EPS v3 vs di2

[Boshk]

I'm looking for electronic groupset for new bike, Record EPS v3 or DA di2, both of which I only need the upgrade kit.

There was a post recently about a member who tried to upgrade his di2 firmware but it bricked during the battery part, after which he had to get some Shimano SM-PCE1 to connect to his PC.

With EPS V3, can you brick it like the di2 situation and if so, is there a part equivalent to Shimano that I would need to buy?

Price wise, I think EPS is cheaper because it already includes the Bluetooth portion.

[joeyb1000]

On EPS, what upgrade kit are you referring to? What does “brick it” mean?

[Boshk]

On EPS, what upgrade kit are you referring to? What does “brick it” mean?

Upgrade kits are the components required to switch your mechanical groupset to electronic.

I saw someone post that when they were updating their di2 firmware, the firmware update on battery fail.....which caused the whole system to stop working.... Brick it

He solved it with that extra component he bought....but I believe it costs nearly $200us

[TheRich]

Shops should have (full featured) PC adapter, and if that's the fix, it's not quite what "brick" means. If you brick something it becomes as useful as a brick, permanently.

[joeyb1000]

On EPS, there is nothing else to buy.
Notes: For the charger, you need to buy the charger and cord (usually separate). The seatpost insert to hold the battery is a separate item. On a C60, many people have to clean (file) the paint out of the hole in the frame to get the plug through.

[TonyM]

I have the EPS V3 and the DA Di2.
Both are really great and have Pros/Cons.

The biggest difference IMHO is however the shape of the brake/levers.
Some people prefer the Campy, some other prefer the DA.

[FIJIGabe]

I may have been the person who you saw "brick" the Di2 battery, and yes, it caused me to buy a new PCE-1 to "unbrick" the battery. That being said, it's a great tool to have in times where there's a device malfunction, or you buy a used component and want to test it out (which is what I did when I converted my Emonda to Di2).

A shop should have a PCE-1, but will charge you labor rates to use it. My LBS, a multi-store Trek/Specialized dealer, didn't have the PCE-1 at their shop, but at another one, and it would have taken a couple of days to get the PCE-1 to that shop, and it would have been $100 to get the battery unbricked - for that, I ordered my own.

Personally, I find that firmware updates via Bluetooth are prone to issues, so I connect the bike to the computer and update it that way.