Four boxes labeled Shimano GRX on hardwood floor

Lots o’ boxes

I returned from a weekend road (shinkansen) trip to find a box with no fewer than nine items inside to add to the Switching to Glide Kuroko upgrade project.

Various bicycle parts and tools (in boxes) on wooden floor
Whole lotta miscellaneous

In the miscellaneous bits we have the following:

  • ParkTool IR-1.2, cables and magnets for routing various bits internal to the frame
  • Shimano Di2 junction box, one of two required for the project
  • Shimano band adapter, to clamp the front derailleur to the seat tube
  • Shimano hydraulic brake bleed kit
  • Shimano disc brake hose cut and set tool
Shimano GRX bicycle components shown in open display boxes on wooden floor
The big reveal

Next up, among the sexy bits:

  • Front disc caliper (hydraulic)
  • Front derailleur
  • Rear derailleur
  • Rear disc caliper (hydraulic)

What next?

There’s something very basic missing from all the above: the battery! The typical Shimano battery, hidden within the seat tube, is on backorder until February 2022. So I need to decide if I want to wait until then to complete the upgrade, or go with an external battery for now and upgrade to the internal when it becomes available.

A related question is the second junction box, located near the bottom bracket. There’s an internal model, and I won’t know if Kuroko’s frame has space for it until I remove the bottom bracket (already slated for replacement). The alternative is an external model which pairs nicely with the external battery solution, but for me is and always will be a bit of a bodge (exposing, as it does, all the delicate electrical connections to the worst the elements have to offer).


Posted

in

,

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.