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The Shimano Ultegra Di2 6770 lever ergonomics and overall feel are identical to those of Dura-Ace Di2.(Image credit: James Huang)

This article originally appeared on BikeRadar

Skeptics will still scoff but for those who've actually had the privilege of trying it first-hand, Shimano's electronic shifting has proven a performance – and maintenance – boon. The introduction of a second-tier Ultegra 6770 Di2 version has now brought the costs closer to what mere mortals can afford. Weight weenies will want to pass, but now that we've been on it for several months, we can confidently say that Di2-curious buyers who've been waiting for prices to fall can now consider their ship to be docked at the harbor.

Swap between a Dura-Ace Di2 bike and an Ultegra Di2 bike blindfolded and there's no performance distinction between the two. Rear shifts are again remarkably smooth, quiet and precise – and substantially quicker than Shimano's mechanical groups if you factor in lever travel. Front shifts are simply awe-inspiring on account of the powerful front derailleur motor, the clever stepped movement, and the ultra-stiff crankarm and chainring design.

Rather than alter the cage shape to eliminate rub in all gear combinations, Shimano have instead chosen to stick with a narrower cage for optimized shift performance and carried over the same auto-trim feature from Dura-Ace to Ultegra. Proper setup is key – and admittedly, we didn't get it quite right at first – but once it's dialed in, there's no need to fiddle with it again and it's utterly faultless, at least provided you're using standard chainring pairings.

Lever ergonomics are wholly carried over from Dura-Ace Di2, with the same trimmed-down and smoothly contoured shape we've come to appreciate. As compared to Shimano's current mechanical levers, Ultegra Di2 feels more natural and easier to grip, with fewer hard edges. Smaller handed riders will have an easier time with the reduced girth, too, and if lever reach is an issue, it's again adjustable from beneath the hood, with no ugly gap as on mechanical Dura-Ace.

We haven't had to do even a little bit of maintenance once we had the system dialed in – in fact, this is one of the best aspects of Shimano's electronic transmissions. Through wet rides on dirt roads, careless bike washing and even occasional utter neglect, shift performance has remained consistent from day one. Save for a physical change in the system – a bent rear derailleur hanger, for example – there's simply no work required. Buyers who regularly travel with their bikes will also be happy to know that you can detach and reattach wire connections ad nauseum without affecting the adjustment.

Early Di2 detractors invariably pointed to battery life as an Achilles' heel but after several months on the Ultegra setup – and now two years on Dura-Ace – it simply isn't an issue unless you're also the type to neglect lubing your chain for months on end. Shimano use the same battery as Dura-Ace here so not surprisingly, battery life has proven roughly comparable, which is to say it's inordinately generous. Most users will charge the system perhaps two or three times per season and there's ample warning when the battery power is getting low.

Ultegra Di2's main advantage to Dura-Ace Di2 is, of course, price. At about US$2,300 for a complete group (wiring harness included), it's a full $1,000 cheaper – not exactly pocket change in anyone's book. True, that's still far from cheap but it's not far off from the disappointingly mediocre mechanical Dura-Ace group while offering vastly superior performance in our opinion in terms of lever ergonomics, front and rear shift quality, and long-term stability.

Shops benefit from the more modular arrangement, too. Each of the wires is available in multiple lengths and they're cheaper and easier to have on hand than complete Dura-Ace Di2 wiring kits, plus it makes for more flexibility if you're tackling a particularly challenging custom setup. The new wires aren't compatible with the original Di2 components, however, though we anticipate Shimano will settle on this newer format for all newer Di2 groups.

It's also impossible to overlook the bulk of Ultegra Di2's front and rear derailleurs. Dura-Ace Di2 takes enough heat as it is for its somewhat bulbous appearance and the Ultegra ones are much, much bigger. That bulk is slightly more cleverly hidden on the front derailleur but the added appendage on the rear mech is just enormous. Functional? Yes. Pretty? Well, as always that's in the eye of the beholder but then there's that other saying about faces and mothers…

Unfortunately, Shimano haven't addressed our main complaints about Dura-Ace Di2 – namely, the nearly complete lack of tactile feedback from the shift buttons and the somewhat clumsy method by which you shift multiple gears. In contrast to Shimano's superb mountain bike trigger shifters, which are built around a softly sprung shift lever but a stiffly sprung ratchet tooth for light effort but a firm click, the Ultegra Di2 buttons almost reverse that setup.

The larger button in particular is curiously hard to push but both buttons offer up almost no tactile or audible signal that you've activated the switch – and rear shifts can be so smooth that your only sign is a change in cadence. We'd like to see that mountain bike feel replicated on Di2, along with the multiple shift capability. We're not sure Campagnolo's method is best, either, but some sort of two-step electrical switch analogous to Shimano's Multi-Shift feature on the mountain bike triggers seems like a prime option to us.

Shimano engineers have carried over the differential surface textures of the buttons to combat misshifts but they've fallen short there as well. While the differences are noticeable visually, they're much subtler where it counts – on your fingertips – and you can forget about it completely when wearing full-finger gloves. We applied a bit of grip tape to the rearmost paddles on our test set, which helped significantly.

We're disappointed that Shimano didn't stray a little further outside of their notoriously small comfort zone for this newer iteration but in fairness, the system is already pretty darn good and that it can now be had by a far bigger chunk of the buying public is invariably a good thing. Sure, it's probably too heavy for the weight weenie crowd but one could easily make the argument that we're all too weight-obsessed anyway.