Re-hacking the heck out of my Di2 9070
I am looking for advice on updating or modernizing my Di2 hack. The details of my current hack can be found here. It's basically the one where you use the board from some bar end shifters after taking them apart and solder on Cat's Eye buttons. The soldering works great. The issue is that the Cat's Eye buttons are weak and will not stand up to weather. I replaced one already Cat's button last season and now, after hours in the rain at IMC, another is down. It failed about an hour into the rain. I couldn't shift up into the big ring from the Cat's Eye botton. No big deal. I used the stock bar end shifter. The Cat's Eye just don't hold up to the elements like the Shimano factory stuff.
Any other creative ideas? I have seen complete Shimano brakes cut up and bonded to the Magura handles. Anyone done that? Any other other choices?
Comments
Can I ask how you replaced the button? Sorry that I dont have an answer to move you forward. As usual, I am a few steps behind you...
Sorry, don't have a good "re-hack" solution for you other than just replacing your buttons ~once a yr.
I saw some thing on-line that I need to search again. A guy had taken the TT break lever unit from Shimano and kept the button's side in tact after splitting and trimming it. He then bonded it to the magura, used body filler to make it seamless and then painted black with model paint. It looked factory. I just need to find the right "how to" thread.
@Jim - What John said. The buttons are easy to replace, but it's time consuming. I have the extra buttons in my garage. You just take off the bar tape, pull out a couple inches of wire, snip it and solder a new one to the wire. NO need to touch the board or re-solder the contacts there.
http://fitwerx.com/adding-di2-shift-buttons-to-magura-hydraulic-tt-brakes-the-new-method
that looks cool but he lost me at belt sander. And the parts cost is $350. I just ordered 2 pairs of buttons from performance bike for $25 all in.
Not that i have any basis for rationalizing the expenses i incur for this little hobby...
Now that is thinking. That's executive type thinking there.... Shame on me.
Haha! He had me at "belt sander"... I love tools.
Great idea, JW. My wallet is now $450 lighter and I think Jimmy's is headed in the same direction.
Here is the email from fit werx:
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Hi Dino,We have done just what you are asking before and can do it for you as well. It is important that when the unit is epoxied to the Magura lever that you do it as recommended as we have found some epoxy does not seem to work very well in this application.
We could potentially ship to you a modified unit on Wednesday as we have all the parts needed and just need to assign a technician to create it for you. The cost is $450 for the unit and the labor to convert plus shipping. We would need your shipping address and a credit card to start the order. Please call in your information to us at 802-496-7570 on Saturday during our 10-6 EST business hours or on Tuesday between the same hours and we can make this happen for you.
Best,
Ian
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Should be rolling by the weekend.....These guys are riding a P5, which has hydraulic brakes = can't use the Shimano Di2 brake lever with the shifter buttons built in. It's a Magura brake setup.
Mechanical: cables stretch, break (rarely), needs to be tuned, etc. More importantly, on a tri bike you have to reach over from the hoods to the aerobars to shift when climbing, cornering, etc
Di2: as long as you keep it charged (so simple, not an issue) it just works. Never/rarely needs to be tuned and it's very easy to do. But if you ride a tri bike in hilly terrain or with lots of cornering where you're shifting a lot, being able to shift from the hoods is a game changer. In fact, Di2 on a tri bike is far more useful than Di2 on a road bike. The first time you're able to shift while standing on a tri bike, you'll be sold.
I've been a Cervelo tri bike guy since I bought my 650c Alu P3 in 2001. But this Magura brake + budget hacked buttons on a $$$$$ bike is a deal breaker for me. My next tri bike won't have funky proprietary brakes, stems, and other stuff that just complicates the bike.
@ Paul - Speaking from the far side of weakening arthritic hands and fingers ... I would not still be racing if I did not have Di2 on my tri bike. Plus, with my increasing sketchiness in descending - another age-related thing, I think as my faith in my reflexes diminishes - having the shifters on the bull horns makes all the difference in going downhill. I just got a new road bike with hydraulic disc brakes, and the Shimano brake levers/shifter work just fine, so it's not inherent in the hydraulic thing, but rather within the shifters themselves, thus the need for the hack. Shimano has the technology, just not the market, to make it worthwhile to be compatible with Dino's bike.
Paul - Here is a link to my blog post on the hack if you are interested:
http://dinosarti.com/blog/2013/5/23/hacking-the-heck-out-of-my-di2-9070
It was actually pretty easy and kind of fun. I like working on my bike and I got to buy some tools and learn a couple tricks. Plus, I am now pretty familiar with Di2. My situation is just a Cevelo/Magura issue. They wanted to hide the rear brake under the BB in a really trick way, but they just couldn't get the cable brakes to work really well. The P5 can be set up with cable pull brakes and work well, but NOT really well. Plus, I think hydro brakes was likely a whizz-bang marketing feature at the time.
The Magura brakes are great and deliver. But, Shimano is not Magura and Shimano doesn't make a hydro brake level for bull horns in Di2. So, you hack it.
Al - I still have my reflexes, thankfully, but I am still considering with upgrading my BMC to Di2 since it has an internal battery holder and is all set up for it. I just haven't had any problems with it and did not consider the shifting to be an issue even at Powerman Zofingen. That's not to say I won't need it a few years. As always your perspective is greatly appreciated.
Di2 on a tri bike money. Seriously.
Di2 on a road bike is still money, just less money. Errr...it's a lot of "money" but you won't regret it. Shifting is super smooth, never drops the chain, self-trimming FDR, and the satisfying sound of a servo doing it's thing is pretty cool.
Actually, the best part about the 10spd Di2 setup I have on the P3C is the satisfying "Ka THUNK!!" of the rear shifting of the 10spd. There are couple cogs back there that, when I shift into them, I get a very satisfying mechanical BANG, like shit just got real