If Di2 and mechanical were the same price..

[mustang1]

Some of us, probably me included, will not go to Di2 due to cost reasons but instead will talk about how we have used cables for decades and it's been fine so no need to go with Di2.

But what if Di2 and mechanical were the same price? For example, 105 Di2 and 105 mechanical are the same price, same with Ultegra and so on. Would you then buy a Di2 bike?

Edit: when I talk of Shimano's Di2, I also mean this to be the same with SRAM and campagnolo mechanical Vs electronic versions too). Thanks @Bollo for pointing that out.

 

[ianrauk]

Nope, I'm happy with mechanical, I know how it all works and how to fix it if something goes wrong.
Di2 may suffer from software problems or the battery may die if you forget to charge it.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Any form of performance cycling - electronic.

I just like to potter - mechanical.

 

[I like Skol]

Which is lightest?

If I were concerned about such trivialities as minimum grammage then I might be swayed to go for the lowest weight but still think the mechanical option is the best solution for a bicycle powered by a person.
In my experience the cable shifting is faultless and simple with nearly non existent maintenance.

 

[a.twiddler]

3 words: built in obsolescence. Since I'm not into the latest technology (maybe it was, a couple of decades ago) and have come to accept Windows 10 and smartphones as a necessary evil, I'm blowed if I'm going to invite yet more disposable electronics into my life. Maybe if I was the sort of thrusting athlete for whom gaining a nanosecond over my competitors would make the difference between joy and despair it would be worth it, but since I'm not, it isn't.

I'm just delighted that my gears work, however clunkily, by pulling on a cable, and if they stop working, I can fix them with a bit of brute force and ignorance by the roadside. The curious thing is, since I started riding recumbents, I have come to care even less about the modernity or otherwise of my equipment, as the weirdness of my gear changing equipment is as nothing to the weirdness of what I am riding.

 

[Peter Salt]

I consider myself lucky, the electronic vs. mechanical debate has nothing to do with money as I can afford it. The reason why it will always be the latter is plain convenience and reliability. Its just so much less fuss. I see Di2 as a gadget - kind of like the alarm clock teasmade.

 

[the_mikey]

I'm torn, a poorly implemented version of either system is likely to be problematic, for example, mechanical shifting where the cables are run through tight bends in order to hide the cables, or cables rubbing against steerer tubes, producing uncertain shifting performance and damaging the bike, and installations where the user cannot maintain the cables because of a bespoke aero stem and handlebar configuration, or an electronic system where the battery and junction boxes are just placed somewhere down the seat post and forgotten about until months of water and salt ingress causes a failure. The solution is to design things better, but that only comes when the end user starts to demand improvement.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I consider myself lucky, the electronic vs. mechanical debate has nothing to do with money as I can afford it. The reason why it will always be the latter is plain convenience and reliability. Its just so much less fuss. I see Di2 as a gadget - kind of like the alarm clock teasmade.

DI2 isn’t about being able to afford it for many, it’s about value for money. It’s not consider good value by most at the moment.

 

[Bollo]

I could write a whole screed on this and might at some point, but for now it's worth just throwing in that Di2 isn't the only electronic groupset out there. Campag have EPS, which is just a Di2 clone in many ways, but SRAM's implementation is a different (but equally pricey) beast. It's not perfect but I think it is a better example of where electronic shifting is heading.

 

[CXRAndy]

I like Di2, but I understand the price element, especially now, its shot up in price. Last piece of Di2 kit I bought was a pair of levers and hydraulic brakes-not the latest version. I checked a year later when covid came along more than doubled in cost.

 

[Adam4868]

I'd have electronic,any of them if I could afford it.Or should I say wasn't so tight !
I don't really overthink it as both my bikes are still on 10 speed mechanical and I still enjoy riding them.
Even the jump to disc brakes on one bike hasn't been a revalation.Cant say I prefer or not.Both just do their job.

 

[Chislenko]

Personally, I just think life is too full of gadgets and chargers as it is so will stick with mechanical.

 

[Ian H]

Di2 and equivalents surely belong just on ebikes.

 

[FishFright]

I'd have electronic shifting if it was the same price as manual. The only reason I don't now is that I can't afford it.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Di2 without blinking an eye. I don't have one for the stupid amount that has to be paid. Despite all the tinkering I love to do.