Di2 vs eTap – real user feedback

Personally I’d take di2 every

Personally I’d take di2 every time; the levers feel higher quality and less plasticky, they provide technical training and support to local shops, they generally have good spare parts availabilty which is also very easy for you or your local shop to look up,  many of the mechs/shifters from XT, XTR, Ultegra and Dura-Ace are interchangeable if you want to upgrade or do something unusual, di2 is much more adjustable in terms of shifter settings including speed of shifts and function of each button (I have set mine up like campag shifters, using a sprint shifter as a thumb lever), plus you can now use synchroshift and set di2 up exactly like etap if you so choose with one lever shifting up, the other shifting down and the system handling front mech shifts. Plus Shimano are generally brilliant for warranty and keeping spares for years (although I admit they can be expensive). Plus your local shop will probably have the e-tube di2 diagnostics tool and if they don’t you can just buy your own.

For reference I have worked on all 3 electronic systems in a shop environment,  ridden EPS, Di2 and etap for decent amounts of miles and owned EPS and Di2- I would never even consider using EPS again, have di2 on both race and training bikes and will have it on my future tt bike. Just for reference I would also rather cut off my fingers than deal with SRAM technical or warranty ever again (although to be fair the warranty experience itself is hit and miss with SRAM so not all bad)

I’m probably going to get

I’m probably going to get eTap on my new bike, having gotten Di2 at the moment.

Things that haven’t been mentioned above:

– You’ve got a ton of fiddly wires inside your frame, it can be fun for example fitting a seatpost battery – I had issues with the cable not engaging properly and falling out randomly to begin with.

– You’ve got the Di2 junction box to house somewhere, unless you get a fancy solution whereby it goes in the frame or a recess on the stem.

– From an upgrade / firmware perspective (this is anecedotal – working in IT for many years I no longer ever update firmware without a very good reason) you have to update everything via the junction box and keep versions aligned.  I’ve heard horror stories of people updating firmware in the wrong order and bricking things.  As I understand it, being wireless you can individually manage each component more easily with eTap.

I like the idea of being able to carry a spare battery in a pocket/saddle bag – I’ve had the Di2 run out on me about 20 miles into a 100 mile sportive before (hence I now charge mine every 3 months rather than 6). 

I also like the idea of being able to “hibernate” the system over winter by removing the batteries and leaving them in the house in the warm.  I have sufficient hassle with the Di2 battery that I don’t unplug it over the winter – knowing that it’s not really good for the batteries to be subject to those extreme colds (or mild cold if you aren’t a southern jessy like me).

“can’t trim for example with

“can’t trim for example with eTap” Both Di2 and eTap FD’s auto-trim.

One can Google and find the comparible differences between Di2 and eTap, both pros and cons. However, I find almost all reveiws omit shifting – Di2 is a mere tap of the button while eTap is more of a push of the button akin to mechanical shifting.  I have both, well actually the Mrs has eTap, and I find while climbing steep ascents on/out of the saddle Di2 is easier to shift. This also pertains to sprinting out of the saddle with hands on the drops. I have small hands so others with larger mitts may find the opposite.

One thing is for certain eTap with no wires is whole lot easier to install than Di2. After hardware has been installed it took me just under 20 minutes to run wires with Di2 and a few minutes with eTap. So, what it’s going to boil down to is installation, battery life and shiffting (synchro shift, speed choices, button vs push).