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Ultegra Di2, mechanical DA or mechanical Record

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  • April 15, 2015 at 1:04 pm #23748
    ashfanman

    Hi all. Following my thread asking for advice about Canyon Aeroads and Cosmic Carbone SLEs, I went for a frame fit at Velosport in Putney (£45, highly recommended) and it turns out that the Canyon Ultimate will actually be a better fit for me.

    I now have two options: Ultegra Di2 for £3,199, or mechanical DA or mechanical Record, both of which are £3,399. The specs are otherwise identical.

    I know this is a bit like asking whether people prefer tea or coffee, and that it’s mainly subjective, but would still be interested in hearing people’s thoughts on which they’d recommend.

    I currently ride Shimano 105 and have found it faultless – the shifting is great and I hear the Ultegra direct mount brakes are incredible. I’ve never ridden Di2, but again only hear good things about it. The only slight drawback with the Shimano-equipped bike is that there would be a slight wait – the delivery estimate is early-mid June.

    The Record-equipped bike is slightly lighter (6.5kg vs. 6.7kg) and is in stock, meaning it should arrive in around a week. It also gives me the option of speccing a 11-27 or even a 11-29 cassette, which I think I’d appreciate with a 52-36 chainset (I currently ride a compact with an 11-32 cassette), whereas Canyon only give cassette options for Ultegra of 11-23, 11-25 and 12-25.

    The DA bike is slightly lighter still (6.45kg) and is also in stock. Also gives me the option of a 12-28 cassette.

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Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
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  • April 20, 2015 at 6:13 pm #841705
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    ashfanman

    I just ordered the bike and
    I just ordered the bike and ended up going with Ultegra Di2.

    I managed to have a quick try on a Campagnolo-equipped bike and while I loved the feel of the shifting (not really sure how to describe it other than to say it’s really solid and reminds me of the SRAM shifters on my MTB, which I like a lot), the thumb shifter definitely gets in the way for me. When I’m on the hoods I just have my thumb and forefinger above the brake lever, almost like I’m holding a pen, then have my other three fingers wrapped around the hood beneath the brake lever. The thumb shifter is slap bang in the middle of that area, so that’s unfortunately a no-go for me.

    So that just left Ultegra Di2 or mechanical DA. I was tempted by the DA, but I’m really keen on the electronic shifting and also couldn’t justify the extra expense. (I know it’s not a huge amount more, given how much I’m already spending, but £200 is still £200.) Turns out that I could select a 11-28 cassette with the Ultegra spec at the checkout stage, so that wasn’t an issue either.

    Delivery is scheduled for the beginning of June, so I’ve got a few weeks of excited anticipation! Will be sure to post pics and give a ride report once it arrives.

    Thanks again for all your help and advice!

    April 18, 2015 at 1:57 pm #841703
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    massivecompacthalo

    I have a Canyon with 1st gen
    I have a Canyon with 1st gen Ui2 and regret going to electronic. As amazing as it is, it does go wrong. Also the compatibility is an issue if you are thinking long term, not so much with mechanical. Canyon frames are either electronic or mechanical, in my opinion a massive failing. So decide carefully!

    April 16, 2015 at 11:21 am #841701
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    Flying Scot

    On the DA and Record
    On the DA and Record chainrings and cassettes, at replacement time, the ones from the lesser gruppo’s fit and no one will will know. You have the choice.

    I don’t know what your future plans are, but would you rather buy a a used bike with a top line mechanical set up, or with a complex electronic one. This is mute if you don’t keep trading up of course.

    April 16, 2015 at 11:18 am #841699
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    therevokid

    always thought campag thumb
    always thought campag thumb button would be in the way but after 2 years
    with it I’ve yet to find myself thinking … “damn that button’s in the way” … and
    unlike shimano ergo levers are actually serviceable !

    I’d like to try eps but that’s a ways of 😉

    tried the di2 and found the hoods just didn’t fit my hands.

    April 16, 2015 at 10:58 am #841697
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    DrJDog

    Can I throw a spanner in the
    Can I throw a spanner in the works and suggest SRAM? Either the Red SLX, or the Force SL (which is quite a bit cheaper, and you could upgrade to some nice deep section carbon wheels with the difference). Not much weight difference between the Canyon SLX and the SL, nor between the Red and Force groupset.

    April 16, 2015 at 9:41 am #841695
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    Martyn_K

    So are you keeping your
    So are you keeping your current Shimano 105 equipped bike? If so then staying with Shimano makes sense.

    I have UDi2 and would urge you to go for it. Not only is it slightly cheaper (although at that total spend that’s not a huge factor) but it is so much nicer to own than mechanical. Maintenance is minimal, ease of use is maximal!

    DA components (cassette/ chainrings) will be more expensive to replace, i would imagine the Record will fall in to higher replacement costs too. Ok, so the electronic parts of UDi2 cost more to replace but as long as you are not breaking shifters or mech’s regularly this should not be on the horizon.

    One other thing… Is the UDi2 frame ONLY electronic compliant? If so you are buying in to electronic for life, there is no back out plan to mechanical.

    Pick your poison as they say.

    April 16, 2015 at 7:35 am #841693
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    kev-s

    Ultegra di2 for me
    Have tried
    Ultegra di2 for me

    Have tried DA mechanical and record mechanical and didnt like the record at all, thumb shifters got in my way and the levers felt too small (large hands)

    Plus i feel campag is way overpriced, i know it has the history and is nice to look at but when it comes to value for money, shimano wins hands down for me

    mechanical DA was better, bigger hoods, no stupid thumb shifters which also look crap imho but once i tried di2 there was no going back

    Now run Ultegra di2 and dura ace di2 on two bikes and the 3rd will be dura ace di2 as well

    Ultegra di2 has good sized hoods for big hands, the ability to shift easily under braking, the ability to shift across the whole cassette by just holding the button down for 2 secs, front mech has the auto trim feature so no more microshifts due to chain rub

    Once set up there is no gear adjustment needed its just fit and forget

    Only you can decide so personally id try and have a ride on bikes fitted with those groupsets and see which you prefer

    April 16, 2015 at 12:42 am #841691
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    userfriendly

    Record. Switched from Shimano
    Record. Switched from Shimano to Campagnolo recently, and – while I do realise people have different experiences there – I’m very much enjoying the Ergo levers. They fit my hands much better, I actually like the thumb shifter, and none of that shifting-via-brake-lever nonsense.

    To be fair, give both a try – then choose Campag. 😛

    April 15, 2015 at 10:54 pm #841689
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    Richard1982

    Mechanical DA gets my vote
    Mechanical DA gets my vote 🙂

    April 15, 2015 at 3:56 pm #841687
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    Flying Scot

    Record all day if they’re the
    Record all day if they’re the same money.

    Shimano have proven time and again that they don’t support much more than a 36 month life cycle.

    You do need to try it though, as you’re right, it’s tea and coffee.

    April 15, 2015 at 3:04 pm #841685
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    mike the bike

    My friend’s Record stuff is
    My friend’s Record stuff is still working well and he bought it thirty years ago. Just saying.

    April 15, 2015 at 3:02 pm #841683
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    2 Wheeled Idiot

    Dura ace….I can’t get on
    Dura ace….I can’t get on with the campag thumb shifter thingy and I’m not fussed over Di2..

    April 15, 2015 at 2:05 pm #841681
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    crikey

    Mechanical DA; like your 105
    Mechanical DA; like your 105 but better and eminently fixable, interchangeable and serviceable.

    April 15, 2015 at 1:55 pm #841679
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    Nick T

    Have you ever tried Campy?
    Have you ever tried Campy? Probably best to give it a go if you can. I’d choose Record every time out of the 3, personally.

    April 15, 2015 at 1:19 pm #841677
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    Mombee

    Aesthetics, heritage,
    Aesthetics, heritage, longevity, durability, ease of maintenance, even ease of use… the Di2 kit is lovely to use, but surely you’d be mad to choose it over Record?

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