What happens when you want hydraulic brakes with electronic shifting on a top end triathlon bike? Well, you could use Shimano’s stock bar end and climber’s shifter pods. Or, for about the same price or less, you could take your existing parts to Alex’s Bicycle Pro Shop and have them create some very slick stealth buttons placed right where you need them by the Magura RT8 hydraulic brake levers. Here’s what Julian Da Silva from the shop had to say:
I wanted to show you guys a cool little project I worked on for a customer who wanted to utilize Di2 shifters on his hydraulic brakes that came with his Cervelo P5 Six. The customer had a spare sprinter switch that he wanted me to use, so naturally from my experience playing with the di2 components, I was able to take it apart and make some modifications. The circuit board is a simple design with a common ground and positive switch. I tapped into the circuit and utilized a tactile momentary push button to act as the independent buttons on the brakes. The customer requested that he only wanted to operate the rear shifter, but if someone wanted to do front and rear, it would be no problem. This technology can be outfitted to work for disabled riders as para-athletes or take it a step further as another form of customization.
We charged $150 to do this service, this is of course if the customer has a spare shifter already.
Photos of the process below…
If you’re near Coral Springs, Florida, check them out. Or visit AlexBicycles.com. Photos by Julian – thanks for sending them in!
