Di2? Don't bother

[croftsj]

I've had my S-Works Venge about 4 weeks now and managed 2 dry rides on it so far, Saturday was a pleasant 40 odd miler in the sunshine.

I noticed the front mech wouldn't shift when I got home and on the ride a couple of times it took a few presses to shift up or down, I put it down to fat fingers in fat gloves.

Took the bike back to the Specialized Concept store I bought it from on Saturday afternoon, it's still there unable to find the problem & they've had to order a Di2 diagnostic kit which now won't arrive until Friday earliest.

My advice, keep your money, invest in good old mechanical DuraAce or Ultegra, I'll be chasing Specialized for something out of this, unacceptable in a brand new build.

[NitroNick]

I've been using it 8 months and haven't had any issues. You are just unlucky. I put the DA DI2 front derailleur down as the most impressive piece of cycling kit i've ever bought. I'll never go back to mechanical.
When you get it working properly I bet you'll agree.

[HurryUpAndWait]

Hope it gets sorted - my Di2 monster arrives in a couple of weeks...

[Furberger]

I'm I'll for progress, but if it ain't broke...

[croftsj]

Knee jerk reaction maybe, we'll see. When it was working, it was ace!

[okgo]

Sure it will be fine when fixed. I've never heard of any complaints about it when it is working. Rather everyone has said it's incredible how they lived without it.

[Rich_W]

Surely it can only be 1 of 5 things

Shifters
ECU - GPS/Bluetooth equipped http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/04/news/shiman...
Wiring
Derailleurs
Batteries/Power supply issues

Surely a little plug n play with new components would have that sorted in a day?

Also curious as to what you want in terms of compensation? By your own admission you don't ride every day or even every week.

[HurryUpAndWait]

Furberger said:

I'm I'll for progress, but if it ain't broke...

I assume you're still riding:



?

[croftsj]

Rich_W said:

Surely it can only be 1 of 5 things

Shifters
ECU - GPS/Bluetooth equipped http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/04/news/shiman...
Wiring
Derailleurs
Batteries/Power supply issues

Surely a little plug n play with new components would have that sorted in a day?

Also curious as to what you want in terms of compensation? By your own admission you don't ride every day or even every week.

A go on the McLaren Venge, is that too much to ask? It was poorly worded to be fair, I should have asked about the sale of goods act and my rights, should I expect a repair or a replacement of the group set or the whole bike? By groupset I mean the elecktrickery bits not cranksets.

[Rich_W]

I'm sure I read somewhere that the S Works Tarmac SL4 is actually stiffer than the McLaren Venge.

[croftsj]

I rode the Tarmac & Venge back to back, head to head before I opted for the Venge, climbing? Buy a Tarmac, flat out speed? Buy a Venge.

[ewenm]

HurryUpAndWait said:

Furberger said:

I'm I'll for progress, but if it ain't broke...

I assume you're still riding:



?

I know it's a joke, but that's a great example of something that is "broke" and needed fixing. No gears, hard to mount, hard to control. Choose better!

I've got no plans to upgrade to electronic shifting either. Even still got thumbshifters on my MTB and sometimes run them unindexed (useful after a day in claggy mud!).

[Rich_W]

croftsj said:

I rode the Tarmac & Venge back to back, head to head before I opted for the Venge, climbing? Buy a Tarmac, flat out speed? Buy a Venge.

CAn you elaborate. What are the differences? Feel? Agility? Weight? Aescetics? Wondering more than anything else.

Cav rides a Venge (Not sure if it's still the McL version - No McLaren sticker visable, unlike when he was with HTC)



Whereas Boonen goes for the SL4 (as does Contador)



Contadors

[croftsj]

The Tarmac climbed a local ramp 3 cogs higher than I did on my Felt, the Venge 1 or 2. Average speed on the Venge on a timed 25 mile loop I do added 2 mph to my average and took a big chunk of time out, the Tarmac wasn't far behind. The Venge just felt like it wanted to be smashed all the way round, it cornered more precisely as we'll, purely feel under the rider, can you prove it scientifically? Probably not but the Venge felt quicker all round, heavier than the Tarmac but I loved it.

Boonen rides a Venge as well, like most of the pros he has a quiver of bikes to choose from, Specialized even do a Tom Boonen special edition Venge.

[okgo]

You should go and work for their marketing team. 2 mph

[croftsj]

okgo said:

You should go and work for their marketing team. 2 mph

Yeah but that was the mid range product, I bought the top end S-Works so that has to be worth 4 mph and its black so that's another 2 mph.

[Rich_W]

Did the Venge feel harsher as a result?

[croftsj]

Rich_W said:

Did the Venge feel harsher as a result?

It does, but I think you could dial a bit out with a better saddle than the ridiculous Toupe SWorks sliver of carbon that it comes with, I'm in the process of trying out a few at the mo, I just didn't have the time to try out saddles before I placed my order, I wish I did. It reminds me of my Caterham which is set up for track work and just feels very pointy and dart like on the public road.

[BadgerBenji]

You know the best fix, Sram Red, it's what the pro's use

[Not Ideal]

croftsj said:

Boonen rides a Venge as well, like most of the pros he has a quiver of bikes to choose from, Specialized even do a Tom Boonen special edition Venge.

Yup - I think he has a 61" frame with the headtube from a 59". One of a kind frame just for him.