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.

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

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).