5 Electronic Shifting Hacks For Cyclists | Maintenance Monday

[@zeuszuki6698]

When I travel with Di2 I just unplug the shifter wires from the junction box . It's a pain to unplug the battery that's located in the seat post .

[@andys9775]

For those who like the Di2 full synchro (S2) mode with wireless - my right shift levers are for shifting up and down. Great. That leaves 4 other buttons to have fun with. Instead of shifting my FD, my left shifters are set up to change screens on my computer. Double tap either of the left shift buttons jumps directly to my elevation map (how much more do I gotta climb?!). Press and hold on either of the left shifters jumps directly to the map. This still leaves me without a way to force a FD shift. Since I use full synchro shifting mode, I rarely need to force a FD shift, so I mapped the 3rd buttons on the hoods for that purpose. They are a bit more cumbersome to use, so they work well for something I rarely need.

[@richardmalcolm878]

Maybe someone's mentioned this... the Di2 synchroshift means one can set both right levers to raise the chain to a bigger cog and both left levers to drop the chain to a smaller cog while the front derailleur just auto-kicks the chain up or down the chain rings as per your set-up... easy for thick gloves in winter... works brilliantly for me...

[@johnrodgers6049]

I see one of the big future advantages as setting a power number and cadence in your head unit and the bike will shift itself to keep you there. Not necessarily for every day but for certain training sessions it would be great.

[@fernandoroman6494]

that exists already... i forgot who developed it but GCN has a video on it... SI rode around with that automatic electronic gear box and gave his (very biased/everything is great) opinion about it. I mean not by keeping u at the perfect wattage but to keep u at the mots "efficient cadence" for a certain wattage

[@Ed.R]

John Rodgers That future is already here for me, well almost once I finish the power meter. For the past year I've been riding with it semi automatic so I just select the cadence and it does the rest. It's based around a CVT so a little heavy but means a very precise cadence can be maintained with no interruption to power output. As a training bike it really is amazing to ride. Once I've settled in to my perfect cadence and power output the bike just goes like a dream.

[@Ed.R]

Fernando Roman BioShift is the name. It's got one big problem and that is its based on the use of old fashioned derailleur gears. Can't imagine it would be very nice to ride with it stepping up and down through gears.

[@thegrimpeur]

Cycling through the pages of a Wahoo head unit via brakehood buttons is so great, I might actually get DI2, just so I can do that.

[@patricemorin]

Same for Garmin...

[@kuanhau4323]

I heard that you can swap the batteries on the SRAM. For example if the rear battery ran out. You could forgo using the front derailleur by swapping batteries.

[@Samqui68]

Best hack is to use Velcro tape to mount your junction box underneath your stem. Get rid of that ugly rubber band cluttering the view of your beautiful stem. I will post a picture in Instagram using the hashtag GCNhacks

[@gcn]

Thanks Mark, would love to see that!

[@pavanatanaya]

Or better yet, use the bar end J box. Its not always possible, but get that stuff internal

[@TLa08]

Or you get the Tilquist Garmin mount and put the junction box on that: myalbum.com/photo/A6pGIls3DDLH/1k0.jpg myalbum.com/photo/tmStoqMPC74D/1k0.jpg myalbum.com/photo/7jOW04CBNA0W/1k0.jpg #GCNHACK :D

[@cccorlew]

I added an eTap blip button to my right shifter to control the left shifter. I put a small hole in the hood and I used Sugru to hold the blip on (and tidy the hole). I can do all my shifting using only my right hand. Not everyone needs this, but I do and it's great.

[@CavanHagan]

I don't have electric shifters but i watched this anyway

[@NielsHeldens]

Cavan Hagan living life on the edge.

[@haxhxm841]

Cavan Hagan lol when u realise if only there is tech which can convert mechanical shifting to hybrid

[@JacobSmith-bi8pw]

Cavan Hagan same😂

[@leedorney]

Cavan Hagan I'd like etap. Wonder if the price will drop, realistically...

[@JS-tb9hu]

Yeh I would go straight from mechanical to Etap

When you turn the pedal continuously and push the button for 10 seconds under the box on Shimano Di2 it will automatically adjust the gears. Do it before the micro adjust!

[@wa22up0]

Thats a very nice paint job; i wonder who designed it :)

[@NielsHeldens]

3:27 Who designed that bike, I hear you ask. It was Lord Tom Last of house Last, king in the boiler room, watcher of the comment section, father of virtual dragons, protector of the art of facial contortions, master of the lactic acid, knight of the gradients and brother of Annie Last.

[@haxhxm841]

Niels Heldens damn this sounds like some dialogue from a movie

[@NielsHeldens]

haxhxm game of cassettes - a song of mineral waters and gradients By the way, GCN, I'd be happy to write this story and sell it.

[@BillHeng]

u sir should win comment of the week!

[@tro7e]

hope he didn't do his aunt...

[@NielsHeldens]

IlIlIlIlIlIlIlIlIlIlIlIlI the only way to find out is if GCN decides to publish my full story.

[@nosiestaguiding]

electronic shifting is so, so much better and quicker and never goes out of synch ! The little top button hack on Shimano is the bomb ! Additional plus, the Di2 has smaller levers than the standard mechanical ones which can be great for women or people with smaller hands

[@vincenttichenor8373]

The sprint shifter ports on Di2 can accept regular e-tube wiring. Therefore, I f you take a" normally-open" membrane switch and splice it into an e-tube wire, you can create very light and very discreet climbing shift buttons. I have mine placed on the bottom of my handlebar where my thumbs rest when I'm climbing on the bars.

[@AirwaveMustang]

If you don't want to disconnect your brake hose to install the heat shrink tube, another option is to use self vulcanizing tape. It doesn't have any glue (like electrical tape) so it doesn't become a sticky mess if you ever have to remove it in the future.

[@wolfgangz1018]

To hide the junction box from the stem you can use a adapter from lightweight which replaces one spacer and hide the junction box unter the stem. Alternativly you can use the barFly 4 cockpit for the garmin and put the box under the garmin

[@andynewsom]

The heat shrink tip is cool, I did it on my latest build, but he didn’t mention that it’s pretty involved because you have to slide the heat shrink onto the brake hose and di2 cable before connecting the brake hose to the brake lever. Then once the brakes are set up, it’s kind of a big deal to redo it, so plan it all out beforehand and don’t make any mistakes.

[@Aramis7]

Before you google it, Di2 does not come with ANT+ / Bluetooth connectivity out of the box, you need to get the D-Fly (part SM-EWW01 from Shimano) accessory to make it happen...

[@MrDtelson]

For Shimano paired with Wahoo a short press on the hood buttons changes the page as in the video. A long press on the same button zones in or zooms out which is a unique feature to the one who computer and also really cool to control from your hoods rather than playing with the computer directly while you’re riding. I find this feature to be awesome. I zoom in while I’m riding. And I zoom out on my main page to get some other information and almost all of my favorite information is on one page. Great integration between Shimano and wahoo

[@_official_laszlo]

Can you tell me hiw to do that?

[@sumanthkashyap8366]

Is that Tom's bike??? Did he chose the colours himself??

[@peterkrajcovic458]

no, he designed it himself, thats not the same!!!

[@edrcozonoking]

I have both electronic and mechanical..and I still prefer a set of well tuned mechanicals.

[@TheWaxChainFanClub]

Was that... was that... the FAMOUSLY designed by Tom Last special GCN Trek?!!!

[@MiYoOwBu]

Im riding a SRAM ETAP 1x12 on my gravel bike and I especially enjoy shifting down while braking into tight corners. Always in the right gear coming out of the corner, leaving my 'mechanical' buddies behind.

[@david131092]

I put the wireless unit on di2 inside the seatpost inline with the battery to hide it away better.

[@DEAR7340]

I have heard that this might be a problem for metal frames in that they might shield the signal.

[@gonetoearth007]

Nice tips guys! BTW bad ass (literally) Fizik saddle on Lasty's bike!

[@victoriadennis5300]

I don't have a bicycle and never ridden any bicycle but I fully watched this random video for no reason

[@maxjansen7180]

Just got dura ace Di2 on my new S Works tarmac, can’t wait to set this up

[@gcn]

Enjoy!

[@lachlans8638]

Make your own much cheaper di2 climbing shifters on the tops by buying waterproof tactile switches. Then get one di2 wire long enough so when cut in half can reach from the hood Sprint shifter port to the bar tops. Solder the switch to the wire (Si after the P2max video you maybe should get some help) plug it into the Sprint shifter port and bingo comfy bartop shifting. Run your bar tape over it and punch a small hole for the button to poke through. You'd never know it's there and you can add another in parallel in the drops. Cheap and looks better than shims option. Love mine.

[@Kyoshinko]

Lachlan, Do you have a waterproof tactile switch that you would recommend? How would they work in parallel?

[@lachlans8638]

Kyoshinko any good quality waterproof rated tactile switch will do from an electronics shop or online store like RS or element14. Pick one that's long enough just to stick out from the bar tape you run. Also would recommend using some hot glue over the soldered terminals so that they cannot short in the rain. If you wire a climbing and Sprint switch in parallel then both cam be used using the 1 port on the hoods. Either can be pressed to do the same function (shift down o the right or shift up on the left)

[@evertonI878]

More info on this please! Maybe a youtube vid

[@nateisright]

Rim brakes and mechanical Dura-Ace for life.

[@wirry]

Never tried it myself but I've read that you can pair the new Ultegra Di2 with XT(R) Di2 rear derailleur for a 1x11 setup.

[@Grove332]

That Trek is just beautiful. Damn

[@olly24c]

dem spacers tho

[@brody5211]

Upgraded mine to new di2 . What i didn’t expect was the bloody rattle that’s there now . Back to the shop to sort

[@benstuart1441]

I hacked some cat eye page shifter buttons to the underside of the canyon aeroad cockpit bars for super stealthy hill climbing buttons. Way smaller neater and most importantly way cheaper that's shamanic!

[@HoYoonTV]

Sram brip button is really useless as use sprint shifter. However You can use Di2's sprint shifter to Etap. Just Cut the connecter of blip and wire to Sprint shifter. and it works. and If you have a right size of connecter you can DIY, too.

[@palgetsangnamgyal5914]

I love this video because I lernen lot’s of new things from this video❤️how to use my Electric shifter 🥰🥰

[@TEIS3210]

wow that bike is awesome!! i love the orange and grey

[@user-cm3ll8qz6x]

If you have the Shimano Front Crank with Power (FC9100P), you can update the software without the D-fly part. It pairs with the E-tube App on it’s own.

[@aaronw1375]

You can also get the SC-MT800 junction box with display. It shows what gear you’re in as well as adds Bluetooth connectivity and a handy battery meter.

[@GH-iw5ew]

Thanks great hacks. One is wrong (possibly, depending on firmware version.) If you travel and your di2 lever is pushed on constantly, it will understand and shut itself off and not try to keep signalling and using the battery. Since this occurs in the lever the batter is not discharged anymore. At least that is how it is in the original firmware for 6070. Given the above, it is an easy thing to test if the current version of your system is performing in the smart way. I also agree with Shimano giving great options for electronic shifting and depending on people being smart; while just the opposite is true of Sram, which also has quite a following. :)

[@yveslaingui457]

Micro adjusting is cool especially changing a wheel in a race and the shift indexing is out

[@MrMarek19]

I have Shimano ultegra di2 works great

[@greghilliard7641]

I’ve just found out about the different modes by double pressing the junction box button! Maybe a show for others

[@simonrano8072]

That Wahoo Element screen looks like what Neil Armstrong looked at to land on the moon...

[@jimbojet8728]

Great tips. I am on the change right now !

[@MrDtelson]

Just got a 2018 Tarmac Pro with UDI2. No longer has the external box rather has stuff in the seat post and the buttons and charger port on the handlebar plug. Very clean. I added sprinter buttons on the drops. That is a killer feature. Also adding the wahoo controls in the hood buttons on tip is another super killer feature. BUT this is high tech stuff and thinks can and will go wrong. I was in the middle of a firmware upgrade via my iPhone when a call came in "he dude how is your new bike". It crashed my Di2!!!! Bike is useless and SI2 is completely dead. So I'm headed to the shop where we will do the upgrade vi a fixed wire (I don't have that interface and don't have PC in my house on Macs). So, there is the high tech world for you. Cool stuff, but things can go wrong. Bottom line, I have only ridden the stuff a couple times and its seems so slick. Love the Sprinter shifters really! Yet to get the wahoo integration working BUT the Wahoo element is sooooo slick after coming off a decade of garmin, I am sure all will work out. Hitting page or laps or perhaps zoom from the bar hood will be awesome. I'm glad I have the new stuff. not looking back. ps. I didn't get disk brakes, Being a MTB guy I have many bikes with disk. I'm OK that this road bike down have it. They have issues too and the new regular brakes are insanely awesome too.

[@buggzo]

"That's a freewheel and a half int it??" Lol

[@gebhardt2]

I thought you were going to explain an actual hack like: use the chip out of an SM-BTR1 $20 and solder on a JST connector to the + and - tips. Then buy a cheap 2S Lipo cell $10 on Ebay and charge the battery with a standard Imax B6 charger $20 via the JST connector. Save $200 by not buying an SM-BCR2 charger and BT-DN110 battery and convert all your bikes to Di2 for less than the cost of the same cable actuated parts. That's a real hack.

[@mbragagnolo1]

Great video. Shimano has more features like sprint and climb switchies.

[@mkii9110]

i bought my etap on my cervelo s5 and its really good however maybe due to the bbright and rotor crank it does not work cross chain or closest two to cross chain and in 53-11 or any last three , the noice is supper loud even after proper indexing i have another set of etap on my giant trinity with full sram groupset and it works soooooooo good even cross chain what so ever no problem and extremely quiet!

[@connermacfarlane1036]

Hack - If your battery dies on a ride fly a kite in a lightning storm to harness said lightning and charge the dead battery. Works lightning fast.

[@Paul9]

2:12 Front wheel mounted cranks HACK or BODGE?

[@wserda]

funny

[@johnreese3762]

Good info! Beautiful bike!!!

[@dabhanddave]

Lack of any actual hacks was dissapoint, this is all official stuff that's in the manual. What we want is actual hacks like how to hack the lefthand shifter buttons to control an electronic dropper post, wahoo, suspension lockout, lights etc when running 1x, not just the two sad top buttons that Shimano says we're allowed to customise. Sadly they're making them harder to hack with successive generations and giving only very limited functionality as standard.

[@tedmarz9120]

dabhanddave don’t have to hack, just set their function in the E-TUBE project.

[@patobriant8073]

Maybe not really a "hack". For those of us who love the way eshifting "just works" but do not necessarily love the price tag, save around 1/2 the cash. a) going to a Shimano XT Di2 1x11 and lose the front mech + wires. With standard road chain rings, I recommend running a chain keeper. b)substitute Shimano R600 remote climbing shifters for the Di-2 STI shifters. On a road bike with a 52 tooth chain ring in front and an 11-42 cassette, the gear range will be similar to most 2x11 setups. Just not as closely spaced. It does take a bit of time to get the right position for the buttons and used to shift buttons instead of levers.

[@tedder42]

"your shifter could get depressed" yeah, it happens in the winter.

[@DAVIDSMITHband]

Ted Timmons, it's one hell of a conundrum. I try to ply my shifter with warm baths and good things to eat. But, it isn't any use. Wintertime's for sadness, I guess.

[@colinsmith8908]

To save weight would you accept a DI2 battery with a much shorter autonomy time so that it only lasts 12 hours for example. Though I do find plugging in to the charging port not that easy admittedly

[@axdemax4725]

Nice video

[@ladnerracing]

As Expected!

[@apond58]

Micro-adjust the shifting while riding on Di2. Stop pedalling, press the button on the junction box to activate the micro-adjustment and then adjust one or two mm in the direction you think you need the adjustment. Press junction box button to de-activate micro-adjustment mode. Start pedalling again and see if the chain is shifting smoother. if further adjustments needed, do again.

[@changrenyong7616]

To engage the Di2 adjustment mode, in addition to pressing and holding the button on the junction box for 2 seconds, you also need to put the rear derailleur in the 5th cog, specifically, what Di2 thinks is the 5th cog.

[@johncapobianco700]

You guys are great!!!!

[@waldoiswhere]

I know this is a rather old video but I have a hack that is better looking than heat-shrink to keep the cables together. I use techflex, the same mesh that Computer modders use to tidy up their internal cables. It is available in a large variety of colors and it does not stress the Di2 wiring (if you overheat the heat-shrink). There is no heat involved except for slightly melting the end of the Techflex before installing to prevent fraying.

[@acruzp]

"Who designed that paint job?" I hear you ask. 'Twas Tom Last indeed sire. He himself did it and without help too.

[@richardtydryszewski8919]

di2 also has synchronized or semi synchro shifting modes available thru the etube app which will automatically shift gears off the amount of shifts you make to the cassette or to the front chain rings to get the perfect gear ratio. Di2 also has auto trim which will automatically trim the front deraileur when you shift from lower to higher gears on the cassette without shifting the front chain ring so that you dont get chain rub like you normally would on a mechanical system its like holding your front shifter a little bit so that you dont get chain rub on a mech system. With di2 you can also switch which side shifts what deraileur as well so if you wanted the left side to shift the rear you can swap it without changing any wires around using the etube app. I am waiting for my first di2 system to come in the mail with a used bike i bought off ebay idk if ill be able to use etube with it or not from what i understand you need a certain battery to use the synchro features.

[@jackhenderson7155]

Great video but which one do you prefer

[@MrMarek19]

It's great works very good

[@georgehinds9104]

When should you plug in your electronic bike after a few weeks of riding

[@Timtimzi]

Too bad you need the wireless upgrade kit for last gen Shimano Di2 :|

[@haxhxm841]

I want to try these if only I can get hold of them

[@bobzuidema3560]

In one of your videos you showed that Jumbo/Visma on their Oltre XR4's wich they used at the time they managed to move the junction box to a position underneath the saddle, could you do a video on how that's done? Not that interesting for Oltre XR4 anymore but it does for the XR3 and I bet many more bikes as well.

[@jonnywipeout]

With shims I ultegra 6870 you can run 1 cable from 1 shifter to the other then 1 long one from this shifter to the first junction box which can be any length and therefore you can effectively hide the front junction box if so wish? It will clean up the front end nicely and not alter the set up whatsoever ! Happy days

[@dennypeat6265]

Hi i have just purchased the DI2 8070 hoods and hydrolic brakes. The hoods dont have the port for the sprint shifters only 2 normal ports each side. I have been using the hack you show above and its fantastic and i dont want to change it. The reason I bought the new set is to have hydrolic disc brakes rather than cables Any way round this problem, could I cut the special plugs off and replace them with standard ones. Would this work????

[@paulb8587]

How much battery life does the battery life indicator use?

[@olli-pekkahyvonen5683]

I keep my bike hanging onna wall. No socket nearby for charging the battery on Di2. No problem. I just hook the charger to a power-bank and bank to a bottle cage.

[@Hawlkeye-e9p]

There are multiple processors in these systems. You can over clock them.

[@martbaischful]

Not much campy coverage (eg cusomization through the my campy app)..... arent they paying enough?

[@martbaischful]

cerebellum i'd say in our club of 100 riders about 10 ride campy (incl me).... however none of the campy riders are newbees or have entry level groups. Campy just doesn't have the scale of the others and therefore cant be as competitive as OEM spec. The others get financial scale from the fact that they do mtb (who remembers campy euclid mtb groups), touring etc.... the fact that they were last with discs, also cost them the gravel and cx markets..... again they end being last because they dont have the scale. Hope they survive or ill have to stop cycling (although campy does last super long so i guess i could ride for many years after still) So come on GCN you are a road show not an mtb show... cover campy more and #savecampy

[@craigfouche]

martbaischful are you riding with Campy EPS, Chorus or Record, and connected to which cycling head unit? I have a Garmin Edge 820 and are looking to upgrade my groupset from the standard Chorus to Record EPS as it supports ANT + in v3.

[@martbaischful]

Craig Fouché ive just got myself record v3, but am waiting for my frame to build it. I dont intend to pair it with my garmin at this point..... but might give it a try when i get a new garmin (cureny one is old and has really shabby battery life, so dont want to connect more stuff tonit)

[@craigfouche]

martbaischful Great! Check out DC Rainmaker review on the new 1030 if you keen on an upgrade. I'm using Garmin Connect and are wondering what data gets picked up when using Campy v3, any ideas from mates that have this system paired to a Garmin 820 or others? I use the Vector 2 power pedal system which provides heaps of data and was wondering if the EPS would do the same in terms of gear, gear duration, gear power and cadence performance etc etc

[@brianstein406]

I have campy EPS v3 and garmin 820. It. Just gives you the basic info on the garmin. Gear information and battery status. The MyCampy will give you some more data but you have link it every time manually so it doesn't seem useful. I hear there is a new mycampy app out next week

[@traceylam7691]

have an electric bike, it has a switch on the battery which is under my sead, in the handle bar I can't switch the battery on and off, it only can change the speed of the electric, it has 3 speed choose on it, if I just want to paddle the bike without the electric, it is very hard for me to reach the switch on the battery, how can I add a switch on and off on the handle bar, then I can choose use paddle or electric when I was ridding on my bike. please let me on this question, thank you so much. maybe a video?

[@elidouek5438]

0:48 looking at the steerer tube, i think Matt got a new bike...

[@columkenn]

What are best options for waterproof mounting of mobile phone to the bars. I lost my phone cycling in a storm last weekend, water damage

[@epilepsy-warrior]

I have palsey that effects the right side of my body. Would it be wise to get satellite shifters !?

[@clubv2v13]

Nice hacks. Quick question: Does the micro adjustment at the 4 minute mark work on Di2 10 speed?

[@vincem5]

of course. its the only way to adjust it.

[@jackoconnell8441]

I have Ultegra Di2 R8050 SS and a Wahoo ELEMNT but cannot work out how to get them connected...any advice? I read that I might need to buy a wireless bluetooth unit in order to connect to wahoo but this seems to suggest possibly not...

[@dariuszm8283]

Hi, will electronic shifting work with TACX neo? I mean will I have each time to setup electonic shifting after connect my bike to TACX?

[@darrenleroy]

Is there a hack for eTap to swap the lower gear paddle from right to left?

[@araseliortiz8228]

I’m enjoying the bike so far kzbin.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.

[@craig061989]

How much assembly is required?

[@kylecouture1917]

I have a garmin edge 830 and i have sram red etap 11 speed. I have yet been able to figure out how to connect my garmin to my etap. Id love to get my gears on my screen...

[@haxhxm841]

Gcn, is there some potential in me if I can ride the with a mountain bike with slick wheels with fellow roadies.

[@nerdalert545]

My best electronic shifting hack is mechanical group sets.

[@mossioz6963]

Can I connect my 510 without the D-Fly unit? As far as know it will not work.

[@alanlatham5713]

hi guys' Having trouble powering up the baterie. (Ultegra Di2) powers getting to the charger but not charging the battery. Any ideas? thanks....

[@ngguangze7170]

Does the heatshrink trick work for mechanical groupsets?

[@teunluijbregts2533]

Yup, it does. Makes sense only for an old fashioned (wired) cycling computer though, since on mechanical the cable placement makes more sense anyway.

[@elonmusk8667]

I'm waiting for Shimano di2 or Sram Red 12 Speed.

[@erikbowen6275]

What about a hacksaw for that steerer tube?!

[@danielgentili1320]

So campy EPS is perfect and it doesn't need all these contraptions??

[@user-gc1yg6ku9h]

what saddle is that fizik? can u give me the link to it plz

[@jakem6720]

Does any hacks work with the second gen Ultegra Di2?

[@foxhound143]

I just bought sram xx1 axs, any tips?

[@MTBjamin]

Which model Trek bike is this??

[@lucianonarno1408]

Did Annie Last's brother design that paint job?