Geo_Zegarra2016

Hello All,

Interested in purchasing a gravel bike this May or next year. I said May because the Grizl CF SL 8 will be available and I will have the funds to buy it (saving since September 2021). However, I've noticed how people love di2 and some say they will never go back to mechanical. Is a gravel Di2 worth it? I am planning on using my bike for long bike packing trips and one of my first trips is to ride from Central NY to Acadia National Park. I will also be using my bike for bike commuting and many other things my road bike can't do since I am limited to riding it. I currently have a 2021 Canyon Endurace 6.0 AL and I love it. Tiagra groupset is amazing and smooth for me now. So my question is should I wait until 2023 or buy one in May? Grizl CF SL 8 has GRX 800 and Grizl CF SLX 8 Di2 is the other one. However, it shows is sold out so I am uncertain when that will be available again.

Rolla

Whether something is "worth it" is a personal choice that only you can make.

For a long bikepacking trip, I'd want the most zero-maintenance, field-reparable, widely-available parts I could find.

Polaris OBark

Probably not, but I had the opposite issue in 2014. I was forced to get Di2 in order to get Ultegra hydraulic brakes. So I did. It turned out to be worth every penny. I would not have gotten it if I had the option for conventional cable shifting, but now I would find it very hard to go back.

That purple Canyon Grizzl is a screaming good deal. I would not hesitate to buy it. (I almost did for my wife when it was available for 2 hours a couple of months ago. Regrettably, she talked me out of it.)

Badger6

Yes. Once adjusted (as long as you do not bend your derailleur hangar) it never goes out of adjustment, because electric wires don’t stretch.

The biggest “issue/concern" is making sure the battery is charged. Dead battery means your Di2 becomes a single speed. Pay attention to that detail, and know for longer bikepacking adventures you may need to consider/plan options for charging the system battery. Battery life is dependent on a variety of factors, ALL related to how often you hit the shift buttons, especially the FD if your bike is a 2x.

vespasianus

If you are asking if you will regret it, the answer is that yes, you will regret it. I also thought the di2 system last a good long while on a charge.

chaadster

I love my SRAM wireless, but I don’t find it was a game-changer insofar as my ride life goes. If I had an otherwise sweet bike, I could be very happy— just as happy— without electronic shifting.

In the OP’s case particularly, I wouldn’t suggest sitting around an indeterminate period of time waiting for a touring bike with Di2. With all the COVID stuff not yet resolved and soaring energy prices, it could be that both supply and demand conspire to keep pickin’s slim in the near term, and anyway, electronic shifting does not seem like a critical element to long distance bikepacking/touring, and probably has more marks against it in that application than reasons to recommend it.

Di2 seems like an easy pass here.

tdilf

Get the bike now, later on if you think you need Di2 - upgrade the frame you have already been enjoying (because you didn't wait)!

Koyote

My sense is that most Di2 owners believe that it shifts better than mechanical...However, I find that a properly adjusted mechanical drivetrain shifts just as quickly and quietly as my Di2 bike. For me, Di2's most useful attribute is the consistency and reliability of the shifting -- it virtually never needs adjustment. It also offers a few neat tricks like Synchro and Semi-Synchro shifting (which I don't use) and a bluetooth connection that provides a gear combo readout on your computer.

Note that a full charge on a Di2 bike should get you at least 800-1000 miles -- probably longer if your bike is 1x. That should get you through most trips. Di2 is remarkably reliable, in part because there are no cables to fray and break. But as Rolla implies, a problem with Di2 may be harder to repair while in the field.

Finally, if you have to ask, then yes -- you will regret not getting it.

Geo_Zegarra2016

I don't mind the wait since I'm patient, but I get what you are saying. I am guessing the Di2 charger is not a USB charging cable? That will be a life-changer since I can just charge it on the trips with my power bank or solar power bank.

chaadster

Well in that case, I’d wait until Shimano go fully wireless and fix their corroding, cracking, cranks.

Regarding charging, I don’t think charging on a trip is something to worry about, as battery life effectively many months and well over 100 hours of shift time…a lot. Yeah, while the charge port at the junction box is not USB, the charger is at the other end, so I believe you could plug a power bank into that and have it charge the Di2 battery. That seems like a hassle, though, when— if road charging is even an issue— you could just pack out a spare, charged-up, Di2 battery.

FWIW, SRAM AXS batteries are smaller, cheaper, and swappable front and rear, so might offer some advantages in that regard, in addition to the ease-of-setup and versatility of being a fully wireless system, unlike Di2.

phrantic09

I have it on my R3 and have mechanical GRX on my Aspero. The only thing I really miss is the top button computer page changing on the shifters.

I don’t think it shifts any quicker or better.

Koyote

Oh, thanks, I forgot about those top buttons because my old computer won’t work with those. But I to plan to upgrade to a new computer this year, and I’m looking forward to scrolling through screens with those auxiliary buttons. That is a very cool feature.

softreset

Do you live somewhere with an endless supply of rolling hills? Shimano advertises 2000-5000km on a full charge (1240 - 3100 miles) and I'd say that's even being conservative. I charge twice in 2021 and that was with almost 10,000 miles of riding and about ~3400 shifts.

dwmckee

If you wait to May you may not have a choice as many bikes will be out of stock for the remainder of the season. As far as GRX 8 vs Di2 - If you are driving a Lexus would you still be lusting for the Bentley?

chaadster

Haha! I should certainly hope so! However, Lexus to Bentley is a huge, mindblowing jump, and not at all similar to GRX 8 mechanical to GRX DI2. That’s more Lexus to Benz…but to your point, yeah, and still be lusting for the MB while driving the Lex!

Steve B.

Caution with that. Di2 has specific charging amperage needs, I doubt a battery stick will charge the Di2 battery. A battery bank might. I know they caution to not use a laptop USB when the laptop is not on shore power.

And a a user of 2 Di2 systems, one on a road bike, the other on a mt. bike, I know I would not purchase a new complete road bike without Di2. As well, As I contemplate a new FS mt. bike, I ponder whether I will swap my Di2 system (11 spd.) over to a new 12 spd. bike. Di2 on a mt. bike is actually better then on a road bike as you shift a ton more and having perfect shifting makes it so easy, as well, no maintenance. It baffles me why more top end mt. bikes do not come with Di2.

Koyote

Yes, I do.

You shift once every 3 miles? That could explain why your battery lasts so long.

softreset

Some rides I didn't shift at at all, averaging 1500-2000 ft of gain/loss over 30 miles. But it's exactly why your mileage statement of battery life is so problematic.

Koyote

My statement is not 'problematic' at all; it is completely, 100% accurate. Here is what you are objecting to:

"At least" means "at minimum, in case you are not a native English speaker.

Also, do you realize that your use-case scenario -- shifting every few miles, on average -- is more of an outlier than my riding in rolling hills?

softreset

I'm objecting to your measuring of Di2 battery life by mileage. In the same way that the shop I worked at had people burning through charges at well under 500 miles because of the elevation around the area. So which is the outlier now? My riding that doesn't require regular shifting? Your riding on rolling hills or the people rolling into our shop (near weekly) asking for charges. It's all anecdotal and why number of shifts, especially the front derailleur is a far more accurate assessment of battery life.

Koyote

And yet, that is precisely what you did.

Jeff Neese

Or, you can just turn the barrel adjuster counterclockwise about a half turn, if the cable stretches. I typically go years without doing much in the way of adjustment, on any of my cable-actuated derailleurs. Same with brakes.

softreset

I had to come down to your level, in case you were new to understanding how Di2 worked.

Steve B.

This works fine as long as you don't get dirt in the housing, Then you are replacing cable and housing. Worse on a mt. bike obviously, Di2 needs none of this.

chaadster

Whoa! Man, just to note the contrast, my last ride (on e-gruppo) was 29 miles with 1.1k of gain and I shifted the RD 309 times and the front 6!