Dura Ace vs. Dura Ace vs. Dura Ace

I realized a couple of days ago that I have three bikes with Shimano Dura Ace groups. All different set ups though.

I have my Lapierre with the Di2 7950 stuff.

I have my father's old Specialized SWorks carbon with the 7800 model group.

I have my custom steel Cernitz Mule commuter with its 9 speed dura ace bar end shifter (way low tech).

The one that gets ridden the most? By far the Cernitz Mule. They all shift well. But frankly the low tech stuff gives me the least worries. Why? because I there is not much to it at all. It is cheap and easily fixable/replaceable if something were to go wrong. And there are almost no parts in the shifter, so what would go wrong? It gets ridden in the worst weather and just keeps on ticking.

Will I trade in the other stuff? Nope. Those bikes with the integrated brake/shifter combo is just too smooth to give up. Dang, I love my stable of bikes.

Initial Di2 thoughts

The Good:
1) shifting is flawless so far.
2) Front derailleur makes a cool whirring sound when it moves.
3) Derailleur aren't bothered by mud and debris.

The Bad:
1) Buttons are too close together. Sometimes one of the buttons is not right where I want it when I want it. I think I will get used to it though and it won't be an issue later.
2) It doesn't make me any faster exactly, it just keeps working when the normal shifter set up might get gunked up. I just lost one excuse why I don't do better.