Electronic shifting group sets.

BikerGroveish
BikerGroveish Posts: 183
edited July 2018 in Training, fitness and health
I’m finally starting to get into the strange new world of cycling technology. I was looking into electronic shift group sets. I have a couple of specific queries about them. Is there a noticeable difference between the different manufacturers kit SRAM against Campagnolo against fishing tackle. My second question is about the functionality. I believe that you can customise the shifting on some if not all of them. Can you set the system to shift to a gear to keep your cadence and or power if you have the requisite strain gauges as well optimal for the terrain a bit like an auto box in a car or is this not possible? I mean that if the system recognises that your cadence or power is varying by a certain amount which you can tell it about is it possible to set it to shift up or down gears automatically to help keep your power in your Goldilocks zone? The reason I ask is that I think it could be beneficial to have something that notices that your efficiency has gone for a Burton before your legs demand that you change gear or your speedo indicates you need to push harder in the gear you’re in as by then I guess there will be a big spike in power output as I have to shift gear and readjust my rpm and this can’t be a good thing.

Comments

  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Don't diss Shimano - without them we'd still be in the dark ages of delta brakes...

    You can pay hundreds and have a weight penalty - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/prod ... ing-288890

    Or you could you know, just learn to use gears...
  • BikerGroveish
    BikerGroveish Posts: 183
    edited July 2018
    Fenix wrote:
    Don't diss Shimano - without them we'd still be in the dark ages of delta brakes...

    You can pay hundreds and have a weight penalty - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/prod ... ing-288890

    Or you could you know, just learn to use gears...


    Shifting gears manually is so last year. I rode
    mainly single speeds and fixed gear bikes for many years so derailleur geared bikes are a bit of a novelty. I was effectively varying torque more than Cadence to keep my power output steady. Old habits die hard. Now I have got used to having a variety of gears available I reckon it would be nice to have a system that could help with selection and shift automatically before I had to to keep my output more steady.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Riding fixed gives you a much wider sweetspot of cadence. That should help you with gears.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    BikerGroveish wrote:
    Fenix wrote:
    Don't diss Shimano - without them we'd still be in the dark ages of delta brakes...

    You can pay hundreds and have a weight penalty - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/prod ... ing-288890

    Or you could you know, just learn to use gears...


    Using gears is so last year. I rode
    mainly single speeds and fixed gear bikes for many years so derailleur geared bikes are a bit of a novelty. I was effectively varying torque more than Cadence to keep my power output steady. Old habits die hard. Now I have got used to having a variety of gears available I reckon it would be nice to have a system that could help with selection and shift automatically before I had to to keep my output more steady.

    LOL well you could ride using a constant power output and the shimano gears to a point can help do that but why would you want to?
  • BikerGroveish
    BikerGroveish Posts: 183
    Fenix wrote:
    Riding fixed gives you a much wider sweetspot of cadence. That should help you with gears.

    It does that you’re quite right. I can keep my power output steadier for longer and not need to shift gear as the terrain changes as often as a lot of the guys I ride with but I just feel there must be a nicer more elegant technologically enhanced way to shift when necessary than waiting for my legs to start screaming at me.
  • BikerGroveish
    BikerGroveish Posts: 183
    edited July 2018
    Vino'sGhost wrote:
    BikerGroveish wrote:
    Fenix wrote:
    Don't diss Shimano - without them we'd still be in the dark ages of delta brakes...

    You can pay hundreds and have a weight penalty - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/prod ... ing-288890

    Or you could you know, just learn to use gears...


    Using gears is so last year. I rode
    mainly single speeds and fixed gear bikes for many years so derailleur geared bikes are a bit of a novelty. I was effectively varying torque more than Cadence to keep my power output steady. Old habits die hard. Now I have got used to having a variety of gears available I reckon it would be nice to have a system that could help with selection and shift automatically before I had to to keep my output more steady.

    LOL well you could ride using a constant power output and the shimano gears to a point can help do that but why would you want to?

    I just wondered if it was possible to have a computer work out the optimal time to shift and to which ratio as computers tend to be getting very good at doing stuff like that better than humans in an increasing number of applications.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Why is this in the training forum?
  • BikerGroveish
    BikerGroveish Posts: 183
    Imposter wrote:
    Why is this in the training forum?

    Where should it be? Feel free to move it to a more suitable place.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    I can't move it anywhere, unfortunately. 'Road general' would be more logical...
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    BikerGroveish wrote:
    Fenix wrote:
    Don't diss Shimano - without them we'd still be in the dark ages of delta brakes...

    You can pay hundreds and have a weight penalty - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/prod ... ing-288890

    Or you could you know, just learn to use gears...


    Shifting gears manually is so last year. I rode
    mainly single speeds and fixed gear bikes for many years so derailleur geared bikes are a bit of a novelty. I was effectively varying torque more than Cadence to keep my power output steady. Old habits die hard. Now I have got used to having a variety of gears available I reckon it would be nice to have a system that could help with selection and shift automatically before I had to to keep my output more steady.

    If you knew anything, you'd know that Shimano do make an electronic groupset with semi and synchronised shifting, but don't let prejudice get in the way of a reasoned decision. :roll:
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • BikerGroveish
    BikerGroveish Posts: 183
    philthy3 wrote:
    BikerGroveish wrote:
    Fenix wrote:
    Don't diss Shimano - without them we'd still be in the dark ages of delta brakes...

    You can pay hundreds and have a weight penalty - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/prod ... ing-288890

    Or you could you know, just learn to use gears...


    Shifting gears manually is so last year. I rode
    mainly single speeds and fixed gear bikes for many years so derailleur geared bikes are a bit of a novelty. I was effectively varying torque more than Cadence to keep my power output steady. Old habits die hard. Now I have got used to having a variety of gears available I reckon it would be nice to have a system that could help with selection and shift automatically before I had to to keep my output more steady.

    If you knew anything, you'd know that Shimano do make an electronic groupset with semi and synchronised shifting, but don't let prejudice get in the way of a reasoned decision. :roll:

    I know they do a Di2 groupset and that it’s popular if it does synchro shifting and the components cost less than the Super Record EPS or the SRAM Etap sets then I could be persuaded to give it a go. If I take the stickers off people might not think I was going fishing either.
  • MiddleRinger
    MiddleRinger Posts: 678
    BikerGroveish wrote:
    I know they do a Di2 groupset and that it’s popular if it does synchro shifting and the components cost less than the Super Record EPS or the SRAM Etap sets then I could be persuaded to give it a go. If I take the stickers off people might not think I was going fishing either.

    Because that's totally what people think. Shimano may make other stuff besides cycling equipment, but they make bloody good cycling equipment! You can customise the shifting on Di2 for synchro shift, but not to make it fully "automatic" as you would like, I guess it's something that may get looked into with future software updates or hacks.

    You can't customise SRAM eTap shifting. Yet.

    Or you could just learn to shift gears at the right time.
    ~ ~ How fast is fast enough? ~ ~ ~ ~ Tempo Cyclist - Tasmania ~ ~
  • BikerGroveish
    BikerGroveish Posts: 183
    MiddleRinger wrote:
    BikerGroveish wrote:
    I know they do a Di2 groupset and that it’s popular if it does synchro shifting and the components cost less than the Super Record EPS or the SRAM Etap sets then I could be persuaded to give it a go. If I take the stickers off people might not think I was going fishing either.

    Because that's totally what people think. Shimano may make other stuff besides cycling equipment, but they make bloody good cycling equipment! You can customise the shifting on Di2 for synchro shift, but not to make it fully "automatic" as you would like, I guess it's something that may get looked into with future software updates or hacks.

    You can't customise SRAM eTap shifting. Yet.

    Or you could just learn to shift gears at the right time.

    Okay so the Shimano is worth a look then. I can shift just fine by myself I just think it would be a nice thing if the sensors worked out when would be the optimal time to shift based on actual data from the sensors rather than me having to react to variations in output by feel.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    The sensors couldn't see that you're coming to a climb or descent or junction.
  • BikerGroveish
    BikerGroveish Posts: 183
    cougie wrote:
    The sensors couldn't see that you're coming to a climb or descent or junction.
    Surely they could see an anomaly, and shift accordingly. The Garmin shouts for help if you stop abnormaly quickly and texts your contacts. This shouldn’t be beyond it.
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    BikerGroveish wrote:
    cougie wrote:
    The sensors couldn't see that you're coming to a climb or descent or junction.
    Surely they could see an anomaly, and shift accordingly. The Garmin shouts for help if you stop abnormaly quickly and texts your contacts. This shouldn’t be beyond it.

    Buy a moped. :roll:
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.

Categories