Any Specialized riders out there with an internal Di2-compatible frames? I think this would include only the Tarmac SL4, Venge, or Roubaix SL3 series bikes.

If so, can you tell me what you did (or didn't do) to seal the cable exit holes near the bottom bracket? It's a pretty big opening to leave exposed, and I've been told by Specialized there's no stock way to seal it. They told me it was a "drain hole" -- but the hole where the down tube & BB meet is pretty darn large. If it were a pin-hole, no big deal, but at this size (you could probably fit 2 fingers in there) it seems more likely to draw water and grime up and into other parts of the bike, like the chain stay.

Any photos to share?

Thank you!

I'm adding 2 images. One shows the underside of the Venge; the right side of the image gives an idea of how large this opening is. If one were to remove the cable guide, the hole would look even larger. One of the problems is the placement -- it's toward the front of the bike and exposed to water/dirt/grime that gets kicked up. Presumably, any such water/dirt/grime could settle into other tubes, especially the chainstay. When installing Di2 into any of these frames, wires from the RD (chainstay) and FD (seat tube) connect to the wires from the downtube via this location, so all the tubes are open in that sense.

The second image is a screenshot from Specialized's new Shiv (triathlon model), illustrating a cove for the analogous opening.

Is there a similar cover or rubber weather-seal for the Roubaix/Tarmac/Venge?

Thanks!

Moderators -- I accidentally posted this thread in the forum. Could you kindly move it to the proper one? My apologies and thanks...

I am still waiting for my McLaren to arrive from the Team, but I will ask what they did to seal it (if anything) in the meantime.

Our shop has a Di2 SL4 and Roubaix on the floor and we didn't do anything special to seal this up and I'm not sure why you would want to. The frames came with different plus for running wires as opposed to cables and have the holes/grommets under the bottle changes on the seattube/downtube for running the wires to depending on where you mount the battery. I would leave the stock cable guide there if you're worried about a giant hole because the only other option is simply taping it shut.

thanks! i suspect the mclaren *might* have a slightly different design around the openings as it is expressly intended for Di2. (i know one does not have to run di2 on it, but there's a build expressly for it. that's not the case with the s-works venge.

curious to hear what they say...and if there's an option i can use. *if* the mclaren truly has the same mold but different carbon lay-up, that BB area could be the same, and specialized might have a part designed to seal it.

thank you. anyone else with the venge, tarmac or roubaix internal-di2-capable models?

thanks for the reply. for some reason my frame doesn't have the rubber grommets (like the one for the rear derailleur) or the ones for the di2 cable a the down tube entry (and the blank for sealing the unused down tube entry port). i have 3 other grommets that come with the internal di2 wire kit.

sounds like i am definitely missing some specialized parts. i'm wondering if my venge frame did not come with it because there is no s-works/pro venge di2 build. do you know if one can get extras? did they come with the full bike (non-di2) builds?

bummer on the bottom bracket area. why wouldn't i want to seal it? doesn't it look like a huge hole to you? it's weird to have that on an aero frame (Esp as it is somewhat forward-facing), and as mentioned it seems that stuff could get kicked up and in...and into other tubes, potentially.

thank you!

As far as I know Specialized included those with the build, but your deal should be able to get the parts from Specialized themselves.

I spoke to my friend about this issue earlier this week. He is done at Team Highroad (other than sending me my stuff next week ) and is just getting ready to spend 2 months in Oz setting-up Greenedge.

At Highroad, they just used the stock version of the cable routing seal. He said that it was 'fully-sealed' and that they never had an issue with either fouling or water ingress into the frame, even in the Northern Classics. I asked whether the Team bikes (which are all McLaren-versions, even the ones without the obvious 'McLaren' colour and logos) were different than the other Venge frames. They are not.

All of the Venge bikes (McLaren, S-Works and Pro) are produced using the same moulds. I was a bit suprised by that, as I thought McLaren would have tweaked the aerodynamics of its frame. Not so. Apparently, McLaren's input into the design of the Venge was only in the choice of the carbon fibre and the layup schedule. Interestingly, this was said to have been a real eye-opener to Specialized, especially as its 'gurus' also come from other leaders in the composite industry. The composite technology and know-how in F1 is superior to that in aerospace or the military, which was also a suprise to me. In an industry that has come to expect the 'aggregation of marginal gains' from subsequent iterations of framesets, the input of McLaren is said to have been revolutionary, not evolutionary.

Anyway, the point is that the sealing of the cable guide system on the Venge is fine even for riding in the worst spring weather in the World Tour, so you should be fine.

thanks for this info. this experience is obviously a great test. many thanks! interesting that the cable routing seal is the same on the mclaren version. still feels like an oversight to me, esp at that level.

many thanks!

No kidding! I asked more about this, too. He said that they didn't really care about water, as the bottom bracket is the lowest point of the frameset anyway and the water would just drain out! I think that the Teams just don't care about stuff like that like we do...

well, they basically know that if the bikes last one season, that is a long enough time. sponsors will have them on new bikes next year. for me one season would be a very short time! different economics.