We’ve seen more than a couple Di2 hacks on mountain bikes (here and here, for example), most using K-Edge’s Ki2 adapter kit. What we haven’t seen is a straight up Dura-Ace Di2 installation or the use of Shimano’s TT bar end button pods to get things dirty.
On display in SR Suntour’s booth was sponsored rider (and 2012 XC Olympic gold medalist!) Julie Bresset’s team mechanic’s bike that had at once both the cleanest and dirtiest conversion we’ve seen yet. While K-Edges button pods are smaller, it’s hard to argue with the aesthetics of using Shimano’s own TT pods with a custom carbon fiber mount. The only downside (besides the cost of replacing them if they snap off in a wreck) is that the up and down buttons are in pretty close proximity for the rough ‘n’ tumble arena of mountain biking, potentially making mis-shifts more likely…
Takes a lickin’ and keeps on shiftin’.
Here’s where things get a bit dirty. The custom molded junction box keeps things in place…
…and cable wrap holds the wires alongside the rear brake hose.
here’s another. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxXeBFjK-Qo&feature=plcp
Weird… why not using the Di2 shifters designed for flat handlebars that the Schleck brothers have been using for so long already????
i did this in the fall of 2009 on my epic mtb. mounted two sram x.o. shifter pod clamps back-to-back, clamping the round insert part of the tt shifter with the second one. between the clamps was a square block of plastic to index the two clamps together. ..
here mine … not yet istalled … i have no same moeny reserve as a professional team …
http://eliflap.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/custom-di2-mtb-2/
Call me a hater, but even motorcycles require more rider input to shift. If fat-asses riding around on Harleys can manage to work a clutch, why is it that mountain bikers want little buttons to shift instead of mechanical levers. A tuned mech drivetrain performs amazingly well if you have the slightest clue what you’re doing. I’ve ridden Di2, and it’s nice, but completely superfluous and being pushed by the industry more than asked for by the consumers. Why not just add some bluetooth compatibility so riders can use an iPhone app to shift with voice recognition. Better yet, they just need to figure out how to cram a little motor into the bottom bracket and add a throttle button to that bar-setup. Then it won’t even be necessary to pedal.
Dan, you’re a hater.
Here is mine :
http://www.av100fun.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=227313&start=30
aug 2009:
http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj493/gregoryvanthomas/029_zpsb96b7aab.jpg