Steve B.

Agree on the top button functionality. I have weak thumbs and have a hard time finding, much less pressing these buttons, thus rarely use them. It’s as easy just to swipe the screen on my Garmin.

sced

Per https://calculator.academy/height-to...ze-calculator/

hand size of 7'2" person = 9.74 inches and 4'5" person = 6.18" . Ratio 9.74 / 6.18 = 1.58.

Kai Winters

Shifting cassette gears from more teeth to less teeth hard and fast can cause some hard sounds. After reading this post and my comment I did a zwift games race/ride today, C level, and paid attention to my 'down' shifts. When shifting under load I could make a clunking sound...I'm using Di2 12 speed 105 on my Aethos...It didn't happen all the time and I generally could not cause the sound at will but it did happen...oh I'm using an 11-30 cassette so the gears have small changes in the number of teeth I think compared to the 11-34...I also use 165mm crank arms and a 50/34 compact chain rings...I'm only 5'4"/140lbs so it works great for me.
If anyone...whether mechanical or electronic shifting...starts to experience changes in shifting...not crisp/smooth, etc. check and inspect before making any changes or worrying to much...often it is something simple requiring a fairly simple and easy remedy.
A visual inspection is a good way to start...look at the position of the rear der idler and jockey pulleys...they should be in relative alignment and parallel with the cassette gears. Check the chain for a stiff link...look at the der pulleys for debris, etc. Check the cassette/hub body for smooth, straight rotation.
Check the rear der. hanger...even a minor bump, etc. can bend or move one enough to cause a problem...everyone who works on their own bike should own a derailleur hanger alignment tool. Yes you do have to remove the rear der but that is easy and the adjustment doesn't change.
Check for correct placement of the cable housing/ferrules making sure none have somehow moved...only on mechanical systems of course.
Run the gears while on a stand to watch and especially listen as you shift up and down the system. There should be sound but it should be smooth and consistent.
Test ride the bike to try to duplicate the problem, sound, etc. Not a bike ride but a test ride only to try to discover what is going on. Sometimes it works other times not so much.
I love the Etube app and find it more useful and fun than the shifter method for adjusting Di2 gears.
For mechanical systems I always adjust the rear der, using the barrel adjuster, to move the der up to one easier gear. As I'm increasing cable tension I'm listening for the sound of the chain just starting to make contact with the next gear then I stop and back the adjuster off until there is no sound. Generally it is correctly adjusted. I use the second gear...the 12 where the 11 is the biggest gear...to adjust a mechanical rear der.
For electronic systems I use the fifth gear down as is indicated by Shimano and pretty much every video out there I think.

This may be boring to the many of you that have been doing this stuff forever...I've worked in several bike shops, and still do, since the 80's...but to newer riders and especially those changing to newer systems it may be helpful. I had a bit to learn when I changed from my 20+ year old Campy 9 speed Carbon Record system to Ultegra 11 speed mechanical...I hadn't used a new/different system on my bike in over 20 years and while I worked on lots of bikes at the shop I had been out of the loop for a few years due to my primary job requirements...12 hour swing shifts, 6 days a week really really sucks...so there was a learning curve to catch up on and lots of videos to watch lol.

Hope some of you found this useful...to those that didn't...pfffffffft lol

choddo

Thanks Kai

For me, my hanger did need a tweak or two. The mechanic did it while installing. This bike had hit a pothole and swung the rear mech into the chainstay hard enough 2 summers back to need a carbon repair job. I never noticed any issue caused by the hanger but he did once he’d installed the 12sp so straightened it.

I’m going to measure all my various hoods now

waters60

Very dry humor! Well played!

DaveSSS 

I have small hands and no problems with Force D1 brake hoods on three bikes. I've never used SRAM cranks because I want more range. Campy Chorus 48/32 or Shimano GRX cranks work great - no chain drops. My FD setups have been quick and easy. I've done 15 setups now.

Trakhak

At the other extreme, I cobbled together a very cheap closeout 2008 Felt time trial frame with odds and ends of stuff, including Shimano 10-speed bar end shifters at the end of a pair of aero bars, a Campagnolo Centaur Ultra Torque 53/34 crankset, and an SRAM Apex braze-on front derailleur. I've read complaints similar to yours about SRAM front derailleurs, so I wasn't expecting much, but that combination turned out to be the best front shifting I've ever encountered.

Could be serendipity, the Campy tooth profile happening to work perfectly with that derailleur. (I've forgotten which model of KMC 10-speed chain I used.)

Ogsarg

I came to Di2 (Ultegra) from a 2009 bike with a mix of mechanical Ultegra (brifters) and 105 derailleurs and had no problem adjusting to the Di2 despite the difference in lever movement between it and mechanical. It was just natural. I didn't notice any difference in comfort between the hoods of the old bike vs. new. I have no issues with clunky shifts.

I suspect you'll get used to it and hopefully enjoy the benefits. I don't mind riding mechanical but the Di2 is much nicer for me.

tempocyclist

I also find the top hood buttons a little tricky. Maybe it's my hand size? I have them set up to change up/down the cassette, but like you I rarely use them.

SoSmellyAir

Maybe it is just a matter of which hoods one is most used to? My most frequently ridden road bike has 105 (5800) STI levers, and the hoods feel just right. When I ride my gravel bike, the GRX (RX810) hoods feel huge, and the long, raised ridges rub my bare palms quite a bit during bumpy segments.

Iride01 

I've got my top buttons set to work my GPS functions. I've felt that it's more that it takes my Garmin time to respond to the initial button push than it is the button's being tricky to push. By the time my Garmin makes the response though, I've pushed both sides several times with impatience.

Perhaps setting them temporarily to make a shift function instead will show if it's the button being tricky to press or the Garmin being slow to respond.

Psimet2001 

Di2 really is amazing.

What I have noticed when compared to working on customer's mechanical systems is really the amount of work that had to be done to keep manual systems working their best (even when it's not a lot of work) is more than what's needed to keep Di2 running perfectly. It's a stark realization when it sets in.

SRAM front shifting does/did suck. Even on first gen eTap. I have heard nothing but great things about AXS and it appears that the front shifting isn't a readily apparent problem. Now if they could just fix the brakes. I don't ride AXS at all but have set up a LOT of bikes with the systems and ride with many who do use them. I am still all Di2 and will be until SRAM gives me a free group - otherwise I have no need to change and considering I don't wear this stuff out I don't foresee me spending to buy a SRAM group anything soon....except if I have my plans for cross bike switches this year....

That said all of the people I work with who do ride AXS love it. One was a Shimano guy who has grown to hate the GRX Di2 levers and has converted.

Personally I am looking forward to the 12spd GRX Di2 that will most likely launch this gravel season. Only reason to hold off the Di2 version from the mechanical announcement last year would be that there is substantial change. I have seen some stuff but nothing firm and could be a misinterpretation by me. The idea of a semi-wireless GRX group with a strong central battery for just the derailleurs - I like it.

Back to the intent of the thread though - there should be no newbie remorse for Di2 conversion. You will easily grow to love it more than your previous mechanical setup.

choddo

Yeah this is my perception. Maybe Garmin could speed up their response. Certainly swiping is never that reliable and I think the ability to jump to the map from any screen will be invaluable if I can get used to it.

DaveSSS 

With road biking, I never use the map because I know my routes. I have 8 items displayed on the main screen and rarely need the few other items, so don't often change screens. SRAM' doesn't have buttons to change screens so I have to tough it out and press the computer buttons.

choddo

I do pretty complex routes up to about 120km every Sunday that desperately need nav and also random events where I have no idea where I’m going Quite often have the Garmin on the ClimbPro screen and see a side road, unsure if we’re taking that turn this time. Got two other screens I bring up with other data fields too but that’s less frequent as I’ve got 6 items of data on the map anyway. Power, HR, cadence, speed, distance to go, time of day. Don’t often need anything else.