04-15-17
Di2 Wiring Started
Di2 components are surprisingly small and light. I was expecting heavy cables and a battery as large as a seatpost but that isn't the case. Even so, installation wasn't without its challenges and this was expected going in.
The first challenge was the plan to use the Barfly GPS mount for Junction A. Concerns about clearance between the junction and a Light & Motion Urban 800 light turned out to be unfounded. The setup looks like the Starship Enterprise.
Both hydraulic hoses and E-Tube wires were trying to occupy the same space however, and using it this way seemed like a failure waiting to happen. The wires and hoses contended with each other especially hard when turning the handlebar.
Like many, I was hoping for a cleaner look but fell back to plan B for the time being, the Shimano supplied stem mount. This uses a rubber strap around the stem which is cut to size and attached to a small mount via two hooks. The Junction box slides onto the mount and prevents the straps from falling off the hooks. Shimano documentation only hinted at the need to cut the strap.
E-Tube wires were fed through the frame. The front derailleur wire needed little help and the internal channels made installation of the downtube wire very easy. An internal structure partially blocks the inside of the chainstays and the rear derailleur wire had to be attached to a piece of brake housing to feed it through. The same brake housing was required to feed the seat tube wire past the bottom bracket shell.
The wireless unit will be placed inline between junction B and the seatpost mounted battery. This was wrapped in foam so it doesn't rattle and fed into the seat tube. The seatpost battery mount is in transit and so the wire was temporarily taped to the frame so it doesn't fall into the seat tube.
Continued next post...