Mr. Roboto

So I will say this once and then endure the wrath and disgust of all Campy loyalists....The Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset is the best group I have ever used. And that is simply a fact, my friends.

Now I am as loyal as they come when it comes to Campagnolo. And now that Campagnolo has lowered the retail price of Super Record, you can get one for less than Shimano 7900. That leaves one no excuse but to buy Super Record and enjoy the lightest and best group to come out of Italy. With ceramics, carbon, and titanium tidbits, Super Record is undeniably the best choice all things considered. However, embracing the dark side would not be regrettable.

I have only ridden a couple hundred miles on Di2, but I can honestly say that it is absolutely flawless. The best shifting I have ever experienced. Period. Smooth but not soft. Deliberate. Precise. Confident. And the levers are more Campy feeling than 7900. Shifting is effortless and perfect. I really have to stretch to find something to complain about. Maybe just maybe the shift levers are just a millimeter too thick at one point. And let me see....maybe the installation was a bit tedious when it came to routing the wiring. And maybe the external wiring is just a little unbecoming. I dunno. It is nearly impossible to find flaw. Oh wait....I know what you will say, the price.

The price is a factor. I believe the retail on the full group is $4200-$4500. And that is with 7900 brakes and cranks. As you can see I installed the super rare (less than 75 were ever imported to the US) Shimano Dura-Ace carbon crankset, just because it looks cool. And this one is a 52 chainring just for me! Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto!

The price inherently makes Di2 exclusive. And sure, if thats what you want, exclusivity is included with your purchase. What you also get is the finest group you will have ridden to date. And perhaps the price is what will keep Di2 from gaining popularity but something tells me that the more people use it, the more momentum the group will get.

I've heard from people that live in cold climates that Di2 "may" have troubles. I don't know, I live in San Diego and so I don't have to worry about that. Like I said, it is tough to find a flaw. Hopefully, Campagnolo will step up and introduce their own electronic group eventually. I'm still waiting for 11 speed bar end shifters, though, so chances are it isn't going to happen soon if ever.

So on with the build, already!.....And like a great meal the chef must start with only the best ingredients. Of course, the chassis of Mr Roboto has to be our very own PR82 Saronni EPS. The deda cockpit is my standard. Love the Deda Presa. And we began with the new Fulcrum Racing Zeros that now come with ceramic bearings. They are oh so pretty. But in the end I went with my Hyperons to really draw the ire of everyone. Besides, I roll tubulars. Clinchers are for those live in fear of flats. Me, I'm more concerned with getting over that big ass hill.

Check out that carbon crank. Pretty cool. Dont know how I feel about the aesthetic of the chainrings, but overall it is sexy. And when have you even seen this thing on a bike on the road? This crank appeared at Interbike one year and since then it all but disappeared. Why? Once again...the price. Come on down and ride with us and you can stare at it as much as you like.

You can see that when we torque spec a crank we only use the finest Snap-on torque wrench. In fact, for most of what we do at Pista Palace we almost use Snap-on tools exclusively. Throwing on the derailleurs and brakes is easy stuff. Bolt on and there you go. The battery holder goes underneath the bottle cage and don't worry, it does not touch the paint on the downtube. As you can see, I use TIME carbon bottle cage bolts, simply because they are light and perfect. And for the most part the installation is straight forward. Put the parts on and plug the wires in. Oh yeah...went with Power Cordz this time for brakes cables since I wanted to keep things black.

You can't wire the bike improperly since Shimano has made everything idiot proof. Programming the derailleurs is also very simple. Turn button on, use buttons to align, and you are done. The junction wiring for the shifters is perhaps a bit awkward looking, but a few zip ties and it looks clean enough. One thing that I will point out is that the wiring to the shifters will NOT fit in an bar that allows for integrated cable routing. The wiring heads are simply too big. However, that isn't a huge problem since the wire itself has minimum diameter and can be smoothly bartaped over.

Di2 also comes with some really cool wiring covering to make things look relatively nice. Despite the fact that Mr. Roboto is electronic, it isn't smothered in wiring making it look like a science project. The little bit of a mess and trickery comes underneath the bottom bracket. This is where you deal with wire slack. This being the first time I have installed a Di2 drive train, there was a little bit of trial and error. But in the end, I believe it came out cool. You know Cannondale makes a Di2 SuperSix that is built with everything integrated. I'm talking to Cambiago about building a half dozen Di2 specific EPS framesets without cable stops and internal cable/wiring routing.

Seeing the word "CHINA" on the wiring harness mounting bracket was disturbing. I detest putting things made "oversees" on one of my stallions, but it is what it is. I had no option as it seems that the wiring is made in China. Perhaps the shifters and derailleurs are, too. I don't know. China is awfully close to Japan. Just as Romania is close to Italy. ;)

The saddle, pedals, those are always the same. And I have to stick with the Selle San Marco lorica bar tape. It just feels so damn good. Vittoria CX's since it is winter time and I prefer a durable set up. And yeah, I know I could have went with Zero Gravity brakes, but I wanted to stick with the WWII Axis Powers on this one.

How do I truly describe the feel of the set up? It's tough to put in words. Awesome. Bitchin. Incredible. These are some of the adjectives I would use. Hopefully, one of you will be able to experience what I have. It truly is amazing. And hey, we got a Di2 group here at Pista Palace just for you. Give us a call or come on down. We even have the carbon crank. We keep any SRAM red and other Shimano parts in a dark corner. But, we display Di2 with pride. The dark side awaits.

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