An expectant hush falls over the bike shop employees assembled around a work stand in the back of the service area. A new Madone hangs there, newly outfitted with Shimano's electronic Di2 group. A mechanic spins the pedals and lightly presses the front shift button; into the circle of silence steps a robotic hum, like a servo motor coming to life. The front derailleur leaps into motion after just a brief pause, guiding the chain onto the big ring, then readjusts itself so it's not rubbing the chain.
...Magic!Okay, I'll stop trying to emulate Chris and just tell it like it happened. Here's a shot of the guts of the Di2 system hanging out of the bottom bracket shell:
Now we heat-shrink the waterproofing seals which are necessary for internally routed cables:
Here we are after everything's been crammed back into the frame. Pretty tidy! Note the surprisingly compact battery which powers the whole system tucked away under the bottom bracket:
The revolution is now!
