PT hub and DA11

Robert Sabo

I want to upgrade my bike and get DI2 Dura ace 11 and my LBS is unsure whether the hub will accept the 11 speed cassette.

Anyone know? Anyone? Bueller? Rich?

John Withrow

I was told the DA 9000 stuff will require new wheels. They will at a minimum require new freehubs, but I have a buddy who works for Shimano and he said they ran out of room... He said the new Shimano wheels with the 11 speed cassettes will accept 9 and 10 speed cassettes with a spacer, but not the other way around. So a 11 speed cassette will not fit on an older 10 speed hum. He wasn't sure if/when/how other wheel manufacturers will address this. I would guess that Mavic wheels might actually work as-is because they already require a call spacer to use a 10 speed cassette and the new 11 speed stuff is just barely wider. What kind of wheels do you have?

The DA9000 Di2 is clearly going to be lighter and 'smarter' and easier to charge. ...but, if you get DA7900 Di2, you can use any existing wheel. I heard the 9000 stuff won't be available until late winter and the majority of the early sets will be going to the bike manufacturers that are selling complete bikes. So unless your LBS is massive or has some good hookups, you're probably looking at next spring or summer if you want 9000. I'd be very curious to know if your LBS told you otherwise.

Coach Rich

I'm not sure but, in my experience (ie, being around when Shimano went from 9 to 10spds) they would need to make it compatible because if they didn't they would instandly obsolence every rear wheel on the planet. In other words, there is nothing special about the "what cassettes fit on the PT hub" part of the Powertap. So if DA11 doesn't work on a DA10 wheel, that means it won't work with ANY wheel.

John Withrow

Rich, the Shimano guy I know said something like... "dude, we've been squeezing stuff on the same platform for like the last 10 yrs, so we realize this is a step function, but it's time". Full disclosure, he is 24 yr old kid that is a regional junior rep. But he used to be a mechanic at my LBS, so I know him pretty well and I had this very conversation with him for about 45 minutes at the IMNYC expo 3 weeks ago. He was likely pitching the company line and may not even know what the Sr Engineering folks have up their sleeve. He personally thought the 9000 stuff was superio to the current generation of Di2. With that said, I'm taking delivery of a new bike tomorrow and it will have DA7900 Di2 on it. In a perfect world I would probably have chosen the 9000 (11 speed) stuff, but having access to the last 5 yrs worth of wheels will likely have it's advantages for the next several yrs.

scott dinhofer

@JW what is the new bike???

novaavant

Here is a blurb from a 11 speed intro article:

Article Reference: http://www.roadbikeaction.com/Features/content/67/5089/Shimano-Dura-Ace-goes-11-speed.html

Cassette and Chain: Obviously the most talked about change is the addition of an 11th cog in the cassette. Over the years one of the more challenging aspects faced by engineers in the move to 9, 10 and now 11 speed cassettes has been how to maintain shifting performance while working within the inherent space constraint of maintaining the 130mm wheel spacing. Shimano’s solution was to design a new cassette body that is 2.8mm longer than that used with the ten speed system. Yes, this means a 10-speed rear wheel will not work with an 11-speed cassette, that is unless you have a Mavic rear wheel. Mavic has been using a cassette body that is 1.8mm longer than the standard 10-speed width, requiring a spacer to be used behind a 10-speed cassette. Without the spacer, the wheel will work with an 11-speed cassette. The cog width stays the same as the 10-speed version, but the spacing between each cog narrows slightly, requiring the 9000 chains side plates to reduce in thickness.

Robert Sabo

I was looking at a Parlee but I thought I would look at the Speed Concept which is at my LBS. I have 808s with PT hub. Trek says they will deliver DA9000 in ~60 days. The wheels are Aeolus 5 7 or 9. I was hoping to just buy an 11 cassette and not have to switch to SRM.

John Withrow

@Scott- picking it up this afternoon. Then heading to PA for the long weekend to break her in over a couple hundred miles! I don't think I can post pictures to da Haus from my iPad, so you'll likely see them early next week.