30 years after Mavic Zap, I finally tried three different bikes with electronic shifting (Rival, Force, and Red/XPLR) and it reminded me of the first time I got my dick sucked. It was alright. I'm glad I experienced it. But the overall feeling was like.... "that's all? that's what all the hype was about?"I am glad it's a thing, I'm glad it's available, I would never tell them to un-invent it. I suppose if you offered to upgrade my current bikes with all electronic I'd probably go for it (might have to think it through first). Overall, it was a disappointment.So what did I miss here? Is Shimano better or Campy maybe, was the problem fookin SRAM? Is it less about the ride and more the long term ownership experience, the maintenance perhaps? Why do people fork out 2-3x the monies over the cost of perfectly good mech shifting? I can't believe I'm even saying "perfectly good (old thing)". I love my hydro dicks, I love my crabon wheels, I would never go back and those were worth every penny, but the e-shifting was a big letdown. Again, it was fine, but just fine. For all the hype I expected to ejaculate instantly.
>Electronic shifting is becoming a thing>Yet nobody has come up with an automatic shifter yet
I've ridden all three big brands, and if you count bikes I've owned for a while and sold, I've had 1 AXS bike and 6 Di2 bikes to this point. So I'm a fan of electronic shifting. Before I got my hands on Di2 my favorite was Campy Ergo ultrashift, and I've ridden everything all the way down to stem shifters and offbrand plastic gripshifters. I also used to work as a bike shop mechanic and have worked on all of the things.Electronic shifting is great for these reasons, sorted by their importance to me personally:1. Perfect shift every shift forever without having to think about it.2. Ergonomic freedom - shift from any riding position where you can tap a button with a single finger. This is great for comfort or maintaining an aero position or just when you only have one hand on the bars 3. Shimano GRX Di2 2x in full synchro mode off road is like having a close spaced 1x18. And you never have to worry about crosschaining when you're deep into a hard ride and exhausted or otherwise distracted - just press the button and the system goes to the next appropriate gear without requiring any attention4. Less maintenance (excluding the occasional battery charge and addressing chain/sprocket wear and external damage), you can install your drivetrain once and then never touch it again for years, it stays perfect without any attention. Also nearly impervious to water, snow, or all but the worst mud.5. less hand force and extension to shift is great for smaller riders or people with less hand strength6. Simplicity is great for riders who aren't going to take the time to learn how to shift. If my aging parents (who are not cyclists) suddenly decided they wanted to take up road cycling, I'd set them up on bikes with 105 di2 in full synchro. One button for easier gear, one button for harder gear. They'd be much more likely to have a good time that way than with any other setup.
>>2054384>So what did I miss here?you're slowelectronic shifting matters to people who can put down 2000 watts on one pedal to defeat breakaways and win sprints, where missing 1% of shifts under load might actually matter. if you aren't podium-finishing multiple criteriums per week electronic shifting is pointless and irrelevant
I would never buy electronic shifting because of the number of for parts or not working rear derailleurs you find on eBay vs mechanical systems that are 30-40 years old and still function as designed
I love my ultegra Di2. Its just cool and i love the sound it makes when shifting. Its kinda star wars combining with cycling.>>2054392Poor
>>2054393>I love my ultegra Di2. Its just cool and i love the sound it makes when shifting. Its kinda star wars combining with cycling.
>>2054398The only thing worse than nu-Star Wars is the resulting reflexive nu-zoomer reaction to the phrase "Star Wars"Star Wars is a 1977 movie (and line of toys), and also a massive defense industry boondoggle from the early 80s. Your Jar Jar Binks Natalie Portman children's movie has nothing to do with any of this
>>2054400The original movie was for kids too bozo, you just were a kid at the time. See if you can see this post from your massive position of hubris
>>2054384>it reminded me of the first time I got my dick sucked .... "that's all? that's what all the hype was about?"Something was either wrong with you or that first blow job.
>>2054387a bunch of companies have. Shimano has automatic shifting for e-MTB, Di2 does automatic front shifting, and an upcoming version of Cues Di2 will have a fully automatic mode>>2054388sucks balls when batteries go kaput mid-ride tho, which is really common on group rides, especially for people riding SRAM because they have coin batteries in the shifters. I once wound up inadvertently doing a singlespeed MTB ride (which was more of a hike) in a high gear because my AXS battery discharged while off the bike, which sucked. Now I bring a battery pack and the battery charger so that I can charge the battery if needed, and of course a spare for the shifter
>>2054522>carrying a spare battery and charger at all timesMost of the people shilling e-shifting say this is a total non-issue, if it is an issue then that's a total dealbreaker for me
>>2054535the coin cells in the shifters last years and anyone who isn't ret or new to e-shifting just checks the di2/axs battery before every big ride. They all have a light that indicates the battery status. Carrying an extra battery or charger is something you do for touring or ultra racest. other guy
>>2054539with AXS it's better to use the app, but that only works if the system is active, so in the case I ran into, I only found out when I arrived at the trailhead, plugged in the battery, and nothing worked. Also on a recent lunch ride with a friend, his Di2 went kaput in the middle of the ride. He's been riding with Di2 for over a decade now. File under shit happens. Personally I don't think it's a big deal to keep a small battery pack + charging cable (and that shitty battery charger SRAM uses...one nice thing about Campy WRL is that there's a USB-C port right on the battery) with you just in case
