July 31st, 2008 by 
thien
Shimano announced today that Dura-Ace Di2 7970 Electronic Groupset is in fact ready for production and will be available in January 2009!
For years, Shimano has been testing prototypes of its electronic Dura-Ace system. Pictures have surfaced from time to time of teams in the peloton that were testing the system, but no word on how far along in development it was or when we would see the final product come to fruition and into production. Well, wonder no longer, because Shimano today announced that Dura-Ace Di2 7970 is in fact in production and should start arriving at your local bike shop in January of 2009.
We first saw what looked like a production ready version on Fabian Wegmann’s Specialized bike at the start of the Tour of California. At this year’s tour, we saw an even more polished version of the Di2 on Fabians bike.
The electronic version of Dura Ace, will be an add on feature to the existing 7900 groupset. It has not been announced what the price will be, but we’re figuring it should be somewhat substantial. What you’ll get is two brake-and-shift levers, two derailleurs equipped with servo-motors (instead of the traditional spring), and the 7.4-volt lithium-ion battery pack that will power it all (including wiring harness). Even with the added hassle of having to now carry a lithium-ion battery pack, the whole groupset should weigh in less than 67 grams from the current top of the range 7800. It appears that the upgrade means that Di2 is not crank, cassette, or chain specific…
The Di2 7970 shifters are designed to feel like their mechanical counterparts, but the internal shift mechanisms have been replaced with small touch pads that will send an instantaneous message to the front dearailer, which houses the ultra small computer that controls the whole system, to shift. Potentially these pads could have been placed anywhere, but for the sake of easy transition, they were placed in the traditional location. The ability to place them anywhere will serve a better purpose in a TT bike setup though, where they’ll really make a difference. Both front and rear dearailers have servos, instead of springs, this allows the system to monitor shifts to ensure accurate and precise shifting each time. The system will also be able to adjust itself, so no more worrying about chain rub or cable tension.
Shimano released official photos today…
Have something to add, or want to chime in with your thoughts? We welcome comments below!
Fabian Wegmann photo courtesy of CorVos
August 1st, 2008 at 3:03 am
I’m not sure we “need” electronic shifting… But it is nice to see some innovations coming to market in this area. 2009 looks like a fantasic year in the way of groupset options. Also with all these new groups coming out, I expect to see a fair share of early adopters selling off perfectly good 7800 at great prices! (I hope)… So I say bring on 7900 and 7970!
August 1st, 2008 at 3:39 am
I’ll be curious to see how long the battery will last before performance begins to degrade over time due to multiple uses. The system would be much more appealing if a self generating hub, similar the the nexus hub, was introduced for battery free performance. It’s also interesting that they are comparing the weight of the components to the current and new lines as the battery will certainly “make up” if not exceed the difference in weight savings. We’ll let the weight weenies chime in on that one when the time comes
August 1st, 2008 at 8:18 am
“Even with the added hassle of having to now carry a lithium-ion battery pack, the whole groupset should weigh in less than 67 grams from the current top of the range 7800.”
It would appear that weight isn’t a concern. There wouldn’t be a mechanism to speak of that would weigh down the shifters. For what it’s worth, the weight of cables/housings can be deducted from a build as well.
“The system will also be able to adjust itself, so no more worrying about chain rub or cable tension.”
That sounds awesome. You’d figure someone who has been in the sport long enough and serious enough to consider the cost of Dura Ace would likely feel comfortable doing this themself. It would be nice to have this as a beginner.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:24 am
Is that the battery pack in picture #6? And does it mount under the bottle cage?
Sure seems like it would make for a very minimalist, clean looking build. IMHO, if the battery life is up to snuff, and it’s waterproof, the only downside would be what do you do with the unused cable guide ends…
August 1st, 2008 at 11:29 am
Once people [that can afford it] start to buy the gruppo you’ll hear nothing but praise about how good it is. I’d have no qualms about using the electronic gruppo. Only my wife and bank account would have a problem with it!
I know it’s hard for people to change but the thought of simple fast shifting literally at your fingertips along with the light weight is exciting! I’m glad they are bringing this into fruition.
And for those concerned about the battery… as long as it lasts longer than a 1st gen iPhone I’ll be happy!
Now we wait for Campy to release their electronic gruppo… or did they already make the announcement?
August 1st, 2008 at 12:22 pm
But will you be able to change the radio frequency? (i would assume it’s wireless) What happens if you’re riding in a group and someone shifts 8 bikes at the same time?????
August 1st, 2008 at 1:17 pm
So what is the problem this hardware is supposed to fix? How does it make my road riding experience any better
My shifting is already fantastic and crisp, and can be fixed by myself when needed. I presently don’t need to plug my bike in at night.. I can diagnose problems and usually fix them on my own. I don’t ride TTs where shifters on the bullhorns would be nice. What is worth the multitude of added complexity and expense?
The battery issues of course, multiple groups in a pack is another….how about riding near high-voltage substations or near power lines?
I won’t buy an electric gruppo. It’s neat they’re trying to market an electric group again I ’spose-but why? Because “We can”? Or is it because “We need another excuse to drive up component prices that are already far beyond ridiculous”? When something in the kit breaks will you have to buy a whole new group? (I ain’t speaking about the battery) When something goes wrong out in the middle of nowhere-what can you do to limp home?
Lots of unanswered questions–for something that costs way too much money (more than likely), that solves a problem no one has yet discovered. It seems Shimano has invented something which adds no real benefit to most riders–but did add much more complexity (and potential for things to go wrong).
I’m a skeptic for now, yes.
August 1st, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I won’t be rushing out to the store to buy one until the last cable-actuated system is sold. From my perspective, it adds nothing but hassles - I have to remember to charge my bike, I have to have a battery which by the way, has a maximum number of cycles, it’s more complex with more points of failure. I’m sure there will be folks who want it “just because”, but I will not be one of them. Hurrah for innovation, too bad the didn’t come up with an actual improvement from a use and performance standpoint.
August 1st, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I’ll buy it. Just not the first generation. Maybe now I can install a thief-resistant electronic alarm when I park my bike outside Star-buck’s. Shimano techs have to figure out a way to allow the users the option of \eletronically\ locking the bike (I assume only high end $$$ rides will be sporting this groupset) when the owner is away from the bike. How about GPS tracking system in the frame if the whole bike is stolen from the premise?
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:24 pm
The concerns about interference are unfounded…note that this is referred to as a “digital” system, not a “wireless” system. The signal from the shifters is encoded with a unique ID from the “computer” in the front derailleur so there is no possibility of cross-talk between bikes. From what I’ve read the battery has enough juice for a week of heavy use, and it’s Li-ion so it should last for several thousand charge cycles. And the battery is less than 350g so you could, technically, carry a spare if you were really nervous. An inductive power hub would be nice but would add weight to the system and make wheel changes problematic (and suck watts from your legs). A chainstay-mounted magnet and capacitor could prolly provide emergency power, but for now the tradeoff is reasonable.
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
It’s wired, not wireless (radios at each derailleur would require extra batteries and consequently a bigger weight penalty). Shimano claims a charge lasts about 1000K (621 miles) of ‘heavy use’, a recharge time of 1.5 hrs, and excellent reliability in wet conditions. Given that Shimano is famous for its obsessive QA, I don’t think you can call this release “first generation.” The 1st generation was 2 yrs ago, and was worked out internally. I’m guessing the system works, and works well. I’d buy if I were building up a high-end bike.
August 3rd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I have some concerns about battery charging but suppose you could get used to it. It’s an additional routine maintenance task to charge a second battery every 3 weeks.
I have no concerns about the technology. It’s not new in the world of industrial control to precisely position machine parts. It’s wired so interference will not be an issue.
I wonder if performance is affected by cold temperatures?
August 3rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Hmmmm….electronic one…is it gonna be better ? or more maintenance and more expensive ??
August 4th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
So yeah I like the technology idea, and the idea of being able to put different shifters in locations. But I am among the crowd that says “why?” both to this, and to Campy putting 11 speeds into the mix.
10s chains are already snapping a lot more often, with less mileage, and the drivetrains being much more finicky with adjustment, and staying adjusted.
What happens to the person who wants to bike across the US, I guess they just don’t use an electronic shifter, or better have a convenient place to plug in. Would suck to get into the Rockies, and not be able to shift.
Sure it’s nice, but having to rely on a battery is still a weakpoint IMO, and even if it really offered better shifting, not sure it would be worth the price increase that is sure to come with it.
I think it would be funny if they made it wireless, then you would have people getting people to hack into the systems to try to shift people in competition. Oh, so you are going to attack on this hill, let me just shift you up to an 11.
August 4th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
What will they think of next. Maybe an electric motor on the pedals. Wait I think that’s been done
August 5th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Remember Shimano airlines? This will probably see a similar course. I could see where this would be useful on a TT bike where you could have shifters in multiple positions without a significant weight penalty.
August 7th, 2008 at 5:31 am
What? no electric power-assisted braking included (yet) ?
August 7th, 2008 at 11:18 am
didn’t mavic try this electric idea several years ago? what happened to their setup? just another fad?
August 10th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
sooo, how much faster will it actually make you go???
August 12th, 2008 at 11:37 am
awesome! finally electric done right!
August 17th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Fly by wire or drive by wire (or wireless)…airplanes and cars do it…why not bicycles. Whats wrong with cables?
August 18th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
For all you naysayers, you will always be off the back.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I’ll be happy to run ya with my good ol’ 8 speed any day.
I’ve got over 60,000 miles on my dura ace down shifter bike, still fast and works great. I can’t see ANY advantages of a system like this, except for the company selling it to the “must have the latest geeks”.
I’ve NEVER been off the back!!