[Closed] Electronic Gear shifting Yay or Nay?

Having ridden quite a lot of Di2, I say, without reservation - YES!

Don't like the price

I would hate to have all the elctronic gizmos kinda takes the fun out of a simple bike that works

Solution in search of a problem/ Pointless

Love Di2, hate the price!

CaptainFlashheart - Member
Having ridden quite a lot of Di2, I say, without reservation - YES!

+1 with the man from pimlico.

Solution in search of a problem/ Pointless

you need to try it. then you'll see.

Does it come with electronic pedaling ?

you need to try it. then you'll see.

+ 1 for thebikechain!

Pimlico's a fine place, you know, Pinches! Not like the slums of Fulham! 😉

j_me - Member
Does it come with electronic pedaling ?

Nah, but I know a few bikes which do...! 😉

Is it really that much effort to push a lever with your thumb?

simplify and add lightness

KISS

TJ, Jimmy, et al - Ride Di2, then tell us that! It is, I have to say, truly impressive.

TJ, Jimmy, et al - Ride Di2, then tell us that! It is, I have to say, truly impressive.

Great on a test ride I bet.

Long term?...

Would prefer hydraulic shifting

I love fettling with my bike so it would take the fun out of that

Are Surly coming out with a single speed version?

CFH - I have no desire to - I believe in

simplify and add lightness

KISS

Yes if they make it wireless and a whole lot cheaper.

Pimlico's a fine place, you know, Pinches! Not like the slums of Fulham!

Pimlico's a boring, noisy congested area, with a slightly rough housing estate in the middle of it, and not all that many good pubs, tbh. One or two maybe. It's just expensive 'cos it's close to Buck Palace and Westminster. There are bits of Fulham what make Pimlico look crap. And Fulham's no magical place, either. Pimlico has bugger all soul or local vibe; it's a place where frightened people shut themselves away in their town apartments, then bugger off for the weekends. Rich pickings if you're a burglar, mind...

looking forward to it. Never tried Di2 but if price was right i'd have it. Its just bikes moving on.
People prob thought that mtb's were sorted in the 80's then suspension, dont need it but most of us have it now, same as tyre technology, carbon frames etc. Move with the time, accpet it, dont deny it

Thats a yay by the way

Some of the elite cyclocrossers are now using Di2 over here in Belgium & are very happy with it. The mud (& believe me we had some shocking mud last week) has not been a problem.

simplify and add lightness

KISS

How's the unicycling coming on?

Tj- it is simple. That's the beauty of it.

Phill - I have not been riding it recently 🙂 I broke it doing jumps

TBC - It is not simple. It requires a source of electricity, a device to turn electricity into movement, a cpu etc.

Ok well we look fwd to seeing you tomorrow on your rigid ss with cantis then aye?

DI2 is wonderful to use, really smooth and simple, but i'm with TJ and others that think that it's a bit OTT. i can't get excited about it personally, but i can see why some people love it.

i'd rather have the minimum complexity necessary to do the job than the maximum, that's all.

If dynamos were more common, it would make more sense.
I'm sure it can shift better than a human though.

Doesnt make the bike a very sustainable form of transport does it if you have to recharge the battery all the time?

I know it will be small but there will be some carbon emissions associated with charging the unit and that goes against one of the main reasons I ride a bike.

I do recharge my lights though, but not all year.

someone let me know when it's:

a) no more expensive than cable shifting.

and

b) more reliable than cable shifting.

and

c) easier to work on than cable shifting

and

d) no heavier than cable shifting.

then i'll let you know if i'm interested.

i had a quick play with it in an LBS - it seemed to work well, but then i saw the price!

i love technology and innovation, i embrace it when i see that it offers something better.

the biggest problem i have with gears is how quickly grit/water/whatever in the cable throws the indexing out. it's depressing to think that my gears won't work properly until May, anything that does without cables is worth trying (i'll let other people try it till the price comes down a wee bit)

Its alot better than Shimano Airlines, I'd like to see what bikes come with it as standard in 5-10 years time. I personally can't see any more downsides than cables. People are scared of change.

It's superb. All bikes in the future will have it.

organic355 - Member

Doesnt make the bike a very sustainable form of transport does it if you have to recharge the battery all the time?

I know it will be small but there will be some carbon emissions associated with charging the unit and that goes against one of the main reasons I ride a bike.

I do recharge my lights though, but not all year.

does it make much difference if the energy to move the dérailleur comes from your body or a battery? Especially since food production on the whole seems to be pretty inefficient.

I'm impressed by the auto-trim front dérailleur and smooth shifting on the rear. Price is a shocker tho! 😯

Ahwiles. If your gets won't work properly all winter there is something wrong with how you set them up.
Oh and electronic for the win!! it makes more sense when racing flat out. But its fantastic

i can get them to work for 2 or 3 rides... After that the release/down shift become increasingly sticky until it’s new cable time again.

why don't shimano/Sram make derailleurs with man-sized springs in them?

SpokesCycles - Member

It's superb. All bikes in the future will have it.

Not a chance. Its too complex and expensive.

the future is hub gears / gearboxes

[i]Doesnt make the bike a very sustainable form of transport does it if you have to recharge the battery all the time?[/i]

It's like recharging a mobile phone, except the battery lasts 4 months so not exactly a huge drain on your electricity bill!

More reliable than cable shifting because it's completely sealed (newer road frames come specifically designed for it with internal cable routing. The mechs are self adjusting so even if you knock one out of line it'll re-adjust it's shifting so it still works, no mechanical mech does that!

It's only marginally heavier than mechanical shifting and should be more reliable throughout - no moving parts in the levers to break.

Cost is certainly an issue but then trickle down technology is always like that in any industry.

As SpokesCycles says, it'll be commonplace in 5 years time. Di2 is fantastic to use, great bit of kit.

Electricity beats springs and cogs.

Di2 but in XTR format, YES PURLEASE!!!!

You have not really sold it to me what exactly are the benifits?

Maybe an analogy between new cars and old cars. Old cars were based on mechanics so could be fixed and fettled with a bit of knowledge and the right tools. New cars are full of electronics so a car with a perfectly good engine and body work can be a write off if the electronics are broke.

I like bodging and fixing myself and I like cheap parts and don't have any issues with the way I change gears slowing down my ride. I can't think of ever coming to a situation where I would think if only my gears could change with the light touch of a fairy and smooth as butter (Is that the only advantage?). Ok maybe on a steep muddy climb if something could instantly switch gear to the one I didn't know I needed.

Its not really like suspension is it? As that effects speed, how much of a hammering your bike takes, is a skill compensator and makes technical trails less technical. Suspension would also never have developed as quickly if downhill biking have not overtaken XC riding as the main money driver in the sport. Racing technology is also not always in the best interests of the masses.

I can't imagine an electronic dérailleur will ever be cheaper than a manual one.

Are Surly coming out with a single speed version?

If they did it would come in an odd colour, be heavier and slightly uglier than the alternatives and have a stupid name.

dont get it, used sealed xt cables for years and i dont think i ever get em clogged... whatever next, electric brakes??

You're forgetting that people used to say this kind of thing when Shimano went from 7 -> 8 speed, then to 9, then to 10. Every single time, people would be writing letters to magazines or posting on forums - what's wrong with The Way Things Are, why do we need to change?

This is the same, it's called progress. At the moment it's the same as 8 speed XTR was all those years ago, only available to sponsored racers or the very rich but within a few years it'll be commonplace on mid-high end bikes.