TRP has been playing with Di2 integrations for years now, first showing prototypes in 2011 that quickly progressed into more polished looking versions called HyWire.
But it never really became a commercial product, despite having the perfectly good Hylex singlespeed hydraulic disc brake set on which to mount it. Now, they’re back at it, this time using Shimano’s own climbers button pod and integrating it directly into the Hylex’s cover plate. This one’s still a very early prototype, but it’s certainly more polished than the prototype Ben Berden was running this past season. Equally exciting is the thinking behind how they’ll make it available…
The heart of the system is the Hylex hydraulic brake, which retails for $160 per wheel. The top piece in this photo is the stock hood shell, which has a bolt-on plate that covers the master cylinder. The Di2 conversion kit is simply a replacement cover base plate and the bezel that goes over the buttons. To add the actual buttons, you’d order up the Shimano climbers switch and take it apart…
…and put the actual switch pieces (white with black rubber circles and wire sticking out) onto the base plate. Then stick the buttons over it, and install the bezel to hold it all in place:
These white prototypes were 3D printed in house. The black one shown at the top was printed for them by Shapeways. Because it’s all printed on demand, they’re basically available now for about $50, just email them if interested. They’re also considering just making the plans available through Shapeways for anyone to download and print, which would let you choose whatever color you want. They can even print in bronze metal!
The kit comes with the base plate, bezel and a guide for cutting the hole in your hood cover. Eventually they may offer a pre-cut, custom molded hood cover for this system.
They also had these gold printed levers to showcase their color printing capabilities. And, they’re working on a version that’ll be drilled out using this same dot pattern.
This looks absolutely fantastic. I’m excited to see products like this continue to come out.
Just please make me a Hylex set with carbon levers. Can’t use metal levers on my touring bike because they freeze your fingers in cold weather.
This is what I love about the idea of electronic shifting – hacks that would never be possible (sans a machine shop and a lot of time and expertise) with a mechanical system.
That is an ingenious solution. Problem Solvers level of creative thinking.
“Just please make me a Hylex set with carbon levers. Can’t use metal levers on my touring bike because they freeze your fingers in cold weather.”
http://first-world-problems.com/
The internet needs a time out in the corner.
@Micah : How can you consider relying on a battery on a touring bike?
Is there a climbing shifter for the front deraileur?
Also, this isn’t much cheaper than Shimano’s shifters:
$160 Hylex front
$160 Hylex rear
$50 mounting bracket
$90 climbing shifter for rear derailleur only
total = $460
Shimano R785 Di2 hydraulic = $500 for front and rear derailleur
@Jo-slow: how can you consider relying on steel cables or those ridiculous balloon things that go inside modern tyres on a touring bike!?
@Jay…Shimano intends it to be used as a rear climbing shifter, it’s shape is optimized to mount on the right side tops…but it will work fine as a fr der shifter in this application…
@Jo-Slow… if his tours don’t last more than 1000+ miles at a time…I think he is fine…and from the sounds of it, it fits his needs well.
This is cool … but I still think TRP need to shorten the reach on those levers – it’s massive.
For people who pooh-pooh Di2 on a touring bike, the simple answer is a DYNAMO FRONT HUB.
http://road.cc/content/news/144912-mark-beaumont%E2%80%99s-koga-solacio-ready-cairo-cape-town-record-attempt
Wire it up to an on-bike charging jig. Voila, no more battery anxiety.