I switched my bike to Di2. Best thing I’ve done. I was tired of shift cables breaking.
Everyone always says that cables work great and are trouble free, but my 105 11-speed was a cable eater. Apparently it’s a known issue with them, one guy I know replaces his cables every 6 months to avoid having them break during a ride. The last one that broke was installed by a pro and had less than 2k miles on it, and there was no warning there was any problem before the ride.
A few times I caught it and replaced the cable before it broke on a ride, but I’ve had breaks several times during rides. I never had an issue with my older 8 speed setup, so I think it’s something to do with the bend the cable has to make in the shifter.
And even when the cable wasn’t breaking, it felt like I needed to adjust the derailleur every so often to get it to shift juuuuust right.
Di2 has been set and forget, for the most part - I recharge the battery every few weeks. I haven’t had to do anything else to it since installation.
It’s so easy to operate, too. I know cables are also easy to operate, but electronic is even easier. Just tap the button or hold the button. The front derailleur auto aligns as needed, too. I spend a lot less time worrying about my drivetrain during and after rides.
You can also get information about your riding from it - how much time do you spend in each gear? I know I shift every 8 seconds, on average, which makes me think I might be shifting too often. (I also ride in hilly areas, so I definitely use all of my gears.)
Someone else noted the buttons I can use to control the computer. I have mine set to switch screens on the computer, and I use it pretty regularly. Nice not having to take my hands off the grips to do that.
I’m glad I made the switch, and I won’t go back. I also built my gravel bike with Di2, and I’m glad I did it there, too. If people want to use cables, that’s fine with me, but I’m really happy with the electronic setup.
I switched my bike to Di2. Best thing I’ve done. I was tired of shift cables breaking.
Everyone always says that cables work great and are trouble free, but my 105 11-speed was a cable eater. Apparently it’s a known issue with them, one guy I know replaces his cables every 6 months to avoid having them break during a ride. The last one that broke was installed by a pro and had less than 2k miles on it, and there was no warning there was any problem before the ride.
A few times I caught it and replaced the cable before it broke on a ride, but I’ve had breaks several times during rides. I never had an issue with my older 8 speed setup, so I think it’s something to do with the bend the cable has to make in the shifter.
And even when the cable wasn’t breaking, it felt like I needed to adjust the derailleur every so often to get it to shift juuuuust right.
Di2 has been set and forget, for the most part - I recharge the battery every few weeks. I haven’t had to do anything else to it since installation.
It’s so easy to operate, too. I know cables are also easy to operate, but electronic is even easier. Just tap the button or hold the button. The front derailleur auto aligns as needed, too. I spend a lot less time worrying about my drivetrain during and after rides.
You can also get information about your riding from it - how much time do you spend in each gear? I know I shift every 8 seconds, on average, which makes me think I might be shifting too often. (I also ride in hilly areas, so I definitely use all of my gears.)
Someone else noted the buttons I can use to control the computer. I have mine set to switch screens on the computer, and I use it pretty regularly. Nice not having to take my hands off the grips to do that.
I’m glad I made the switch, and I won’t go back. I also built my gravel bike with Di2, and I’m glad I did it there, too. If people want to use cables, that’s fine with me, but I’m really happy with the electronic setup.