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Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union. -- Frank Lloyd Wright
Rob English’s custom Di2 build is an understated bike — at first. The intricacies are not immediately noticeable, such is the case with a clean Di2 internal install. Rob’s been producing steel race bikes for years now, and he’s one of the few builders left designing steel where speed and performance are the priority. His personal bike, weighing in the 11-pound range, is designed to match his climbing abilities. His TT bike takes an interesting look at aerodynamics, where the rider is accountable, by some estimates, for 90 percent of drag. His latest build elaborates on another of his bikes’ traits, internal routing. Rob’s bikes, minimal and clean, usually run the rear brake through the frame and, upon request, feature internal shifter-cable routing. Yet for this bike he took the idea a bit further and decided to work on a completely internal Di2 groupo.
Rob manufactured a stem to house the Di2 battery indicator / control box, and from that stem all Di2 cables are internally routed. The exits are located at the end of the chain stay and right behind the front derailleur through the seat tube. Icarus Lights provided a special custom Di2 battery for the project. The internal battery, slightly lighter than a stock Di2 battery, has 2.5 times the capacity. This extra capacity will hold a charge for 2-3 months of heavy riding. Charging is done simply by removing Rob’s custom seatmast cap and accessing the battery plug. The bike, meant to be raced, is topped off with a set of Shimano’s Sprint shifters and a custom black SRM.
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