Browsing Tag

Shimano

Blog June 13, 2024

Can you build a budget TT/Tri Bike?

I have never regretted buying a Speed Concept, and overall I’ve been very pleased with it. But, running out and dropping $10,000 bike isn’t realistic for everyone. I was recently chatting with some friends around this, and I decided to see how much it would cost to build a TT bike that I would ride, and feel comfortable providing a roadmap around if someone wanted to get into the discipline “on the…

Blog May 16, 2024

Why are some bike OEMs putting rear calipers on the front fork?

I must admit that I don’t follow bikes I would never buy that closely. So it totally escaped my notice that ENVE’s Custom Road frame uses a “rear-mount” brake caliper on the front fork. They aren’t the only bike OEM that does that. I first noticed it on the 3T Exploro; a bike a friend owns, that I have occasionally worked on. Unfortunately, I don’t have a great answer there. I’ve seen…

News September 21, 2023

About Damn Time, Shimano. About Damn Time…

Reports of Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace cranks falling apart, or in Shimano speak “bonding separation issue”, have been floating around for several years. Up until this point, AFAIK, they have been completely silent on the issue and left it up to owners to bear the cost for replacement, and pain if something goes catastrophically wrong……

Blog Featured March 8, 2023

Comprehensive Carbon Wheelset Warranty Breakdown

I like to think about the the cost differential between a “premium branded” carbon wheelset and lesser known brands (also referred to as “Chinese wheels”, although I’m not a fan of that term) as breaking down into two categories: extra insurance and signalling.…

News December 5, 2022

Get Di2 Back On Your Karoo 2

Remember how Shimano gave Hammerhead Karoo/Karoo 2 owners the shaft back in May? That has been corrected, at least for Karoo 2 users, by an enterprising fellow named Valter Costa who leveraged the Hammerhead SDK to add the functionality back into the device via an add-in.…

Featured Guide October 17, 2022

Install Shimano SW-R9150 Satellite Shifter on a Time Trial (TT) or Tri Bike

I was disappointed to discover that the Shimano Di2 system on my Trek Speed Concept didn’t have enough buttons to support manual shifting or D-Fly (i.e. changing pages on your Garmin). I can live without the manual shifting, but not D-Fly, so I set to figuring out how to add extra shifters to the aerobars on the bike. 12-Speed Considerations: 00:23 The Problem: 1:12 The Parts: 02:21 Cockpit Matters: 04:28 Installation Tidbits:…

News May 26, 2022

Don’t be a dick, Shimano. Oh, too late…

I’ve generally had a very positive view of Shimano. For the most part, the kit just works. What’s not to like about that? Well, part of how it just works, won’t anymore because they decided to cut Hammerhead out of their Di2 licensing. Why? Because SRAM bought Hammerhead… Yep, Shimano is screwing every one of their Di2 customers that also has a Hammerhead bike computer. WTF?…

Blog Featured December 26, 2021

Shimano E-tube 5.0.3 Incompatible with SM-BCR2

I can get that Shimano is SUPER excited about their new 12 speed Di-2, but in that excitement they seem to have forgotten that the overwhelming majority of their Di-2 user base is running the previous generation. Most of these folks, are probably using the SM-BCR2 to charge and connect with the bike to do things like firmware updates, setup shifting, and configure the gears. Because if you don’t have a D-Fly,…

News November 23, 2021

All your Shimano Dura-Ace 9270 Weight Questions Answered

I’m not sure if I’ve ever started a Rides of Japan video, and not watched it all the way through. Content I want, presented in a way that is easy to consume; what’s not to like? Today’s installment will be a bit dry for anyone not interested in the weight of bike components, or how to setup Shimano’s new semi-wireless Di-2 system, but for me this is perfect.…

News August 31, 2021

Shimano Goes To 12, on the road

We all knew that Shimano was bringing 12 speed to the road, and it’s finally here… What comes as a surprise to me, is that they updated both the Ultegra (R8100) and Dura-Ace (R9200) groupsets at the same time. Wireless receiver is now in the rear derailleur. One one hand, this means you don’t need a separate D-Fly to integrate with the bike computer, but on the other, it means that Shimano…

Older Posts →