Final verdict on Shimano Ultegra Di2 6770 upgrade ?

My Ultegra Di2 6770 upgrade adventure started because of degradation in the shifting performance of the Ultegra 6700 RD on my 2 year old Lapierre Sensium 300. I replaced the cables and housing once using Shimano SIS 41 cables and housing. Rather embarrassingly I discovered the replacement set of housing to be in rather poor shape.

Maybe my eyesight really is failing but I did not notice how bad the condition had become until I flexed the cables and saw signs of rust. I have never experienced anything like this on mountain bikes or with older Shimano equipment. I have a set of Tiagra 4500 brifters on an older commuter bike. I have replaced the cables and lubricate them occasionally but the cable housing has lasted for years. The cable routing for the Tiagra brifters is quite different and does not require any sharp bends. 

As the cable and housing originates from the side of the brifter, the cable routing is not concealed under bar tape but the housing seems a lot happier and shifting performance seems to require less maintenance over time. Yes, I could have replaced the cables and housing (and been more vigilant about maintenance) but the possibility of going through this again was a real turnoff. 

Even on sale, the Ultegra Di2 6770 upgrade kit is not cheap. The upside:

• More comfortable brake/shift levers, especially if you have smaller hands.
• The travel of the shift is no longer an issue as you are just pushing a button (Shimano seems to recognize this is an issue for some as the Ultegra 6800 brifters require as the Ultegra 6800 brifters require "30% less" travel").
• Once set up, there is no need to tune the RD or FD or worry about cable maintenance. I have not needed to touch anything over the first 1000 km.
• The trimming function of the FD is as good as advertised. The mechanical Ultegra shifters do have trim but this just works so well, even in the chainring / cog combinations that you are 'not supposed to use'.
• The FD really does shift quite happily under torque. I find I don't have anticipate or think ahead when making gear changes. It is nice not to hear the grinding noise coming from the chain and chainring when executing a shift a little too late or early (and thinking about the wear you are putting on your components).
• Being able to shift easily when off the saddle is actually really nice for climbing.
• I am not a weight weenie but being a smaller and lighter rider, I am not completely immune to weight concerns either. If  you are wavering between something like the Ultegra 6700 and Ultegra 6770 Di2, the weight difference is not noticeable, at least to me. 
• The RD and FD do make a little noise but with the wind you get when riding, I just don't hear it. 
• The battery seems to last as long as Shimano claims (think the RD stops functioning first to help get you home if you neglect to check the battery)

There really is not much to complain about. The downside:

• At least for this iteration of Di2, there is not really any feedback, either in noise or feel when changing gears and it is true that you  wonder at times if you have changed gears or not. 
• In summer, I have had no problem with mis-shifts. The buttons are offset and you can feel the difference in texture. I don't know if it will be as easy in winter with thick gloves on.
• I have found that changing wheels, even with the same cassette, does sometimes  require a little tweaking but it is done the same way as the original setup and requires no tools.
• The RD or FD will be a lot more expensive when or if they need replacement due to a crash or some other mishap (there is a crash mode that temporarily disables the RD for protection - nice touch).
• I hope I don't have to test the RD with a bent derailleur hanger. I would still hesitate to do any touring with this setup.

Conclusion, if any:

I still feel a little guilty for spending money on components that give some convenience but do nothing to make you go any faster. The concerns about frame compatibility, appearance, weight, ease of installation and use are, in my opinion, not really a problem. I was hoping to read something or be told something either by a fellow rider or a staff member at one of the LBSs that I deal with that would convince me this was a good decision. I enjoy riding my other bikes, all with mechanical groupsets, just as much, but in different ways. If you upgrade your bike to Di2 or buy a new bike with this groupset, I'm sure you will not be disappointed. Ultimately, the decision does come down to personal preference and whether or not you can afford it.

Ultegra Di2 6770 Installation

Armed with the instructions that accompanied the various components, the tech documents from Shimano mentioned in my last post and this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HdFmgAqv0g the installation was easy and went very smoothly. There is not really much to add to this but the following may be helpful.

Brifters

I have small hands and am quite happy with the size of the Ultegra Di2 6770 brifters (right, Ultegra 6700 left).

The transition from the brifters to the handlebar is noticeably different and I found I needed to re-position them after my first ride. If there is ever a time to do a test ride without installing handlebar tape, this is it. As mentioned in the instructions, the wire can be connected to either terminal. Reading through the instructions is actually useful in this case to avoid that moment of doubt. The extra terminal is for those who want the optional "satellite switch" or the PC connector (SM­PCE1)­.

Shimano made an effort to make the installation that much easier. The terminal rotates outwards to facilitate the connection.

As mentioned in the instructions, you can wrap the wires around the base of the brifter to take up any unneeded length in the SM­EW67­A­E (sorry, no picture). I needed to do so as I have smallish handlebars. It all covers up rather nicely with bar tape.

External vs. Internal Wiring

Before deciding to take the plunge and do this upgrade, I read endless posts about how ugly the wiring was.My frame is not Di2 ready and has (partial) internal cabling for the rear brake only. As the warranty on my frame has already expired (Lapierre mysteriously offers a one year warranty on its frames in Japan versus the 5 years it offers in other countries), I considered drilling holes to do the wiring internally. The wiring for internal or external is the same, the rear junction only is different and sold individually if you were ever inclined to change your setup SM­JC41* (built­in type)/SM­JC40* (external type). After completing the wiring externally, I really can't see why so many people are complaining about the appearance.

I suppose it helps if your frame is black. The wire covers are quite flexible and adequately sticky (they have not budged after about 1000 km of riding in the 40 C degree hell that is Osaka's summer). Washing down the frame as suggested before installation as suggested is definitely a good idea.

Wrapping the excess wiring under the BB is a pain but the wiring is very flexible. I am not saying this is the best wiring job ever but it is very secure and who is ever going to see it?

The wiring is considerably smaller than cable housing so again, what is the big deal?

The battery was my biggest worry, as in where to put it. It is much smaller than I expected but it requires a little space to remove. I have seen it installed under the bottom bracket on some Di2 ready frames (which seems like a great place for the battery to get as much water as possible).  I have also seen it installed on the left chainstay.

Sorry, Don't remember where I found this picture to give credit. I also have a Garmin cadence/speed sensor in the same position. This bike may have eyelets to screw in the short battery mount (SM­BMR1­S). The battery mounts are a little pricey. I tried setting it up this way with zip ties. The zip ties would interfere with mounting the battery in the short battery mount however. Water seems like less of a problem but it might get knocked around a bit (?). So despite the space problem, I mounted the battery with the long water bottle type mount.

Not a lot of space but I have only removed the battery once so far for recharging. I had to use the bottle cage adapter ­(SM­BA01) to move the water bottle cage on the seat tube up about 10 cm.

This results in a tight fit for the water bottle on the seat tube but it works. These Polar insulated water bottles are pretty big but I find I need them in summer. All of this just means that if you have a bike with similar geometry that is on the small size, where you choose to mount the battery might require some forethought and some measurements but it is doable.

How big are the derailleurs? How do they look?

Yeah, they are bigger. Looks, of course, are very subjective. They are very nicely finished, they look like high quality components. Personally I do not care about the weight difference, at least in this case.

Installing them, following the instructions, was a breeze. The support bolt for the FD is difficult to find (see instructions) but aside from that no problem. Shimano's instructions indicate moving the RD to the 5th cog on the cassette and aligning the RD from that cog for the initial adjustment. I found that when I did that, the FD would not shift onto the largest cog. I set my RD by starting from the 4th cog and everything worked perfectly. Now that I have lived with this upgrade for a while, was it worth it?

To Di2 or not (or an expensive solution to a simple problem)

My 2 year old Lapierre Sensium 300 was due for an overhaul. The Ultegra 6700 groupset that came with the bike worked pretty flawlessly for the first 10,000 km or so of riding but even with regular maintenance, I found myself having to constantly tweak the bike to get smooth gear changes. Another new set of cables and outers alone might have done the trick but maintenance is an opportunity for an upgrade, right? With the Ultegra 6800 already available and Ultegra 6870 looming, prices for the Ultegra 6700 Di2 upgrade kit came down in price enough that I could talk myself into justifying the expense. So, is it difficult to install? Is it worth it?

A note on buying

If you go the online route as I did, you may wonder when comparing offers if the upgrade kit is complete. A little homework is in order. This link for Shimano's technical document for dealers will help in identifying the individual components (and give help with installation as I found the included documentation lacking detail).
 http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/Ultegra/UltegraDi2/6770Di2_DM_EN_v1_m56577569830770172.pdf. The upgrade kit I purchased included the following:

①デュアルコントロールレバー・・・・・・・ST-6770 × 1 (dual control levers, set F/R)
②フロントディレイラー・・・・・・・・・・・・・・FD-6770-F(直付) × 1 (FD, braze on)
③リアディレイラー・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・RD-6770-SS × 1 (RD, SS as in short cage)
④バッテリー・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・SM-BTR1 × 1 (battery)
⑤バッテリーチャージャー・・・・・・・・・・・SM-BCR1 × 1 (battery charger)
⑥バッテリーチャージャー用ケーブル・SM-BCC1 × 1 (battery cable, in this case for Japan)
⑦エレクトリックケーブル(ﾊﾝﾄﾞﾙ周り)・・SM-EW67A-E × 1 (cables to brifters with junction)
⑧エレクトリックケーブルセット・・・・・・・・SM-JC40-M × 1 (rear - under BB - external junction)
・ﾊﾞｯﾃﾘｰﾏｳﾝﾄ SM-BMR1-L (long battery mount, under bottle cage)
・ｴﾚｸﾄﾘｯｸｹｰﾌﾞﾙ EW-SD50(950mm×1、500mm×1、300mm×2) (electric cables)
・ｺｰﾄﾞｶﾊﾞｰ(ﾌﾞﾗｯｸ) SM-EWC2(300mm×3、50mm×3) (electric cable covers)

As the front derailleur comes in braze on only, a suitable "band adapter" or braze on adapter (SM­AD67) is required and not included. If your frame does not have a braze on mount for your FD like mine, just measure the diameter of the seat tube and order the appropriate adapter. Everything else needed for the installation was included in this kit. Although not mentioned, the "required" tool for installing the cables is included and found in the box containing the cables (hey, ya never know). All of the bundled upgrade kits I have seen come in "M" or "L" lengths. Just for reference, I am about 5'6" (167 cm) and have a 49 cm frame in the Lapierre, the "M" was just about perfect for my frame. Check this Shimano tech document for how you should measure your frame to determine the correct cable length:
http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/tech_support/tech_tips.download.-Par50lparsys-0034-downloadFile.html/10)%20Di2%20Wire%20Kit%20Instructions.pdf. You can always buy different length cables after - they range from 150 - 1400 mm in 50 mm increments - but they cost around 20 dollars each if you can find them. Shimano says the cables can't or should not be cut. I'll leave it at that. The battery cable is country specific, cables for outlets to match other countries are available if needed (like I bought this online from another country or want to travel with my bike). The battery is external only for Di2 6770, whether you go internal cabling or external. Most of the upgrade kits I have seen do not offer a choice in battery mounts. There is a short mount for Di2 ready frames (SM­BMR1­S). As my frame is somewhat small to begin with and this model Lapierre has "compact geometry", I did need to move the bottle cage on my seat tube up a little to accommodate the battery. If this is you, you might need the "bottle cage adapter" (SM­BA01). This is not included. I have seen bundles that do not include the wire covers for the external wiring kits (SM­EWC2). You get 3 long and 3 short (see above for length). I only used half of them for the installation on my bike. Nothing worse than starting a project and finding something missing. I spent a lot of time to figure out just what I needed. Hope this clears things up a little. With this part out of the way, onto the installation.