Di2 frames

Frame and Wheel remembers being asked earlier this week about electronic shifting. Frame and Wheel answered that it is not really necessary and regular shifting will do just fine, thank you. Frame and Wheel never imagined trying it, until the moment Frame and Wheel figured out that the nine Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbons are designed for Shimano Di2 shifting. Everyone is surprised, including the manufacturer, the agent, the mechanics and Frame and Wheel. The fact that no one could figure out that the frames are set up for Di2 is testimony too how rare the system is, at least in the northeast. Indeed, the person who asked Frame and Wheel the question was holding the frame in their hands.

Frame and Wheel will build one frame up and has to admit that the prospect of digital shifting is exciting. Many consumers describe Shimano Di2 shifting as if it were air conditioning: once you start using it, you never go back. The cost always comes up ($4,000 or so for the whole package), but then afterwards come the ravings about how precise and fast the shifting is. The system is durable too: some use Di2 shifting on their cross bicycles. Additionally, the battery lasts a long time and the concept of plugging in your bike is no longer foreign.

Frame and Wheel is also excited by the fact that launching the framesets as a Di2 package will position the Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon at the premium end of the market, which makes a lot of sense given the low volume of the operation at the moment. This is where the brand should be. Frame and Wheel reads that Di2 Ultegra is rumored which will only make digital shifting more accessible to the market. Elsewhere, Frame and Wheel is finalizing more colorful graphics for the standard frames and perhaps a few more Di2 frames. All of this will take time, but it is funny how these things work.