ModeratedUser150120149

Saw my first electric shift today. It was on a Trek Domane (?). Pretty neat. No wrist action to shift, just a couple fingers. Even that can be adjusted. Pretty expensive on that bike; delivered price, including bike, is $4300.

Guess a guy with arthritis has bought one and really likes it.

According to the folks there the battery should only need recharging once a season. Depending on type and amount of riding, of course.

Experience? Opinion?

sreten

Hi, Not in my future, likely ever, rgds, sreten.

OldTryGuy

I'll never say never.

Retro Grouch 

I doubt it but I've learned not to say "never".

I'm not an early adopter and, at my age, I'm thinking I'll likely be gone before electronic shifting trickles down to my price bracket

mht7159

A trek rep tried to impress me with this the other day, I was not looks like an answer to a unasked question to me.

Rowan

I am looking forward to the day when I can afford it. I see a great future for it on the tandem.

Clean cabling, pretty well perfect shifts every time, low maintenance. The feedback from users that I have read has generally been positive. If you clean your chain after every ride, then charging a battery shouldn't be a problem

The only major negative I can see is that the groupset pretty well needs to be matched, which pushes the price up, the rear cassette has a limit on the biggest cog, and I don't think there is a triple option.

It also does have to be matched to its best use, which starts with sports riding and goes through to racing, in my opinion.

By the time I can afford it, the development should be mature enough to make it a great option to add to our stable that includes SS, FG and cable-actuated geared bikes.

Biker395 

Honestly, I have the same reaction. For me, part of the beauty of a bicycle their elegant simplicity. That is a step in the other direction.

Disclaimer: I'm the diametric opposite of an early adopter ... not a big fan of being someone's unpaid beta tester. Ok, I'll admit it ... I'm a Luddite.

metalheart44

I have used it for about 18 months (Ultegra Di2) and it adds to my riding experience: I don't think about shifting or trimming or cable stretch. Shifting has just gone away and the ride is more of the experience I want. On the other hand, we just switched my wife's Ruby to Ultegra Di2 because she does have hand arthritis issues and shifting the SRAM Apex front derailleur was a problem because of the length of the throw. She loves the shifting of Ultegra Di2 and it has helped her hands arthritis.

Rootman

Yikes! What's next, DISC BRAKES on bikes?

ursle

Next they'll be hiding electric motors...wait, they are

mkane77g

When there's no alternative. I'll be 6' under when that time arrives.

BikeWNC

Been there, done that. I liked DA Di2 however I switched back to a cable system. Not that it didn't work great, it did. But it's not really necessary, and I don't miss it. I like my bike being a bit lighter too.

TromboneAl

When I first heard of electronic shifting, I thought "Neat. All wireless, no cables to run and adjust, weighs less, and gives a clean-looking frame." Apparently that's not how they designed it.

Biking is an escape from electronic devices that have bugs, and require long wait times calling tech support.

rubic

I dunno. I like the raw mechanical feel of a mechanical bike. I'm not a luddite, but I don't see any reason for electronic shifting for me. Now, of course, if I were younger and had money and raced, I might think differently. But for my enjoyment at this point in my life, I like mechanical.

mapeiboy

Just one question , what happened when you forgot to charge the battery and ran out of power during the ride .

BikeWNC

Never happened. The battery life was so good it needed charging just a couple times a season. I probably got 1500-2000 miles on a charge depending on the terrain and conditions of use.

goldfinch

I was in a porta potty line talking to other riders a few days ago. One was a woman with electronic shifting. She said that the battery life is not as long as she expected. She started RAGBRAI with a fully charged system and on the last day it was down to 50%. We were talking about what you would do if you were about out of charge. I said I would shift to the small ring. She said she would shift to the big.

I would be more interested in it if was available for a triple. I have small hands and I have some arthritis. The electronic shifting would help but you still have to grab brake levers to brake and that is harder for me than the shifting.

Cougrrcj

Pretty much. I ride lugged steel only. Friction shifting only. And currently my main rides are still 27" and use freewheels. Yep, I'm a Luddite... But yet I'm still out there!

cyclinfool

Airplanes should have propellers
Locomotives should be powered by steam
Cell phones will never work
The internet is a passing fad

Need I say more.

lenny866

No time soon! Neither are 11spds.

rm -rf

Low battery:
Shimano shows a (red?) light when the battery is getting low. Then the front shifter stops working, to allow the back to continue for a bit longer.

Campagnolo beeps and flashes with when the battery is low. The rear derailleur can also be manually moved to a different cog if the electronics fails.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Neither of them seem to be planning to add a triple chainring. It's too bad, the front could push the chain just enough to shift to the next ring, then center itself after the shift is complete. It would be pretty flawless.

NOS88

I'm likely headed in the other direction with bar end shifters.

The top mechanic at my favorite LBS was big on it until he used it for about 3,000 miles. His opinion is that it's not worth the money in terms of any performance advantage. He does acknowledge that if you're into bling, it does have that.

rm -rf

Bikeforums in 1990

STI brake and shift levers! Wow, really expensive. Who needs this. What if it breaks down on a ride?

Downtube levers work great, and the new STI shifters just pop into the next gear. There's none of the feel you get with a finely tuned downtube shifter. It's probably for bike racers.



(Yeah, OK, the jump from downtube shifters was a bigger deal than this change to electronic. )

NOS88

You're not suggesting we're resistant to change, are you? Well, just get off of my lawn.

StanSeven

I'm a year into Di2 and love it. Shifts are fast and much more frequent. The front derailleur shifting is much better than I ever imagined. Overall my ride experience is just better and more enjoyable. I've charged the battery twice in the year even though the battery didn't get below 50% just for the fun