bpcyclist

You got me wondering, so I checked. The place I got a season's pass to as a junior in high school for, like, $150, is now 1200 bucks.

Umeme

I have both. Both systems are absolutely fine.

If you want clean look, without wires for shifting, choose Sram Red eTap or Sram Force eTap (if you can).

If you want hassle-free bicycle, without worrying if you have recharged the batteries (they last long enough, and they have indicators which tells you when they need recharging), choose mechanical.

noodle soup

It’s a shame that their cassette options are crap.

jadocs

I remember those days. Are you serious? They are $1200 now? That is insane.

Noctilux.95

I would estimate 11-29 and 11-32 pretty much cover over 90% of riders and or riding conditions.

noodle soup

Both of those combinations gives me gears i don't need, and robs me of one that I actually use.

2manybikes

34?

noodle soup

No 18t cog on those cassettes, and I have no need for an 11t cog(or anything over a 25T cog).

tankist

Chorus 11 speed cassette 12-25 has 18:
Gear Range: 12-25
Weight: 255 g.
Ratio:12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-25

noodle soup

we were talking about 12 speed, not 11 speed.

The new 12 speed Chorus doesn't offer a 12-25 cassette.

Amt0571

I don't understand the electronic fad. My mechanical bikes are mostly set and forget. I adjust it once and it just works. Have not had any problems with shifters going out of adjustment.

Replacing cables and outers every couple of years is better than having to keep track of and charge a battery IMHO, and moreover, if something fails, you can diagnose it and improvise a solution if you're in the middle of nowhere (I usually carry a spare cable on remote or multi day rides). So I'd rather spend de electronic money on something else (wheels? power meter?).

I like to work in my bikes, and I understand that my opinon is not popular though. I'm nearly the only one that prefers mechanical and external cable routing (both were requisites when I replaced my road bike, and will be requisites when I replace my mountain bike).

TiHabanero

"I don't understand the electronic fad. My mechanical bikes are mostly set and forget. I adjust it once and it just works. Have not had any problems with shifters going out of adjustment."

Electronic shifting is no fad, it is here to stay, and once you set up a bike or two with it, it becomes apparent that it really is super nice and precise.

There is one myth that is out there about electronic shifting: less maintenance. If battery charging is not considered maintenance (it is in my book) and firmware updates are not considered maintenance (they are in my book), then they are pretty much maintenance free until the battery pukes or a wire connection breaks or corrodes.

I really like electronic shifting, but it is not perfect and it is not lower maintenance than mechanical systems.

Steve B.

Wondering why update the software ?. I stopped as they were never really fixing anything I needed, like the ability to just tell the system the actual crank you were using as well as the cassette, instead of being told what you could use. DI2, as far as I could tell, keeps working perfectly not having been connected to my laptop in well over a year.

As well I guess you could call plugging in the battery every few months to charge overnight “maintenance”. If so (I dont think of it that way) it’s certainly a lot easier than changing shift cables and housing every year, bar tape included.

CarloM

So yes, nothing is "maintenance free". In any mechanical thing, not just bikes.

But there is a big difference between having to manage cable tension changes, whether it's indexing gears, or tightening the cable if it's stretched beyond the ability of indexing to fix, vs. an optional firmware update. It's not like Apple or Android, firmware is updated very infrequently (like many months in between), and more often than not doesn't introduce too many new features, and as Steve says, Di2 will keep running on older just fine. So I see this as optional maintenance vs. having to deal with indexing and cable stretch issues.

Secondly, if battery charging is considered "maintenance", at least it's one that even a luddite grandfather who doesn't understand computers can do. Plug something every 2-3 months, easy peasy.

I have one new (one month old) 105 bike, and a Di2 and eTap bike that are 4-6 months old. I've already spent more time doing cable-stretch reindexing on my 105 (including having the shop do a major re-tensioning of the wire) than battery charging and firmware updates on my other 2 e-shifting bikes combined (I do count the act of re-charging as a 30 second act of plugging something in vs. 45 minutes to an hour for the charge time, because I'm not doing anything during that hour). So from my own anecdotal experience I respectfully disagree with the notion that e-shifting isn't less maintenance than mech shifting.

Dean V

I wouldn't argue that mechanical has less maintenance than Di2 but I would say that the time involved with a mechanical system is so small it is insignificant anyway.
Keeping tension right for correct indexing is done very quickly and infrequently.
The only real issue is if you have one of these modern aero bikes with hidden, buried, cabling that is hard to get to when due for a change.

bpcyclist

My main current bike has 105 and is ridden maybe 7000 miles a year, coming up on the end of year 2. I have had it indexed twice by the shop (they are better at it and faster than I am and they don't charge me for it, so...). I have tightened my brakes up three times--that, I easily do myself. Total amount of time? I don't know, maybe thirty minutes over two years? Something like that.

I spend way, way more time charging up my light armada (I use four) every day. I am getting a Di2 bike and can't imagine charging it will add much to what I already spend charging all these lights. But I guess we are going to find out.

noodle soup

+1

My iPhone requires far more maintenance(charging and updates) than my Di2 bike.

Phoenix800

I went with a group of locals to ride the French Alps for a week. We rented bikes and they were equipped with Ultegra Di2. I was completely happy with my bike at home, a ten year old Tarmac, which was equipped with mechanical Dura Ace. I never understood the desire for electronic shifting as my bike worked very well. The rental bikes were nice, a bit heavier than my Tarmac but they rode and cornered very nicely.

On about the third day we rode from our hotel up the Col de Lauteret to the start of Col de Galibier. The climb up Galibier was spectacular. We re-grouped at the summit and donned jackets and gloves for the descent to Valloire. Like the ascent, the ride to Valloire was incredible. We had lunch and set out for our ride back.

The ride up Galibier from Valloire was, again, incredible. Our group was completely separated. It was getting late in the day and the temperature at the summit was only about 40F and falling. I put on my jacket and gloves for the descent.

As I headed out I found another bike was following me. I can be pretty competitive so it was game-on. I pushed hard down the mountain and into the first switchback.

I approach the turn, took the lane, shifted my weight back, arms straight out, braked hard and tapped the Di2 shifter a couple of times into a lower gear. I was braking really hard. I looked to into the turn, picked my line, leaned, turned, hit the apex, straightened out, and cranked hard, really hard. The bike was already in the gear I wanted. I sprinted; max effort, tap up, tap up, tap up, brake hard, really hard, tap down a couple of gears, set up for the next switchback.

This guy was all over me.

Again, pick my line, lean, turn, straighten, crank hard, tap up, crank harder, tap up, brake, tap down, look, lean, tap…

I’m able to out corner this guy but he pulls me in on the straightaways.

We play this game, it’s man and machine vs. man and machine. I’m riding at my max effort, I pull away, he pulls me in. Tap up, tap up, brake, tap down, tap down, look, lean, turn, sprint…

This went on for nine turns until we hit a long straightaway. He blew past me like I wasn’t even moving.

And that’s what it’s like to take on an BMW R1200 with your bicycle.

I’m done with mechanical derailleurs. With electronic shifting you can shift multiple gears while braking hard and get in the right gear sooner. It shifts faster and its effortless. I used to scoff at electronic shifting, that was before I tried it.

CarloM

Lol that was an epic read. I feel like I just read the opening scene to the new Bond film.

In all seriousness you bring up a good point about going very fast on descents, and then needing to brake hard while dumping gears due to either very sharp turns or (in my case on my normal evening route) a bend with a stoplight that may or may not be in my favor. By the time I can see if it's green or red, I'm usually at around 33mph (hey, that's fast for me on a 1.5% grade decline), and if it's red, I have to brake hard and lose about 4 gears. Ok, technically I don't have to, but then I either have to start pedaling slowly back up in one of my highest gears, or I have to dump the gears while at the stop, lifting my back tire while spinning...you get it.

I realize that with the two 105 groupsets that I've own, the first was on a hybrid bike that I just used to run errands and commute (now sold), and now on my new gravel bike which, due to rain and illness, I haven't really had a chance to put through it's paces. So thus far, I've not put myself in a situation where I've needed to brake while dumping gears quickly. Both of my road bikes, which is what I use for serious riding, both have e-shifting.

I do plan on putting my gravel through some hard rides once I'm feeling better (unfortunately, as I'm starting to feel better, rain is in my forecast). I wonder what it will feel like when I find myself having to do that maneuver on my gravel...

2manybikes

I don't think mechanical is quite as nice to shift as electric. However I just want to say my 7 speed RSX, my 9 speed DA, and my 105 10 speed allow me to drop gears while braking hard, so I'm in the right gear at the stop sign. Not too difficult with ski gloves, but slowly and carefully is required. Almost impossible with heavy thick leather, goose down filled mittens. I have to do one or the other, not both. But the same thing would happen with mittens on Di2, I think. Never tried it.

burnthesheep

I’ll never do another aero style or hidden cable mechanical group. I don’t own electronic now but recabling something like a Propel is a nightmare. Brakes easy to do, shift cables make you want to burn it.

Same on my TT bike. If I ever get a newer frameset, certainly electronic.

Kimmo 

With STI and the front brake on the right, you can shift down multiple gears while braking hard. Not many folks seem to appreciate that; i see a lot of folks saying they don't like the swinging brake levers, and nobody talking about shifting while braking. I swapped my brakes after thirty years American style to get the important brake under the same hand as the important shifter, and after a while I realised what I believe is the whole point of the swinging brake lever. It rocks.

Kimmo 

Not all internal gear cabling is created equal, that's for sure. Many sins hidden inside tubes, and the first generation Propel is an exemplar of crapness in this regard. I consider it an electronic only frame.

noodle soup

Which brake is the important one?

Dean V

Maybe the one that does the bulk of the braking!
I cannot see any reason to have the front brake on the left, except that is traditionally how it is in some countries.
And if you also ride motorcycles it would be crazy to have the brake on the opposite hand on your bicycle.