# Drill holes for Di2??



## ntb1001 (Jan 19, 2010)

I just read a story on cyclingnews.com about Dave Zabriskie’s Cervélo R5 VW.

They said that because that frame does not support Di2...the mechanic drilled it to run the wires & mount the battery!!??!!

Is this a safe practice, or will the frame fail over time because of this. Can I do this to my Cervelo S2 so I can run the Campy Record EPS?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pro-bike-dave-zabriskies-cervelo-r5-vwd


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

ntb1001 said:


> Is this a safe practice, or will the frame fail over time because of this. Can I do this to my Cervelo S2 so I can run the Campy Record EPS?


Sure you "can" if you have a drill. 
Is it safe... will it fail over time? No way to be 100% sure. 

It says right in the article....
*(Don’t try this at home, kids — it voids your warranty).*


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## 2cflyr (Apr 9, 2002)

that does not sound like a good idea.obviously, as stated, voids the warranty, and if you drill it in the wrong area, it could compromise the frame structurally. 

though, looking at the picture of the hole in the top of the top tube, i don't think it would harm the frame, structurally, but i'm just guessing here.


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## Kontact (Apr 1, 2011)

Parlee, for instance, won't retrofit an existing frame for internal because they reinforce the holes.

I would strongly advise against drilling into any frame material, especially up close to the ends of the tubes where stresses are greater.


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## PaxRomana (Jan 16, 2012)

Depends on the frame. You should have it done professionally.

I had my Time RXR professionally retrofitted for Di2. The mechanic did a stunning job. The shop is a Time dealer. Time even asked for pictures. The owner had his Time retrofitted the exact same way. 

It helps to know where to drill. I am very happy with how things turned out.


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## Kontact (Apr 1, 2011)

PaxRomana said:


> Depends on the frame. You should have it done professionally.
> 
> I had my Time RXR professionally retrofitted for Di2. The mechanic did a stunning job. The shop is a Time dealer. Time even asked for pictures. The owner had his Time retrofitted the exact same way.
> 
> It helps to know where to drill. I am very happy with how things turned out.


How did your mechanic know where to drill?


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

Kontact said:


> How did your mechanic know where to drill?


exactly...unless you were there when the lay-up schedule was done, and therefore had intimate knowledge of the frame construction (which i doubt any shop mechanic, no matter how well informed has) how would you know? 

that said, i did a specialized shiv for a guy on the specialized masters team. i had the full approval and blessing of chris d'alusio at specialized...he gave me some basic ideas of what/where to cut and drill. it was obviously easy to do, and came out really well. i did a thread on it last year. i'm doing it again tomorrow to a pinarello tt bike...i'll post some pics when i'm done.


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## MisterMike (Aug 12, 2004)

It's a clear case of "Don't do this at home, we're professionals on a closed course". My guess is he worked inside with Cervélo in some way before taking drill to tube. Nobody want's a frame failure. It's bad for Dave, it's bad for the team and it's bad for the sponsors.


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## PaxRomana (Jan 16, 2012)

Kontact said:


> How did your mechanic know where to drill?


The owner has been to the Time factory so he saw the frames being built. They've been a Time dealer for a long time, so they know where the frames are strongest. That is where they drilled. Ended up much cleaner than the solution Time themselves had.


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## PaxRomana (Jan 16, 2012)

cxwrench said:


> exactly...unless you were there when the lay-up schedule was done, and therefore had intimate knowledge of the frame construction (which i doubt any shop mechanic, no matter how well informed has) how would you know?


See my other post. That is exactly how he knew. You think I'd have someone drill my RXR frame without being sure they knew where and how to drill?


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## Kontact (Apr 1, 2011)

PaxRomana said:


> The owner has been to the Time factory so he saw the frames being built. They've been a Time dealer for a long time, so they know where the frames are strongest. That is where they drilled. Ended up much cleaner than the solution Time themselves had.


We were one of the very first Cervelo dealers, but that doesn't inform me where to drill holes. Haven't been to China, though.

I did drill out the internal brake stop on a P3 the other day for a hydraulic line, but only after Cervelo said we could without violating the warranty.


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## PaxRomana (Jan 16, 2012)

Kontact said:


> We were one of the very first Cervelo dealers, but that doesn't inform me where to drill holes. Haven't been to China, though.


I guess that's the difference then. He went to the factory in France and saw the frames being built.

Time frames are a bit heavier and have a quite a bit more material in certain sections, such as the downtube.


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## ms6073 (Jul 7, 2005)

At the USGP in Maddison last year, I observed team mechanics drilling holes in the bottom bracket of namebrand CX framesets in order to run Di2 fully internal. While already mentioned about voiding warranties, seems to me that if CX frames held up after being drilled for Di2, as long as you use the proper drill bits and take care of hole placement, then it should not be an issue for a road frame.


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## Kontact (Apr 1, 2011)

I don't think the actions of race team mechanics should often be emulated. Those bikes are disposable, and usually treated that way.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Indeed the frames are disposable. If the frame breaks, the mechanic gets another out of a box.
If anyone else breaks a frame they are out $$$$$.
The mechanic has a lot more leeway for experimenting.


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## jnbrown (Dec 9, 2009)

I had it done professionally on my Tarmac SL3.
It probably voided the warranty but I have no regrets or worries.
The holes are very small, as long as they are drilled cleanly without chipping I don't think it is a problem.


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## vinceflynow (Jan 31, 2012)

When your frame runs out of warranty, or about to run out of warranty, Calfee can retrofit your carbon frames for Di2.


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## Kontact (Apr 1, 2011)

jnbrown said:


> I had it done professionally on my Tarmac SL3.
> It probably voided the warranty but I have no regrets or worries.
> The holes are very small, as long as they are drilled cleanly without chipping I don't think it is a problem.


Not picking on you, but I hear things like this and am always mystified:

What in your background, experience or reading leads you to believe it is not a problem to drill holes in carbon frames near the joints?


I'm not saying it is or isn't, but I just have no idea how people take a look at something as new and specialized as molded carbon fiber frames and apply "common sense" pronouncements to what is or isn't acceptable.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

vinceflynow said:


> When your frame runs out of warranty, or about to run out of warranty[/URL] can retrofit your carbon frames for Di2.


Ummm that would be one day after.... never. 
Cervélo and pretty much every other manufacturer has lifetime warranties.

Every Cervélo frame comes with a limited lifetime warranty for the original owner.


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## jnbrown (Dec 9, 2009)

Kontact said:


> Not picking on you, but I hear things like this and am always mystified:
> 
> What in your background, experience or reading leads you to believe it is not a problem to drill holes in carbon frames near the joints?
> 
> ...


I can't answer that other than it is common sense that a tiny hole in a large area won't hurt.
Yes there is a leap of faith involved which I had no problem taking.
Also the person that did the work has experience doing it and has done it on many frames.
The alternative was to tape the wires down external to the frame which is ugly and difficult to maintain.


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## ddimick (Aug 9, 2011)

They are small holes. 
It will probably be just fine. 
No one will guarantee it. 
The end.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

just did 2 holes for the front derailleur wire on the Pina TT frame. took about 20mins total. one hole on the side of the seat tube, one in the bb shell.


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## DM67 (Dec 23, 2008)

Cervelo gives detailed instructions for drilling the S2/S3 for DI2 on their website...

http://www.cervelo.com/r/S3_S2_Di2_installation_guide.pdf

Sounds like if you drill more than 10mm during "Step 1" or incorrectly mount the battery as indicated in "Step 9" are about the only ways the warranty can be voided.


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## ntb1001 (Jan 19, 2010)

DM67 said:


> Cervelo gives detailed instructions for drilling the S2/S3 for DI2 on their website...
> 
> http://www.cervelo.com/r/S3_S2_Di2_installation_guide.pdf
> 
> Sounds like if you drill more than 10mm during "Step 1" or incorrectly mount the battery as indicated in "Step 9" are about the only ways the warranty can be voided.


wow...I never thought that cervelo would have that on their website....I'm defiantly going to get the Campy Record EPS group as soon as I can..luckily for me my 12 year old has had another growth spurt and needs a new bike....I can now port my campy record 11 over to a new frame for him and EPS for me!!!


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## chollington (Dec 9, 2012)

*Time NXR Instinct Di2 retrofit*

This post is for Pax or anyone who knows of a Time dealer that has been successful drilling for a di2 setup on a Time frame ( NXR Instinct ) . I have a shop that can do the work they just had a couple of questions before they drill.


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