Originally Posted by
Dogmama
First, the Di2. I've been on a bike with Campy for 17 years, so I'm used to smooth, quiet shifts. The Di2 is incredible. You need to be careful where you place your hands because just a slight touch will shift gears. The amount of pressure is similar to caressing a cat's ear. The lever moves, maybe one inch maximum. I shifted up & down on hills & there was no difference in the smoothness. Seriously, it makes my beloved Campy seem like index shifting. (How many people remember THAT?) The front chainring trues itself up - it makes a high pitched whirring sound - not loud but you can hear it. I think it's pretty cool.
You can check the battery level by touching the lever. A very small box (1/2 inch by 1 inch) mounted on the wire by the handlebars reads green, flashing red, etc. I read that if something goes wrong, they can plug the system into a computer and the faulty part lights up. Right now the Ultegra Di2 is only available on the 6 series Madones, but in the spring it's supposed to be available in the 5 series. (Trek bikes, obviously.) It runs about $2K - half of what DuraAce Di2 costs. But, I priced out C-Chorus and it was $2K for non-electronic shifting.
Now the Madone - wow. I never thought I'd like a bike better than my steel custom bike, but apparently they've made a few changes in geometry in the past 17 years. :o I also never thought I'd like carbon fiber. This bike weights 15 pounds. It is stiff but not punishing. The handling is beyond compare. I actually slipped in some gravel and it was like the bike corrected itself. I can do a 270 degree turn no problem. If I'm coming out of the saddle, I have to shift to a harder gear so that the bike doesn't come out from under me. I had them put carbon fiber handlebars on so that the ride would be smoother. I have arthritis in my hands, neck, back, you name it. I got off that bike after 1.5 hours totally pain free. I was riding into headwinds, did some pretty good hills, and the time flew by.
I'm a pretty happy camper!
