noodle soup

You can change the settings to make it shift faster.

memebag

I don't understand how that answers my question. Best guess: Someone has measured shift times and they had to change settings to make Ultegra Di2 shift faster than 105?

chainwhip

Anyone think a shop with several high-end bikes with Di2, eTap, and EPS and a long afternoon of test riding wouldn't cut to the chase pretty quickly?

LazyAss suggested Campy. May not be compatible with OP's new wheelset, but lotsa bling there.


Dan333SP's suggestion(next post, below) has mine beat: see if you can test ride the same frame with different groups already installed.

Dan333SP

If you're looking to upgrade but aren't sure what you will actually be getting by upgrading (feel/shift speed, ergonomics, etc), why not go to the shop where you got your CAAD12 and see if you can testride the same bike with higher end groups? If they're a Cannondale dealer and you ride a normal size, they probably have one set up with Ultegra and Dura Ace. Maybe also with Etap. Nothing wrong with riding around the parking lot and getting a feel for the different groups. If you realize they all feel the same, you can sleep easily knowing you didn't waste your money. If you fall in love with DA and can afford it, then it's your money and you'll be happy with the choice. I just don't see any reason to go in blind and buy a groupset based on what we tell you without you testing them out yourself.

ksryder

The nice thing about 11-speed is that what's old is new -- 11-speed cassettes are compatible across all groups now, because the spacing between cogs is so small, basically. I've been running campy potenza with a 105 crankset and either a SRAM or Shimano cassette for about 18 months now.

Rock71

I have the 105 10spd and love it. I recently rode a new bike with the Di2 and would not blame you for that upgrade. Its your bike bro, so make it your own.

smashndash

I'm going to paraphrase/steal this. Not necessarily for other people but for myself lol

Of course my stupid brain comes up with a bunch of reasons for any upgrade I can think of. "You need etap because you can't upshift quickly from the drops". "You need narrower bars because your arms are angled outwards". argh

noodle soup

5800 is much better than 5600 or 5700, but Di2 is in a different league.

If the $$$ isn’t a huge factor, I’d go with Di2. A few months ago my 9000 equipped bike was stolen, and I replaced it with 9070 Di2. Mechanical Dura-Ace is great, but the Di2 version works better.

Rock71

I agree completely. I have been kicking the fence on if I want to buy a complete new bike with Di2 or just upgrade my Fuji. The upgrade is way cheaper than the new bike.

raria

Very unamerican in this era of spend spend spend but nevertheless well said!

Lazyass

Correct. I have a 6800 group with hyd discs. I'd like to have a Potenza disc group but even though it's the 4th level down it still costs like $1500.

alcjphil

I am going back to your original post. One line strikes me. "want to use eTap with Shimano cassette, brakes"
Cassette will be fine, but current Shimano brake calipers will not work well with SRAM brake levers, they don't pull enough cable.
My take? An upgrade to Ultegra DI2. No compatibility issues with existing Shimano components. Dura Ace is fantastic, but I wouldn't do a partial Dura Ace upgrade.

MoAlpha

Slick Madone

Test ride a bike with Di2, and you'll never go back to mechanical. It's not about the money, or whether it's practical.....its just that much better.

The purists will disagree.....but ride electronic for yourself, then decide if you like it to spend the cash.

I traded in my bike and got the exact price in return, and almost every bike has Di2 now except my MTB.

Maelochs

If you have the money and want to spend the money ... apparently you can get DI2 or eTap .... and new brakes if you choose to go eTap.

Is electronic shifting "better"? Well, so long as you keep the battery charged ....

You will never miss a shift, and apparently with some systems you can program all kinds of stuff ... shifting both ends instead of going too far up or down the cassette, or vice versa if you like. People I have talked to who have it or have used ti say it is good stuff. (Not as good for most as it seems to be for Slick Madone ... but still, good stuff.)

If you are bent on getting it, go ahead ... You might need to drill holes in the frame, so check out that first, but otherwise ... I am pretty sure you can make it work.

Either you will build a "dream" bike and ride it to pieces ... or some lucky purchaser will get a great deal on a "dream" bike a few years down the road. Everyone wins in either case.

Sy Reene

In OPs shoes, I'd probably suggest (for fun and a change if that's the goal) a powermeter of some sort (power2max?) .. this could at least have some eventual performance benefit.

Lazyass

I still say Campy, but I think we've seen the last of the OP anyway.

Bob Ross

Is that true? I have previous gen Shimano calipers (Ultegra 6700) with SRAM eTap levers and they work great!

Dan333SP

I've ridden Di2 bikes and honestly, the only thing about it that made me say "Whoa! Much better!" was the front shifting. If you keep your RD cable tension set properly and have a fresh chain/cassette. the rear shifting isn't really that much faster/better. In fact, if you like sweeping across a few gears at a time IMO it's easier with mechanical versus holding the shift button down. Better tactile feedback.

Fortunately, where I live I tend to spend 95% of all of my rides in the big ring, so improved FD shifting isn't really worth that much to me. Hell, I haven't even changed the FD cable in about 2 years.

Ghazmh

seypat

I can't wait for the day Di2's replacement comes out. Then we get to hear how "terrible" Di2 shifting is compared to new system. The new system will be so good that there is no way you can go back to Di2!

MoAlpha

Yep. The 5800 on my new commuting bike shifts so much better than the Dura-Ace 7800 on my road bike it's amazing.

Rock71

I completely disagree. Some people like myself, just like upgrades. I buy new pickups every 2 years and upgrade to the max, Why? Just because I can. Ive been driving pickups for 31 years so i am defenately not a newbie. 10 years of biking. Newbie? Maybe, but in another 10, I will still be upgrading.

Stratocaster

Yeah, I don't see the point of Di2.
I mean, sure - if you go to the gun range with an automatic weapon because you like to how many rounds you can pop off in 5 seconds as opposed to a semi-automatic. But the goal is actually hitting the target.
Or if you just want a bigger spoon because you want to shove that much more food into your pie hole...go for it.
Probably bad analogies, but that's why I used them.
But if that's what you want - go for it. It's a free country with all sorts of options.

Athens80

Just noting ... the OP is talking about upgrading the bike they bought two months ago. You're upgrading a truck you bought two years ago. The talk here would trend differently if the bike had two years' wear on it.