Di2 – Tough enough for men, but made for women
Christmas came early…
when John Hunter (owner of JR Hunter Sports) installed a demo Ultegra Di2 kit onto my Road Bike. The benefits of working with the agency is that I get to try out all the cool toys.
Ladies, without going into all the tech details about the new Shimano electronic shifting (Di2), I just have to say…it is made for women.
- Sleek – no more cables on the handlebar
- Only the gentlest of touch changes gears – yes, you heard me… not more having to push your front shifter far to get it to move up to the big gear on the front – the slightest touch and it goes up on its own -every time!
- Rubbing of the front derailleur when you shift over too far – GONE! The front derailleur has a ‘brain’ of it’s own and will readjust so that there is no rubbing
- Almost 5000km before you even have to re-charge your battery (yes, the battery is not only low maintenance, but sleek and elegant)
- Reliable – No more gritty cables to slow down your shifting
- Guys will be jealous when they see it on your bike
I was so excited to get out on the bike! Early Sunday morning came.. and so did the rain. It was pouring! Do you think that stopped us, no way. I can tell you, the rain has no effect on the performance of the shifting.
Two thumbs Up!!
More information can be found at bike.shimano.com
Please contact your local bike shop for pricing, availability and the options that will best suit your riding needs.
Do you have Di2 on your bike already? Would love to hear your feedback.
Cool post, and super glad I stumbled onto your blog! I’m relatively new to cycling (at least, serious cycling) and have definitely never even looked into electronic shifting. So, I was curious as to what in particular makes it especially good for women? Thanks for sharing!!!
As a woman with small hands, it was always difficult shifting the front derailleur up to the big ring because of the reach. Now it is only the press of a button and the derailleur does all the shifting work, not me. Less focus on the shifting and more on the riding. I had a bike store for years, and many of the women who were just starting spent more time trying to deal with the ‘tech side’ of how and when to shift…now they don’t have to. Does that help?
Ahhh, yes! Definitely. I see what you’re saying now. cool! Thanks for responding so quickly!
Glad I could help! Thanks for following my blog. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I’ve checked out these electronic shifters at the bike show before. What happens though if the electronic ever malfunction during a ride? Can you still manually shift? I have surprised to hear it can run 5000km before a recharge – that’s amazing!!
Sorry it took me a bit to get the answer to your question, but wanted to ask John Hunter (JR Hunter Sports Agency – Ontario Rep for Shimano Canada) for his response (see below). Remember – key is to purchase the groupo from an authorized Shimano bicycle dealer (Ask them if they are Di2 certified) and have them install it and set it up for you. Shimano offers a great training program for Shimano dealer employees. THEN.. make sure you keep your batter charged. Ask the bike shop staff to show you where to look for the battery indicators – Flashing Red means charge! I hope this helps.
John says
“There is no mechanical backup system for the electronic shifters. Sometimes problems arise that are beyond our control and, like a mechanical shifter, a breakdown can occur in the electronic one as well. Like its mechanical cousin the problem sometimes has a simple fix and other times not. Battery charge is something we do have control over. There are indicator lights on the system that tell us our charge level and those indicators become more prevalent as the charge declines. Depending your ride characteristics the charge can last up to 5000k. 90 minutes is all it takes to recharge the battery so it will take very little effort to make sure your battery has sufficient charge for your cycling demands.”
I see. Thanks for going the length to get the answer!! I wonder if we will ever see “automatic” bikes, just like cars.
Maybe that will convert some drivers to cycling!
My pleasure!