Hey guys, hope you can help me out with the following:

I’m looking to buy a new groupo for my new frame but I just can’t figure out what is the most interesting. These are my considerations:
-Wheels are all Shimano-fitting, so no Campy
-Because of the frame colour, I want dark components, so SRAM Red Black Edition or the new Ultegra DI2.
-I can get both Red and UDI2 for basically the same money, so that’s no real consideration.
-Have to wait a while for UDI2 to be available though, no real problem but well… new stuff is just awesome so the sooner the better right?
-I basically use my bike for everything, solo rides, group rides and some occasional racing.
-Tried DADI2 and really liked it, also like the Red group but maintenance wise the DI2 groups seem a little bit easier.
-Red is quite a bit lighter than UDI2 (but living in the Netherlands... so how important that really is...).

I know you can’t really go wrong with either one but since I’m not really an impulsive buyer, I want some kind of reasoning why I should go with the one instead of the other. So far I haven’t been able to reason myself into making a choice so hopefully you guys have some interesting opinions.

Thanks in advance!

The frame should be Di2 ready - just think about it. Otherwise you spent a lot of work on the frame.

+1 Sram

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Isaac Sonic | Isaac Impulse | Turbofiets
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+1 Ui2.

SRAM red = made in Taiwan / China

If idiots like me can accept a damn Dogma that's 400grms heavier that advertised for, I would take Ui2, get a lighter frame + wheel.

Forgot to mention it, but it isn't an issue Thanks for pointing this out.

Quite fair enough Maxima. I was also thinking, if the UDI2 weight is really starting to annoy me for some reason I could always change the crank because that's not the lightest to start with anyway.

i had the same dilema recently (not really a dilema..but hey)

Black/Red groups look awesome, function just fine and can be had at bargain prices here in the UK at the moment.

Di2 has that extra WOOO factor, (apparently) less maintennance, if fitted correctly can look really cool..and sounds like R2D2, Extra cool BUT..extra weight and more expensive replacement costs in the event of crashes.

I ended up getting DA Di2 from a friend who sourced it all in Taiwan for less than the cost of Ultegra Di2..that is probably the only reason I decided to go that route..otherwise I would have got the RED group

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"Heroes do not die, they re-load"

If you want to program your bike to think-shift, go with the Ui2.

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Fuji SL/1
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BTW, this is what Shimano do for a living. I've been using their Electrics Deep Sea Fishing Reels for coming to 2 decades. The Di2 & Ui2 technology is very much taken from their Electric Deep Sea Fishing Reel Products.

I wouldn't buy a SRAM or Campy Electric group when it's available as they have absolutely no experience in such technology.

Take a look - super interesting for folks who never see a deep sea monster fishing reel:

http://tv.shimano.co.jp/movie/promotion ... on2010_bm/
http://tv.shimano.co.jp/movie/promotion ... 011_ar_bm/
http://fishing.shimano.co.jp/search?pcat1=1&pcat2=11
http://tv.shimano.co.jp/movie/promotion ... 2009_ocea/

I'm not a big fan of di2 for racing. For one shifting through multiple gears is by far the slowest system I've tried. Unlike a mechanical system you cannot just throw the rear mech, because of how it works the derailleur has to complete almost a full shift through each gear before moving to the next. If you do primarily road racing, probably not a huge problem, but if you do tight technical crits that require you to grab a bunch of gears going in and out of corners then it can be really aggravating. I've also found it too easy to accidentally shift, or push the wrong button in certain situations. It's also heavy without offering any performance advantage, and your most fragile components in the event of a crash are the most expensive. If you're not that into a lot of racing though, it's low maintenance, easy to operate and has a certain cool factor Red can't match. For a recreational rider I think it's a great choice, and now for a reasonable price and with improved wiring.

China. Even Shimano has some stuff made there.

Nothing wrong with Taiwan, they build the best carbon components on the planet today.

+1 for SRAM.

Lightest group and still really good shifting.

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A Dane relocated to Exit 8 on the I-95 in New Jersey

My cycling/running blog: http://perplex.dk/

Seriously?

It's very simple stepper motor technology.

It's been around for a long long time.

Bicycle gear shifting is not rocket science.

I just installed Di2 on my Colnago C50 and love it. However, I do not like the appearance of Di2 on a traditional non-Di2 frame. Too many loose cables. It bothers me so much I have started to look for a new Di2 frame. I have a bike with Campy SR11, DA 7800 and Campy R10. I prefer to the Di2 to all of them.

Di2 is for POSEURS.....

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"black on black, is a crime"

have used DA di2 in one season now. my personal impression is that, sure, it´s really really good, BUT there is some thing that have irritated me. one is the dcl10 mention, that the rear mech isn´t that fast. to me, it sometimes almost shift to smoothly, going downhill, shifting down to a "heavier" gear, i can almost not feel it, but that is probably a personal thing, that some many like, and some people does not. i also sometimes miss the tactile feedback in the shifters.
the big gain, as i see it, is the possibility to have shifting buttons on many places on the handlebar. Another gain is in the front mech. that can shift under full power on the pedals and also adjust the mech after what gear you have in the back.

so for me, di2 tech isn´t that obvious choice