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review
£897.92
VERDICT:
Stunning, flawless performance in a lighter and sleeker package
Weight:
0g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
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Slick shifting, flawless performance in all conditions and situations, lighter and improved ergonomics make Shimano's latest Ultegra Di2 6870 11-speed groupset the best yet. With all the performance of Dura-Ace at half the price and with a weight penalty that only weight weenies could worry about, Ultegra Di2 steals the show.
Find Shimano Ultegra Di2 online
Find a local Shimano dealer
Ultegra Di2 6870 combines newly designed dual control levers and smaller, ligher, derailleurs and a new internal seatpost battery, and uses the same chainset and caliper brakes as the mechanical Ultegra 6800 groupset. Ultegra Di2 is also available with Shimano's latest hydraulic disc brakes, but you can read all about those in this separate review.
This review focuses primarily on the shifting performance of the new Ultegra Di2 6870 electronic groupset. The price is for the shifters, derailleurs, battery, charger and various wiring and control gubbins. You're far more likely to acquire Ultegra Di2 as part of a complete bike, though.
Less weight and sleeker appearance
The new Ultegra Di2 6870 groupset gets the same updates first applied to the top-tier Dura-Ace Di2 groupset. Those changes centre around improved ergonomics in the shifter hoods, smaller and lighter derailleurs, and the E-Tube system that allows every shift button to be customised.
Using the new Di2, the first thing you notice – as they're your main point of contact with the groupset – are the much improved shifter hoods. They're noticeably slimmer and fit my hands much better than the mechanical versions (I do have small hands though). For all types of riding I found the compact shape preferable, and I really appreciate the small diameter of the main body that make it easier to wrap your fingers around when you're climbing out of the saddle.
The shift buttons have been revised; the contrast between the surface texture of the two buttons is now more pronounced. Despite these changes, which are an improvement over the previous Ultegra Di2, I would like Shimano do a lot more to improve the feel of the buttons. The two are still close together, and with thick gloves on it's sometimes difficult to locate them. Also, They're just a bit lifeless and devoid of any of the feedback that a mechanical groupset provides.
That's really my main gripe with Di2, but I know plenty of people who don't feel the same, so that's a really personal thing. Despite this, I can quite happily get on with Di2, it's not enough of a deal-breaker that I just can't put up with it. And after a while you soon adapt and just get on with riding your bike.
Ultegra Di2 uses Shimano's E-Tube (that's the wiring and communication system, based on the CAN bus protocol) which has the potential to allow the shift buttons to be fully customised. Out of the box a single press and hold of a shift button will cause the rear derailleur to move across the entire cassette. You could specify a two or three sprocket shift, you can even change the shift speed with five settings available, and many other options are available too.
The wiring is plug-and-play – so it's easy to set up – and is all controlled by a junction box that you strap to the underside of the stem. Concealed under a small flap on the side of this box is the charge port, and is also where you plug in a PC if you want to customise the shift buttons. There are optional sprint, Roubaix and aero buttons that can be plugged into the system too. The charge port is for the internal battery; if you have an external battery you need to remove it to charge the system.
The updated derailleurs have been given the same smaller dimensions as the latest Dura-Ace Di2 versions, and are now significantly less bulky in appearance. Visually they look a lot better on any bike, still chunkier than mechanical but much less so than previously.
The rear derailleur is much slimmer and a better looking unit, with neater wiring. It of course goes up to 11 now, a change first introduced on Dura-Ace and now available at half the price. There are two versions of rear derailleur available, the long cage option accommodating a 32t cassette and the standard short cage going up to 28t. The long cage will make an ideal climbing or cyclocross option, the latter paired with the Ultegra 46-36t chainset.
A neat feature of the rear derailleur is the a crash protection facility that automatically disengages the motor so the mech can move out of the way to avoid an expensive replacement bill. With a rear derailleur costing £175, that's a good thing.
Flawless performance, perfect gear changes every time
Provided you've found the right button, a light press results in an immediate and very slick gear shift. It doesn't take much effort to change gear, and while in perfectly dry riding conditions a good mechanical groupset is very similar in performance, it's when the weather turns bad that Di2 runs away with a clear performance advantage.
A couple of rides and races run in heavy rain and cold temperatures proved that Di2 is simply better when you have very little feeling left in your fingers. I've done rides so wet that I've had inadequate feeling in my fingers and hands to change gear on a mechanical groupset (a particularly wet 200km Audax) but Di2 in the same conditions allows you to still change just fine.
Don't get me wrong, it's not just in foul conditions that Di2 impresses. Even in the most perfectly glorious cycling conditions, Di2 is - once you've got used to the shift buttons - a joy to use. Every gear change is perfect, there's never a missed gear, which is useful when you're climbing and reaching desperately for an easier gear. The buttons are reached easily from the hoods, thanks to the more compact form factor, and equally from the drops as well.
The auto-trim feature on the front derailleur is one of the best features of the entire groupset, and avoids chain rub that can't always be eliminated on a mechanical groupset. The brain of the Di2 groupset knows what gear the bike is in and so it can centre the derailleur precisely around the chain. You can customise the trimming function but it works so well out of the box that we felt no need to.
You might be forgiven for not even noticing the addition of an extra sprocket when you're using the 11-speed groupset, but there are times when the smaller jumps between certain gear ratios just helps you find the perfect ratio so you can maintain the right pedalling cadence to match your current speed and power.
That flawless performance and complete lack of degradation, of the sort you can't expect with a mechanical groupset for every ride – unless you're fastidious in maintaining and servicing the cables – is really Di2's trump card. It always works brilliantly every time you hit the road, whatever the weather or conditions. That makes it an appealing choice of a bike you want to ride year-round, through the full gamut of British weather. There's no cables to degrade or cable outers to shift in their housings. Once it's set up to shift perfectly, that's what it continues to do for mile after mile.
Conclusion
In my opinion this is the best electronic groupset on the market. It's all of performance of Dura-Ace but at a much reduced cost and with only a weight penalty that the seriously weight conscious need worry about. Really, unless you're building a superlight superbike, you'd be daft to buy Dura-Ace over Ultegra.
Switching from mechanical to electronic does take a little getting used to, but a few hours in the saddle and you'll be just fine. While I'm not the biggest fan of the way the shift buttons 'feel' when you operate them, there is no denying they work brilliantly when pressed, delivering rapid and precise gear changes each and every single time. No matter the weather, rain or whether coated in mud.
The battery life is excellent, long enough that you only need charge it occasionally. The internal seatpost battery does make charging a little less practical for some - you can't easily remove the battery and have to keep the bike near a power source so you can plug the USB lead into the control box under the stem, but that's a minor impractically. You can still buy bikes with external batteries, but they're becoming markedly less common.
Personally I prefer the feel of a well maintained mechanical groupset, but there's the crux of the matter; Di2 is virtually maintenance free and will work the exactly the same in six months time, with no adjustment or servicing required at all. For British cyclists, that's a very appealing proposition.
The good
Excellent shifting performance
Programmable shifting action
Long battery life
Lighter than previous version
Half the price of Dura-Ace
And the bad
Gear shift buttons could have a more distinct feel
Verdict
Stunning, flawless performance in a lighter and sleeker package
road.cc test report
Make and model: Shimano Ultegra Di2 6870 11spd groupset
Size tested: grey
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Our Ultegra Di2 series with electronic shifting is "pro-proven" as it is a direct trickle down from our Dura Ace group. It stands for state-of-the-art technology, proven in pro races, the technologies used in the new Ultegra 6870 series 11 speed, newly designed brakes, new chain treatment etc. The electronic shifting lets you concentrate on your performance.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Ultegra Di2 11-speed front dérailleur
The Di2 front dérailleur's operation is pioneering, smooth shifting is guaranteed thanks to a microchip communication link with the gear levers.
What's more, shifting the rear derailleur automatically trims the front derailleur
The biggest difference you will notice is just how much quicker and effortlessly smoother shifting on the front chainrings is, even under load
The difference in the effort and time to actuate the shift between mechanical and Di2 is truly staggering
Ultegra 11-speed rear dérailleur
With Di2 technology shifting is easy and precise - just a light touch, as soft as a mouse click, is sufficient for the front or rear derailleur to instantaneously select the correct gear
Programmed automatic motion at the touch of a switch makes this derailleur quick, smooth and effortless to shift
The removal of traditional mechanical cables in favour of electrical wires not only eliminates poor shifting caused by contaminates, corrosion and stretching, but provides effortless gear shifts
Derailleur contains a saver (fuse) function, where the inner structure is protected from strong impacts
11-32T wide gear ratio capacity will cater for compact setups as well as the traditional road double
High tolerance cold forged aluminium link plates and body construction is extremely light and durable
Four self-lubricating micro-machined fluorine-coated link pivot bushings provide low-friction shifting
11-speed E-tube Di2 compatible
SM-BTR2 Di2 internal mount battery
The power house of Shimano Di2 is a long-life 7.4V Li-Ion battery that is both compact and reliable, taking shifting effort away from you
Excellent sealing and reliability have been proven through repeated field tests in various riding conditions, including extreme temperatures, rain, mud, and cobble stone roads
Using a hard wired battery system which is both light weight and accurate compared to current wireless technology (as a wireless system would require 4 batteries: one for the RD, one for the FD, and one for each shift lever)
The use of a single small and discreet internal battery is light weight, efficient and creates a robust and reliable system
One charge can give between 1000 and 2000 kilometre range depending on conditions and front mech operation (as this is the main power drain)
500 times rechargeable life
Battery is to be mounted with seatpost or frame manufactures hardware normally inside the seatpost or seat tube
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Performance is excellent, some might find the lack of tactile feel with the shift buttons an initial concern.
Rate the product for durability:
9/10
No concerns with durability or its ability to stand up to all weathers at all.
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
7/10
There is a weight penalty over Dura-Ace Di2 and the mechanical Ultegra 6800 groupset is still a lighter (and cheaper) option.
Rate the product for value:
7/10
Tricky one this. If you shop around, Ultegra Di2 is half the price of Dura-Ace Di2, which makes its bargain. However, Ultegra mechanical is half the price of Ultegra Di2, so that's a serious leap in price for a marginal increase in performance.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Delivers impressive performance.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Zero maintenance, long battery life, good performance in all weathers and situations.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Lack of 'feel' in the shift buttons.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Maybe, but I'd have a long think about Ultegra 6800 mechanical first.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
If you really want an electronic groupset, this is the best you can get right now, but it faces stiff competition from its own mechanical groupset which is very nearly as good, but a lot less money.
About the tester
Age: 31 Height: 180 Weight: 67
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, mtb,
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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I like the way that it can collect water in the wrong places and so putting it through a car wash invalidates the warranty.
Add new comment
27 comments
this is been rubbished b y shite mano june 2015 the upgrde firmware bugger it up
Just having a new Dolan Ares built with Ultegra Di2. I have some chronic pain in my left middle and index fingers and shifting between the two front rings can cause further inflammation (especially on longer hilly rides) so I am hoping the ease of shifting using this set will make for a more enjoyable (and less painful) ride.
If not, I wonder whether maybe a Di2 climber button on the tops might help you ? All the best with it anyway.
Interesting point David but the CX70 and CX50 chainsets are 10-speed. For 11-speed, Shimano increased the separation between the two rings by 1 mm. That may make little or no difference to a mechanical front mech . But will it not confuse the electronic mech?
I should be most interested to hear what Shimano's tech people have to say about this. Some of us just won't use doubles with a 16T gap.
SRAM wireless please....not long now....maybe!
No-one is saying the bike as a whole is zero or low maintenance - just that the shift mechanism needs very little, e.g. FTA
Of course the chain, chainset,pivots and cogs will have to cleaned and lubed - but the mechs won't slip out of alignment and chain rub is basically gone. As for "no riding in the wet" - well that's being a bit silly isn't it... just look after the drive chain as you would for any other type.
Certainly not a low maintenance bike if riding in ALL weathers. The transmission is still open deraillieur and chain which requires regular cleaning and lubing unless you want it to sound like a sewing machine. So no riding in the wet.
Anyone who thinks "maintenance free" also includes the chain, brakes etc, because the mechs are servo controlled, is an idiot and shouldn't be allowed to buy it....
Di2 has no issues with bike washing, but as with any bike it's good to avoid jet washing.
However, it's worth fitting any spare ports on the shifters and bar junction box (if using 5-way box on 3-way wiring setup) with the plastic blanking plugs to keep things more watertight.
You mean jet washing in the same way the pro teams do? It's fine to jet wash a bike.
How resilient is it to being washed? I mean, when you get back in from a ride in poor conditions, can you just hose it all down like you would the mechanical stuff? Soap, sponges and brushes and all that? Or does it need any special care to avoid contamination of any of the electrical bits?
IPX6 from what I remember, so as you wash a mechanical groupset will be fine.
good review. After switching over i've had one problem - which was user error (forgetting to charge batt at < 25% left).
love it now especially on Sunday when it was freezing cold in the morning - makes shifting a breeze.
Also love the fact you can fine tune the rear derailleur on the move to get it spot on (especially under strain uphill), without having to stop and adjust and guess it's right!
6800 front derailleur is trickier to setup than the older 10 speed version.
It has a 19 page manual and plastic setup tool, who would have known?
The first few 6800 bikes through the workshop were a bit baffling when setting up the front mech, but we re-read the instructions a few times and it all made sense.
6870 is fantastic kit, but its not "maintenance free" as the article implied, you still need to clean the mechanical elements of the drivetrain (chain, cassette, chainrings, pulley wheels) as well as cleaning the brake calipers, rims and brake pads from time to time.
Probably the weakest element of the new Di2 is the internal battery, because many manufacturers have failed to integrate it properly into their seat post designs (it requires a plastic shim or clasp), often leaving the mechanic to fashion a mountable battery using electrical tape or foam to friction fit the battery into the seatpost.
Ritchey and Giant probably have the best "mount kit" I have used yet, whilst the Specialized one was very poor and easily allowed the battery to work loose and drop into the seat tube under vibration, or actually slide up inside the seat post during installation - in one instance we had to cut a S-Works post in half to retrieve the battery. With Specialized bikes we ended up wrapping the battery top and base in electrical tape for a super snug push fit, leaving 1/2" of the battery sticking out of the bottom of the seatpost.
As the author mentioned, I also prefer a mechanical groupset just for the tactile feel, no doubt Di2 is super slick but I would prefer more tactile switches.
Would be nice if Shimano could offer a modular shifter design with different 'strength' microswitches like you get with PC gaming / office keyboards. Or different texture / shape switches to suit people's needs.
5 bikes, only one - soon to be 2 with Di2. I'm taking the 10 speed off my best bike to put on my winter (previously 'best') bike and am fitting a new 11 speed Di2 group set to the 695. It makes absolute sense to me and has made a massive difference to my rides. The buttons may be very slightly lacking in tactility but they still work (without a second though after the first few hundred yards of your first ride) with the kind of miserable effort I can muster after too many miles and with frozen hands.
I wish Campag would get their act together and make their EPS affordable - if any electronic system is 'affordable'; it does look better and it has the soul of history in there somewhere, but it doesn't work better. I don't think any electronic system is disappointing, you can always have a steel/manual bike in the stable to remind you why you went electric. Tubeless tyres - they're good too...
I'd like to go to electronic, but I'm kind of holding out for EPS to get a little bit more competitive on price -- I'd rather have Campag's mechanical style shifter (with lots of nice, clunky feedback) than Shimano's 'mouse click' buttons. They just don't appeal to me at all. I've not actually ridden a Di2 bike, so maybe I should actually try it...
Anyway, I can see that electronic shifting is absolutely the future of mid-range and up road bikes. Mechanical systems take too much effort to keep perfectly in tune, and eventually, as stuff wears out, there are always going to be certain gears on the cassette that don't change cleanly. Best of all though is the idea of a servo powered front mech that changes perfectly, even under load, and trims automatically. Very tempting indeed.
I've got it on mine with 32T long cage. Works flawlessly in all situations. I used it around this year's ride london and never gave it bit of trouble in torrential rain. At that price I would happily pay to upgrade my other bikes setup
The shifters look much nicer than the mechanical ones though - shinier, and as we all know, "shiny makes things all better"
Somebody from Road.cc must have been reading my mind today ... I was thinking about Ultegra Di2 while out in the wonderful Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland today. Stick with me on this folks .... it all leads up to a couple of questions!
I'm currently using the mechanical version of Ultegra 6800 on my Dolan Ares SL. Shifting on the rear derailleur is absolutely flawless. I love the convenience of closer ratios on the 11 speed 11/28 cassette. The brakes are fantastic and I'm pretty much happy with the feel of the hoods.
But, I've not had such a happy experience with the front derailleur. It's a lot heavier to shift onto the outer chainring than my previous mount - a mechanical Ultegra 6700 Giant TCR Advanced2 2012. On the latter bike (my son has it now), the change to the outer ring is pretty much effortless. Not so on Dolan. The fault isn't actually to do with the Ultegra 6800 front derailleur, more so the awkward angle that the cable guide tube has been fixed into the frame which causes the cable to rub against the wall of the cable guide. Hence the heavier shifting. I've spoken to another Dolan owner and apparently it's something I just have to get used to.
The width of the mechanical 11 speed derailleur cage is very narrow. Cable rub is a constant source of annoyance - particularly when in the 53/11 combo. There is just SO little room for adjustment and it annoys me. Maybe I'm just crap and/or impatient when it comes to setup. If any current Dolan Ares SL owners have had the same problems and 'fixed them', then let me know.
So .... out on today's ride, I thought about moving to the electronic version as I ground my up the hills (yes, yes, I know that people tell me to go 'compact' but I could never adjust to them). It would solve the difficult shift to the outer chain ring and with the auto trimming, HOPEFULLY chain rub should be a thing of the past. I took a look at a few bikes with Ultegra 6870 Di2 and I was really impressed by it.
Now the question ..... My frame has the mounting holes for an external battery, but I want an internal battery. Tidier, neater - purely a personal thing. To that point, are there any Dolan Ares Road.cc readers out there who have Ultegra 6870 Di2 with an internal battery? Are there any issues I need to be aware of before making such an expensive purchase? For instance, will the frame need any additional holes to be drilled? I bought the bike in January brand new from Dolan, so I'm hoping it SHOULD be relatively straight forward to get the groupset upgraded. Please excuse my ignorance on the practicalities.
Any and all thoughts gratefully received!
I have found the front mech equally frustrating, even more so as my bike has internal routing without barrel adjusters so I've added one in to help things.
The 6800 front mech needs a lot of tension to work properly. Having fitted many mechs in the past I "assumed" setting woulf be as per DA7900. Oh nooooo......
You have to align the outer cage and edge of chain ring before you even start, then adjust the LL screw back to the usual 1-2mm away from the chain. Then the problem arises with chain stretch meaning it was click-clicking to try and engage the large chainring. Hence the need for the barrel adjusters.
That teeny weeny converter also plays a key role here. Mine snapped (I didn't realise) meaning the cable was not pulling in a more horizontal position, making the shifting stiffer. It's a vital part of the operation. As is the screw that pushes against the seattube (with a small piece of plastic to protect the frame). Not screwing that properly also seems to cause the mech to move enough.
Anyways, separate topic - £897. Where? Minimum I've seen is in the £900s (except for the upgrade kit which is about £680-£700.
http://www.bike-discount.de/en/shop/gearshift-groups-392/brand-shimano/o...
This is still the upgrade kit, perhaps need to be specific on what you're getting for your cash (no chainset, no brakes). Thus this kit is much cheaper elsewhere.
Great review.
Wiggle is currently selling the full groupset inc crank, brakes, etc, for £969. Used Wiggle's referral program to refer my wife, who bought it, and I get a voucher for 10% of that. So effectively down to £872. Even if the crank is the wrong length for you, sell it on eBay and you've still done very well.
@Mooman - the kit probably won't come with a holder for the internal seatpost battery which means you need to get one. I have a Specialized bike so got the Specialized-branded version, but I believe 3T also make them. If you have a carbon seatpost you need to get the ones with rubber ends rather than steel spines that grip the inside of the post.
Otherwise you'll be fine. The charging is at the point under the stem (not sure what they are going on about in this article about it being difficult) and even with that you only charge it after about 12,000 changes.
Otherwise it's fantastic gear - I have the DA9070 and the Ultegra 6870 and they are both great with minimal difference apart from slightly better shifter materials and slicker-sounding motors on the DA. Well worth the money for the Ultegra, and after you have Di2 you'll never go back
Uglier than EPS or Shimano's manual versions though
“a new internal seatpost”
You mean a new internal seatpost battery?
Thank god you were around to pick that up. I wouldn't at all be surprised if road.cc tried to put you on the payroll as their proof reader.