Le Tour no advert for electronic gears!

solosuperia

I know it is a hoary old subject.......
But there seems to be more malfunctions of electronic gears than you would really want.
I can remember Froome having a problem, also some others whose names I can't remember, topped off yesterday by Uran being reduced to two gears because his rear mech had packed up.
I'm not a fan of technology for technology's sake...... Cables seem to last forever with the minimum maintenance. Weight wise cables must be lighter than a battery.
In my experience a properly installed manual mech is very slick in operation, can't comment about electronic gizmos as I haven't used one.

wongataa

Uran's packed up because the rear mech was kicked by Dan Martin as he was taken out by Porte. A good whack like that could have damaged a cable mech as well.

solosuperia

"Uran's packed up because the rear mech was kicked by Dan Martin as he was taken out by Porte. A good whack like that could have damaged a cable mech as well".
Must admit that I missed that.....
That drop through the trees dry road, wet road must have stretched the nerves taut!

Ben6899

Uran had a bent hanger. It wouldn't have mattered if his rear mech was mechanical or electronic.

DeVlaeminck

Ben6899 wrote:

Uran had a bent hanger. It wouldn't have mattered if his rear mech was mechanical or electronic.

Is that confirmed or just speculation on the part of a commentator - seems a bit unlikely to me.

Ben6899

Mavic tweeted it. He asked their mechanic to put his rear mech in the 11T for the run in. You may have seen the mechanic leaning out of the neutral service car, fiddling dangerously close to the spinning wheel.

He couldn't shift accurately because of a bent hanger.

trivial_poursuivant

Leaving the Uran problem aside, there does seem to be a fair amount of electronic gear failures in the pro peloton in all races. I would expect maybe one or two per race of a hundred riders but they seem to happen fairly regularly. The odds of it happening to anyone else are probably higher since these bikes are stripped serviced and rebuilt nearly every day on a grand tour and still the gremlins appear.

bikes`n`guns

And yet I`m a mere mortal and have had no issues with Di2 in 4 yrs !

fenix

TP - don't forget that there are multiple crashes in the course of the days racing. We dont see them all. It's a lot tougher on kit than the average joe would be.

trivial_poursuivant

Fenix wrote:

TP - don't forget that there are multiple crashes in the course of the days racing. We dont see them all. It's a lot tougher on kit than the average joe would be.

Agreed but they can't all be down to crashes. And what about time trial failures as so have seen a few times ? This reminds me of the Stages issues people rant on about. Some have years of trouble free cycling and others seem to constantly get duff units like God is personally sh1tting on them. Ho hum

Ben6899

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

Fenix wrote:

TP - don't forget that there are multiple crashes in the course of the days racing. We dont see them all. It's a lot tougher on kit than the average joe would be.

Agreed but they can't all be down to crashes. And what about time trial failures as so have seen a few times ? This reminds me of the Stages issues people rant on about. Some have years of trouble free cycling and others seem to constantly get duff units like God is personally sh1tting on them. Ho hum

God only shits on your cycling, if you use those massive 750ml/1L bidons.

trivial_poursuivant

Ben6899 wrote:

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

Fenix wrote:

TP - don't forget that there are multiple crashes in the course of the days racing. We dont see them all. It's a lot tougher on kit than the average joe would be.

Agreed but they can't all be down to crashes. And what about time trial failures as so have seen a few times ? This reminds me of the Stages issues people rant on about. Some have years of trouble free cycling and others seem to constantly get duff units like God is personally sh1tting on them. Ho hum

God only shits on your cycling, if you use those massive 750ml/1L bidons.

Yeah but that's warranted for such unruly behaviour

Ben6899

Hence the divine retribution.

cougie

Hey - I use those 750ml bottles - cos I am so awesome and ride decent distances. My gears work just fine too. But they aren't electronic. ;-)

Ben6899

You have to be God-fearing, cougie.

cougie

That'll be it then.

trivial_poursuivant

cougie wrote:

Hey - I use those 750ml bottles - cos I am so awesome and ride decent distances. My gears work just fine too. But they aren't electronic. ;-)

I use 500 ml bottles and plan my route to pass shops where I can replenish them. No need to anger the Gods. When you shuffle off this mortal coil there will be a pineapple waiting for you!!

bianchimoon

Bikes`n`guns wrote:

And yet I`m a mere mortal and have had no issues with Di2 in 4 yrs !

me too, just crisp clean gear changes regardless of gradient or weather..we must be the chosen ones

mfin

New kit, stripdowns and rebuilds will all add to the likelihood of given problems that a pro might experience in 4 yrs that you won't. There will be plenty of bikes on a stage which have just been messed about with, they're ridden hard, moved about, washed down etc everyday and used for more than 2000 miles in 3 weeks, all increasing the chances of failure.

Plus, remember a lot of these pros have to ride Shimano, so we should sympathise because as at least we get the chance to look at it and decide "I don't want that shît on my bike", they can't.

Anyone making an argument for 500ml bidon aesthetics who uses a saddlebag should be shot on sight by the way.

trivial_poursuivant

mfin wrote:

New kit, stripdowns and rebuilds will all add to the likelihood of given problems that a pro might experience in 4 yrs that you won't. There will be plenty of bikes on a stage which have just been messed about with, they're ridden hard, moved about, washed down etc everyday and used for more than 2000 miles in 3 weeks, all increasing the chances of failure.

Plus, remember a lot of these pros have to ride Shimano, so we should sympathise because as at least we get the chance to look at it and decide "I don't want that shît on my bike", they can't.

Anyone making an argument for 500ml bidon aesthetics who uses a saddlebag should be shot on sight by the way.

Saddle bag users publicly humiliated beforehand

kingstongraham

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

mfin wrote:

New kit, stripdowns and rebuilds will all add to the likelihood of given problems that a pro might experience in 4 yrs that you won't. There will be plenty of bikes on a stage which have just been messed about with, they're ridden hard, moved about, washed down etc everyday and used for more than 2000 miles in 3 weeks, all increasing the chances of failure.

Plus, remember a lot of these pros have to ride Shimano, so we should sympathise because as at least we get the chance to look at it and decide "I don't want that shît on my bike", they can't.

Anyone making an argument for 500ml bidon aesthetics who uses a saddlebag should be shot on sight by the way.

Saddle bag users publicly humiliated beforehand

You can't humiliate someone who doesn't care.

mfin

KingstonGraham wrote:

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

mfin wrote:

New kit, stripdowns and rebuilds will all add to the likelihood of given problems that a pro might experience in 4 yrs that you won't. There will be plenty of bikes on a stage which have just been messed about with, they're ridden hard, moved about, washed down etc everyday and used for more than 2000 miles in 3 weeks, all increasing the chances of failure.

Plus, remember a lot of these pros have to ride Shimano, so we should sympathise because as at least we get the chance to look at it and decide "I don't want that shît on my bike", they can't.

Anyone making an argument for 500ml bidon aesthetics who uses a saddlebag should be shot on sight by the way.

Saddle bag users publicly humiliated beforehand

You can't humiliate someone who doesn't care.

I could.

meanredspider

mfin wrote:

Plus, remember a lot of these pros have to ride Shimano,

One day someone will produce evidence that suggests that teams don't get to choose their sponsors and that riders don't get to run the version of the kit (or, indeed, not their sponsors' kit) that they want.

There are certainly loads of examples of riders having parts with their brand name covered up: the only team running eTap has to use DA rim brakes (if that's what they've chosen) because SRAM doesn't make a surface mount brake which is all the bike will take.

Personally, I simple can't imagine riders putting their bodies on the line (legally or illegally) and training so hard only to given kit that compromises their chances. I know it's a convenient thing for people to say to explain why pro riders use kit that the poster doesn't agree with, but I'm yet to see any substantial evidence of it. I'm happy to be proved wrong.

bianchimoon

meanredspider wrote:

mfin wrote:

Plus, remember a lot of these pros have to ride Shimano,

. I'm happy to be proved wrong.

you won't be it's a non story, fake news

fenix

What kit would jeopardise riders chances though ? Is there one supreme groupset that offers so much advantage that you can't win without it ?

meanredspider

Fenix wrote:

What kit would jeopardise riders chances though ?

That seems to be the OP's premise...

Ben6899

meanredspider wrote:

the only team running eTap has to use DA rim brakes (if that's what they've chosen) because SRAM doesn't make a surface mount brake which is all the bike will take.

Autocorrect from "direct"? Not picking holes, just wondering what a surface mount brake might be.

I think Shimano - of the "big three" - is the only one to manufacture direct mount rim brakes.

thegreatdivide

Ben6899 wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

the only team running eTap has to use DA rim brakes (if that's what they've chosen) because SRAM doesn't make a surface mount brake which is all the bike will take.

Autocorrect from "direct"? Not picking holes, just wondering what a surface mount brake might be.

I think Shimano - of the "big three" is the only one to manufacture direct mount rim brakes.

https://www.campagnolo.com/UK/en/Compon ... ount_brake

meanredspider

Ben6899 wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

the only team running eTap has to use DA rim brakes (if that's what they've chosen) because SRAM doesn't make a surface mount brake which is all the bike will take.

Autocorrect from "direct"? Not picking holes, just wondering what a surface mount brake might be.

I think Shimano - of the "big three" is the only one to manufacture direct mount rim brakes.

Well spotted - "mental" autocorrect Too much consumer electronics time

solosuperia

I remember Tim Goulds Peugeot had a cheeky little Chas Roberts logo at the bottom of the seat tube!
Trying desperately to remember some road men with re-labelled bikes.
Along the same lines, old friend of mine was a greengrocer, he told me I would be amazed at the number of vans in the New Covent Garden veg market with "Home Grown Organic Farm Produce" emblazoned on their sides!

Ben6899

thegreatdivide wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

the only team running eTap has to use DA rim brakes (if that's what they've chosen) because SRAM doesn't make a surface mount brake which is all the bike will take.

Autocorrect from "direct"? Not picking holes, just wondering what a surface mount brake might be.

I think Shimano - of the "big three" is the only one to manufacture direct mount rim brakes.

https://www.campagnolo.com/UK/en/Compon ... ount_brake

I thought wrong.