Di2 electronic shifting
adwt2004
Posts: 93
What are peoples thoughts on this system? Do you think Shimano will stop making mechanical shifters etc? I personally have tried it and I prefer mechanical.
To me, it just seems wrong having this kind of electronics on a bike. Opinions welcome!
To me, it just seems wrong having this kind of electronics on a bike. Opinions welcome!
0
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I think they will dominate the top end of the market, but mechanical systems will still be around for a while in the mid and low range. Electronic systems require a frame which has been drilled to take them, so they are limited to the high end carbon market. For a reason or another there will albays be the need for a mechanical system... imagine bringing your bike to areas where it is not possible/practical to recharge a battery or where spares are at a premium... finding steel cables is relatively easy. There is also a big bunch of enthusiasts like me who enjoy fiddling with screws and cables...
I also prefer mechanical systems, but if I had to invest in a groupset for the sake of performance and not for a fun ride on sunday, then I would go electronic
Not true at all. You can fit an electronic system to any frame there's nothing special required, you can get some stick on cable tidy that neatly hides all the cables. All a drilled frame does is allow you to hide the cabling. Also it's not restricted to just the high end carbon market at all. Canyon are selling an aluminum frame with Ultegra electronic shifting on it in their 2012 range for £1929 according to their website.
http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2503
Of course you can route the cable, but it looks awful... maybe in the future we will not toice it anymore, but for today standards it looks dreadful
Hydraulic brakes and electronic shifting will be on all 105 equivalent and above bikes in 10 years I predict.
- @ddraver
And so it should be, given it costs twice as much as a conventional DA groupset... I am very curious to see Campagnolo's answer when it will be finally released (next year?).. in Vicenza they have been quiet for some time, with Ultra Torque being the only innovation in a long time
There is an Ultegra Di2 demo bike in the shop near me now...looks very slick.
- @ddraver
SRAM have probably taken the pragmatic view, that gearshifts don't win races - legs do. Nobody is going to go faster by buying Di2....
The only reason I can think SRAM don't have an electronic Red groupset approaching is because they re working on an XX one instead...
Can anyone answer a question? The front gear shift on the Ultegra set I tried was pretty noisy, is the DA one like that?
- @ddraver
I dunno, you'd have to ask them. It certainly wouldn't have been for any performance advantage though...
I know this is your schtick Psuedonym, but can you perhaps offer an opinion on why?
to put the balance for SRAM, LeakyGas have apparently switched from Campag this year (Ring, 2011)....
- @ddraver
but because it doesn't offer any - it's just a method of shifting one gear to another - you still have to pedal whatever gear you're in. Let's put it another way - what performance advantage do you think electronic shifting offers - and how will it get someone to the finish line quicker than another rider on a mechanical shift..?
If you can give me a convincing performance argument which will improve my placing in a race, I will order a Di2 group tomorrow...
Now go and order Di2 - you know you want to
I haven't tried it. But apparently you can shift to big ring whilst putting out full power...I've not tried that on my cable gears but I dare say it wouldn't go well...
I'm inclined to say that they have gone to it because it works better, why else? It doesn't look nice, it just obviously is better...?
That said its a nice system - but it's unlikely to make you win more.
it can be had with kysirium elites too for that price.
https://twitter.com/#!/IOIWBelgian
Bollocks IMHO. Your still stuck to the limitations of a chain switching between 2 sprockets. I cannot see whatever actuation shimano use been powerful enough to do it no problem. Its a age old thing and no electronic stuff will sort it out.
There's a test bike (Colnago) with the electronic Campag, on a turbo in my LBS...
All user experience says this is one of the big pluses of the system and not bollocks at all.
There's a good unbiased review of di2 here.,
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... =3&t=70101
- @ddraver
My $0.02 - Maybe its more abou the rider and how they feel when riding as well? Sprinting - flick of the thumb and keep a firmer grip on the bars? TTs - shifters on extensions and horns as well as less clutter?
I don't race or pretend to, I just like to bike... and it is mighty fine bling
Quintana Roo Cd01
Project High End Hack
Cannondale Synapse SL (gone)
I like Carbon
I think there is a much better case for DI2 on TT bikes that standard road bikes (unless you really need that sprint button). Though the P5 has broken this DI2 advantage...
Twitter
- @ddraver
Pretty expensive stuff, but in the real world vs iMacs, fancy TV's etc then maybe not so much.
Personally I'll let the early adopters take the brunt of the R&D costs and when the system becomes 'old hat' I'll go for it.
***
Now, what would be really cool is if the Big S comes up with some servo-assisted brake calipers.
the p5 uses magura hyro brakes, there's no shift buttons on the brake levers.
(obviously they re on nomal road levers)
- @ddraver
'Serious usage knowledge' - and the best he can come up with is that "it works" - and so it flippin should. That is not in dispute.
He also says this:
Which is kind of the point I was making....