If Di2 and mechanical were the same price..

[Winnershsaint]

Had Ultegra Di2 on No1 bike since 2015. About to go to disc brakes so new bike in the offing and groupset not transferrable. Ordered Di2 12 spd. I don't need it, but its going to be a bike worth having good components on.

 

[Mike_P]

Really needs to be some organisation setting standards for all makers to comply with. On a far less complicated issue surely their could be a single standard derailleur hanger.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I was thinking about this as I rode my filth encrusted commuter bike home from work in the rain last night.
It gets bare minimum maintenance to keep it running sweet. Gear cables replaced maybe every 4-5,000 miles then left alone.
The 10spd Tiagra components do a sterling job of shifting reliably despite the neglect and I was listening to the instant, slick, near silent gear changes in response to each press of the shifter. Indeed, the shifts are sometimes so slick and quiet that I sometimes couldn't be sure the change had happened after the click of the shifter so would click down again just to make sure.

You miss the point of electronic gearshift systems. They are not meant for a low maintenance commuter bikes that rarely gets cleaned any more than sprints and tubs are or ever were. They are primarily to aid performance, whether that be in a race situation or for someone who just likes to get the most from their bike.

It isn't ever going to be compulsory, so carry on with your commute on Tiagra.

 

[freiston]

You miss the point of electronic gearshift systems. They are not meant for a low maintenance commuter bikes that rarely gets cleaned any more than sprints and tubs are or ever were. They are primarily to aid performance, whether that be in a race situation or for someone who just likes to get the most from their bike.

It isn't ever going to be compulsory, so carry on with your commute on Tiagra.

As with most "innovations", isn't there usually an initial professional application which then gets implemented into other "disciplines" down the chain? Electronic shifting might have been developed to give an edge to the road-racing cyclist but I would be very surprised if Shimano et al intend to keep it exclusively for that purpose. They have already introduced it into their GRX ranges and they now have Alfine Di2 IGH - which seems very much at odds with "not meant for a low maintenance commuter bikes that rarely gets cleaned any more than sprints and tubs are or ever were".

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon,

Over the last 6 months or so I have been commuting 18 miles each way, I had a nice Norco with Claris that got pinched and since then have been mostly using my CF Jamis with Di2.

Many of these commutes are not rides that I particularly want to do, so anything that makes the ride better is a bonus, for me Di2 almost gives me a bike with automatic gears that change when I want them to. If you have tried Di2 and it is not for you then that's fine, I genuinely don't understand that, but....

I know someone who does a sub 10 mile drive to work in a car with a 5 litre engine, the whole vehicle is so overspecced for the journey that it makes the whole trip just so pleasant, Di2 is the same, on paper it seems dumb, on the road it is far better than it sounds.

As almost every bike ever made didn't have Di2 it can't be essential but every time I go back to mechanical STI it is just so obviously a big step backwards in niceness.

I often do a thought experiment where I say if the new item was the norm and the previous norm was new how would I see the new (old) norm. In other words if derailleur gears were invented as Di2 how would you see someone coming out with a new invention of cable operated ones?

Accepting the postulate that mechanical and Di2 are the same price and the corollary that Di2 has a much greater market share then spares would be more readily available and Halfords probably would stock them.

I am unhappy with the reality of what do I do when a 10 speed component fails and Shimano's "compatibility" checks stop me just bunging an 11/12 speed part on, I may end up trying one of the new "Chinese" parts which do 7-12 speeds.

However the problem with an open standard for electronic shifting is that Shimano, Campag and SRAM have all invested heavily in working out what works in the real world rather than in a lab and this investment needs to be rewarded. It may very well be that now is the time to say we have recovered our investment and an open standard would be a good thing.

As someone who grew up in the 1970s when components were interchangeable I do believe in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.

Although it does seem reasonable to expect Di2 to be less reliable than mechanical, it is also true that solid tyres do not get punctures, for me the risk of failure is way out weighed by the much better ride that Di2 provides.

I often do the commute with a rule that says I am only going to use the small ring or the big, this give me 34/50x11-23 which involves quite a lot of changes.

Bye

Ian

 

[footloose crow]

Another choice - one I am pondering - is that between Di2 or SRAM equivalent OR carbon wheels. This is a real choice as the prices are broadly the same for a 105 mechanical chain set with good carbon wheels OR a 105 Di2 with good alloy wheels.

I would go mechanical/carbon wheel set. If I could find the extra cash I would opt for electronic gears as well but I can't so I won't.

But your answer will depend on the type of cycling you do, what you value in a bikes performance and (probably) who you usually cycle with.

It is always a personal decision. There is no right answer but there are lots of opinions.

 

[mustang1]

As a half way why does no one make a gear sensor for mechanicals or at least a rear gear sensor so mechanical users can have a Garmin or whatever give a read out.

Nah, I'm not a big fan of adding sensors to an other all-mechanical set up. Why not just go by feel: if you're in a hard gear and need it easier, then change gear. And vice versa. I think either all-mechanical or all-electric set ups are great but adding sensors just to see what gear we're in seems to add another layer of complexity without really adding much.

Like someone mentioned above, once it goes electric, there is a tendency to keep adding new features every year. I don't blame the engineers and sw developers for that, it's the "business" that wants to add "business value" (what can we do this year to please the business and justify our existence?) so they keep coming up with ideas. Feature creep and all that.

 

[Mike_P]

Nah, I'm not a big fan of adding sensors to an other all-mechanical set up. Why not just go by feel: if you're in a hard gear and need it easier, then change gear.

I do but then there is the case of climbing a hill and wondering how many you have left whilst dodging pot holes etc so not always appropriate to look down and back

 

[Alex321]

I do but then there is the case of climbing a hill and wondering how many you have left whilst dodging pot holes etc so not always appropriate to look down and back

Or doing it in the dark, when you can't see how many you have left.

 

[matticus]

There's absolutely no way that the added features of electronics justify the cost/complexity to me. BUT:
if I must have one simple sensor-based feature, it would be a short alarm that went off whenever I selected my lowest gear combo.

That's all I want - every other situation I can deal with quite happily with friction-shifters on the downtube if I have to

 

[bobzmyunkle]

if I must have one simple sensor-based feature, it would be a short alarm that went off whenever I selected my lowest gear combo.

That one goes off on the downshift after you've selected the lowest gear.

 

[freiston]

Or doing it in the dark, when you can't see how many you have left.

I can tell by the position of my bar-end shifters whether I have any gears left in either direction - either by looking at them or feeling them. I have a very good idea where I am in between the extremities too.

 

[Sallar55]

All the people who think that the latest gear is a waste of money should thank the ones who like new gear. A few years later it all starts to trickle down to the lower grade groupsets. As quite a few don't like change who is going to buy my Simplex,Campagnolo and nice Shimano friction levers, all as new.

 

[matticus]

That one goes off on the downshift after you've selected the lowest gear.

That's too late! I want to avoid even trying to shift to a lower gear that isn't there!.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I wouldn't buy a DI2 bike but I might buy DI2 for my bike. Just because I love gadgets and techy toys stuff.