Di2 "Overkill" for cross?

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Permalink Reply by Emil on October 17, 2009 at 8:46pm

Lets see, you are going to ride offroad and MAYBE try 'cross racing? Stick with your current setup and change things as you learn what works and what doesn't. Take advice but you need to judge what works (or doesn't) for you.

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Permalink Reply by Kanned Heat on October 18, 2009 at 3:10pm

Well, it may be a moot point. It appears that the Ridley X-Fire frameset that I ordered lacks water bottle cage mounts/bolts, which the Di2 utilizes to mount the battery pack. I'll have to call and confirm with the dealer that this is the case, as I've read that some of the newer framesets do have bottle cage mounts, but I'm not holding my breath.

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Permalink Reply by FallDownGoBoom on October 19, 2009 at 10:36am

Hey, if you're willing to have fun and abuse your Di2, why not keep the theme going and drill a couple holes at a spot of your choosing in the frame and slap the battery on? Perhaps even cut a hole and slip the battery inside the downtube, now that would be cool! What could possibly go wrong? Just like the famous last words of a redneck, "Hey guys, watch this..."

Seriously, if you are dropping that kind of $$ for an X-Fire to "try" a new fringe sport, might as well pimp it out nicely with a mechanical grouppo (off topic, but SRAM Red baby!) you can easily modify/replace over time -AND- something that a neutral service pit will understand and be able to help with if/when you need a little love mid-race. I'd love to try the Di2, but I know hundreds of people can help adjust my cabled stuff at a race, and wouldn't know who to talk to about servos and re-setting adjustments on the fly with somewhat compromised post-tumble derailleurs.

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Permalink Reply by Kanned Heat on October 19, 2009 at 10:58am

All great points! I've heard both the "pros" and "cons" of using Di2. I just (happily) found-out that my X-Fire does indeed have water bottle mounts, so the issue with mounting the Di2 battery pack is, well, a non-issue. ;)

I'm leaning towards being a guinea pig, and using it, since I already have it. In reality, the soonest I'd even attempt to race cross would be next season. (Still recovering from injuries incurred in the accident). That gives me a year or so to iron out riding with the groupset offroad.

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Permalink Reply by Geoff Gunderson on October 18, 2009 at 6:24pm

Overkill for a sport that celebrates racing in costumes for quite possibly no apparent reason? Bacon hand-ups and beer? Middle-aged privateer's on 14 lb. carbon World Cup mobiles? Di2 should fit in just fine, I'd think.

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Permalink Reply by NRand on October 28, 2009 at 6:59am

HELL NO. Its perfect for CX, especially if OP is trail riding and not racing twice a weekend. (I see no real benefit with Di2 for road though)

I raced it in the sand last week (tons and tons of sand) and it allowed me to ride through sections and shift at full gas where many other racers had to run.

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Permalink Reply by Hamilton on October 28, 2009 at 8:19am

You've just given me complete and total bike lust, that sounds really creepy... Seriously though, you built my dream bike. Now if I could just mortgage my dog so I could afford it, I'd be set.

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