8 Things You Need to Know About Electronic Shifting Making the switch from mechanical shifting? These facts will help ease the transition. By joe lindsey September 15. Merida SPEEDER 900 shiny dark silver (black), Road & Fitness. Find a Merida dealer close to you here. By Jim Weaver Service Manager, Fit Werx, VT. Shimano recently released a new optional item to its Ultegra 6870 and Dura Ace 9070 Di2 electronic shifting systems.

Di2 Shimano® Electronic Intelligent System Installation. This article will discuss the installation and adjustment of the Di2 Shimano Electronic Intelligent System®. Steinberg Groove Agent 2 Cracker. Pro Tour Technology: Our ULTEGRA series is "pro-proven" as it is a direct trickle down from our DURA-ACE group. It stands for state-of-the-art technology, proven in.

Lickbike. com . They may look like any other set of wheels from a distance, but under closer inspection, you'll notice the 2. Plus wide C2 rim.

This Scandium masterpiece is incredibly strong and only weighs around 4. Please call for details, through 8/1.

Shimano Ultegra Di. Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset (video) review. Ultegra mechanical. First up: Shimano Ultegra mechanical. The latest 1. 1- speed iteration has been very positively received. Buy now: Shimano 6. Ultegra 1. 1 Speed Groupset at Wiggle from .

Along with all other major groupsets Ultegra mechanical is now 1. Road bike groupsets: Complete buyer’s guide. Despite the initial concerns that accompany all big technical changes, 1.

In short, smaller increments between sprockets is worth the slight increase in weight. Dura- Ace drip down. The full Shimano Ultegra 6. Shimano claims its Ultegra mechanical series is “pro- proven” as it is a direct trickle down from its Dura- Ace group. Therefore, as Dura- Ace has improved each year Ultegra should also have made large strides. Chainset and cassette. Ultegra 6. 80. 0 has a four arm rather than five arm chainset.

The first thing you’ll notice about Ultegra 6. The theory is that the four arms better mirror the strain the chainset expriences during the pedal stroke. Also, with the four arm you can fit other chain rings without having to replace the whole chainset. In regard to crank length you can choose from the standard 1. Is it the end for the 3. Save for the cyclo- cross option of the 4. Ultegra chain ring options are similar to Shimano 1.

You can choose between 5. Dura- Ace mechanical on the other hand, is focused more at road racers who can manage riding a big gear since it also offers 5. Ultegra sets itself apart from Dura- Ace when it comes to sprocket options. Ultegra is available up to a 3. Dura- Ace only goes up to 2.

That is probably why you’ll see some pro riders using an Ultegra cassette in the high mountains. Shifters and derailleur. The Shimano Ultegra 6.

High level, Ultegra uses Shimano’s fabled STI shifters. You use the brake lever to go up and gear lever to go down and vice versa. Shimano claims that the shift mechanism was redesigned so that, in theory, you get the same shift anywhere up the block, be it 2. This is in part managed by the new longer front derailleur which has a longer activation arm. The rear derailleur is available in both short and mid- cage. The mid- range cage fits the 3.

Brakes. Ultegra brakes should deliver close to perfect performance. As with 1. 05 and Dura- Ace, Ultegra brakes are now available as a “direct mount brake”. Direct mounts are attached to the frame via two bolts rather than the standard one bolt. The main advantages of direct mount brakes is that they cannot be knocked out of place and they sit closer to the frame which reduces flex in the system and can be more aerodynamic. Shimano Ultegra’s direct mount brake option.

However, if you don’t want to upgrade your frame there is still the standard one bolt option where the ultegra brake unit has two symmetrical pivots which mount to the standard one bolt. Bikes with Shimano Ultegra mechanical> > > Dolan Scala Ultegra time trial bike> > > Norco Valence Carbon Ultegra> > > Tifosi Scalare Ultegra> > > GT Grade Carbon Ultegra> > > Cannondale Super.

Six Evo Ultegra Women’s 2. Chain. The latest 1. Ultegra chain has the surface technology called Sil- Tec. Debuted last year with the Dura- Ace 9.

The ride. Having used Ultegra 1. I was particularly keen to see the performance difference.

I have ridden the 1. Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset on various bikes for many miles.

The greatest compliment I can give is that I can barely recall a bad gear change. The shifting felt light and accurate even when moving from the big ring to the small ring. It performed particularly well when shifting under load- for example when I realised I was in the wrong gear up a steep hill.> > > Are you using your bike’s gears efficiently? Like many I often ride with my hands on the hoods. I found the the narrower ergonomically shaped  Ultegra hoods to be comfortable even after several hours of riding. Away from shifting performance I can confirm, as I have to come to expect with Shimano, the braking was reliable, consistent and assured- whether riding in wet or dry conditions. Even on occasions when I needed to brake suddenly the bike came to a relatively secure stop.

I particularly noticed the reduced flex in the brake levers. As said above, the chain uses Sil- Tec.

Although the chain ran smoothly even when riding in bad weather it is difficult to confirm that it is anymore slick than previous offerings. Check out our road bike group sets buyer’s guide Why Ultegra mechanical? Shimano Ultegra gives you top end performance- consistent gear changes and reliable braking, is light and robust. Also from a cost perspective it is not as expensive as Dura- Ace mechanical or Di.

Its impressive attributes are reflected by the fact most test bikes we receive at the price point of between . From a performance perspective the difference between 1. Ultegra is as small as it has ever been.

It is also competitively priced at . It is hard to fault. Ultegra Di. 2 electronic. Sleek looking rear mech. The newest version of the electronic offering, Shimano Ultegra Di. Things like the slimmer rear derailleur and the ability to hide the battery inside the frame are much more attractive.

Buy now: Shimano Ultegra 6. Di. 2 Groupset from Chain Reaction Cycles for .

It’s the equivalent of constructing a carbuncle of a conservatory on the side of Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Bikes with Shimano Ultegra Di.

Swift Carbon Ultravox Ti> > > Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 7. Di. 2> > > Cervelo S3 Ultegra Di. Genesis Zero i Ultegra race bike. In terms of actual shift quality the groupset is beyond reproach after very thorough testing. You might wonder if there could be quite the speed and snap to changes down the rear cassette when really sprinting — could the motor whirr and respond as quickly as a spring releasing tension?> > > Shimano 1.

Under the pressure of a full- on bar- heaving dash for an imaginary line the shifts are not only blindingly quick but also smooth. The switch between front rings was even more impressive, never baulking, never stumbling once during a prolonged review period. This knowledge that the change will always go home is perhaps the thing that’s the most intriguing.

There can be a sense of pride in finessing the throw of a lever when changing with a mechanical groupset, but this is never missed with a well tuned Di. Compact battery on the latest front mech. Something that will feel missing for some riders is the greater distinction between the two shift buttons, because despite being textured differently they’re very close together, and, particularly with a set of gloves on or over rough ground, it was sometimes less than instinctive to land on the required one. Similarly, the positivity of the buttons could still be improved so that you have a more positive feel and reassuring . Likewise when you’re knackered and pedalling squares at the end of a long training ride, even the slightest reduction in movement and effort to swap cogs is sometimes welcome. The semi- compact 5. A very good drivetrain indeed.

Leaving the gears aside for a moment, there are two other areas of the Shimano Ultegra 6. Di. 2 that are well worth mentioning. First the brakes are superb, being full of power and yet also being easy to modulate.> > > Which pedal system is best for you? Then there are the 
SPD- SL pedals. At first they can feel slightly tricky to engage, because the front portion of the cleat has to drop down through the hole in the pedal rather than being caught by a lip, but riders will soon get used to this and once located there was a fantastic sense of security, stiffness and also stability across the broad main contact patch. Verdict. Mechanical groupsets clearly still have their place, but electronic shifting has some clear advantages as well. If nothing else then the complete lack of maintenance and adjustment that Di.

The sheer quality of the whole package was also remarkable.