they haven't even introduced the road version yet, so many years after shimano first released its dura-ace. I think they are way behind the curve. That being said, SRAM are very good are introducing something new that people trust almost instantly. 

Correct... But personally, I'd rather have no wires in the gruppo for risk of getting cut. Yes, the chances are minimal, but if you suffer a cut wire somewhere along the line for whatever reason you won't be able to fix it in a hurry... 

 

EDIT: It also gets rid of the problem of trying to find a creative way of hiding the battery in frames that weren't designed with it in mind. 

 

Only question is what sort of protocol it'd be using to convey info between the units. Low Power Bluetooth? 

 

http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/sram-wireless-electronic-groupset-spotted-womens-tour-flanders.html#sRg8iPiZ7j57UgRh.97

 

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/sram-red-wireless-electronic-group-details-discovered-42174/

Edited June 11, 2015 by El Capitan

[Patchelicious]

It's an evolution, for sure, and for that reason I would embrace it myself. But it is simply not the game changer that it's being portrayed as. Yes, it's good tech. No, it's not the biggest thing in the last 10 years. 

 

Is it bigger than the "change" to niners? Yes. 

Agreed, Di2 is an evolution of a existing system/mechanism. Droppers, Tubeless etc were innovations, not evolutions.

 

Having said that, evolution is good, and is what drive new innovation. Like I said, I think a movement to electro groups will drive innovation for hub generators.