deacon mark

This is not a question about racing but are the Tour riders using Di2 or mechanical? I would think the advantage would just not add up to use Di2. I have not heard anything about it on the TV coverage. Also in stage II I assume most are using a standard double? I wish these things would be reported more I find it interesting.

roadwarrior

Di2 unless a particular rider wants mechanical. Sometimes they do that.

They don't talk about that too much becuase it becomes a free ad for a particular manufacturer which makes the other two unhappy. You can also look up the teams via google or something and their sites sometimes reference this...also hit the tech section of cyclingnews.com as they spend a lot of time on techy stuff.

Gearing can change on certain stages. A great example is the Angilru in the Vuelta. Riders have gone with triples the slope is so severe.

chasm54

FWIW, during commentary yesterday Sean Kelly was asked the same question. He said it was still about 50:50 between Di2 and mechanical, mainly because some riders were still pretty conservative and worried about reliability issues.

hyhuu

Interesting. Considering how much time the pros spent training, wouldn't you think that they could test the system reliability for themselves?

bikerjp

I've also heard the Euro Sport guys mention during bike changes that the rider was having shifting issue with the electronic. Far from a free ad, it sounds like they are bashing it a bit.

Jakedatc

Velonews.com has bike profiles almost every day from a different rider. you can see who is riding what for the most part. including what group and what crankset/cassette for the most part.

rangerdavid

depends on who their sponsor is I assume. If Sram is your sponsor, then no Di2 for you!!

LocoCycle

Speaking of the Tour....did anyone see the 2nd stage race yesterday? At about the last 6 to 7 miles...a loose dog ran out into the rode...and almost took out the chasing pelton.....that was crazy...

wrpeterson

Saw that - the owner made it to less than halfway across, then ducked back over as the dog ran away from him. Coulda been epic!

PatrickGSR94

I saw that also on the highlights, was like OMG GET OUTTA THE WAY!!!

Nachoman

I wonder what the issues were and how they compared to the normal mechanical issues the pros experience.

Nachoman

plus, i can't remember last year's Di2 podium finishes, but a couple years ago it was top three plus green and polka dot.

Equinox

I also wish they would report on the gearing combinations.

chasm54

It's a fairly frequent topic of conversation on the Eurosport coverage, viewers often tweet the commentary team to ask the question. The answer is usually the same - the riders run standard doubles with an 11-23, for the most part, except on the climbing stages when they resort to bigger ranges on the cassette.

Nerull

There are shifting issues every year, with every group. Inevitably someone cites them to decide the entire group is trash. Andy Schleck proved that SRAM is trash, that guy who had to switch bikes to shift in the ToC proved that Di2 is trash, and the breakaway mountain chain drop on yesterdays stage proves that Campy is trash. The magical group that shifts perfectly in every setup every time has to be discovered.

canam73

microShift, the world's finest bicycle components.

droppedandlost 

I don't think that guy was the owner. The dog came from further down the road and he was the only one that tried to do something about it.

Dunbar

I wonder how many of the in-race chain drops happen when shifting under full power? That's not something most of us need to do.

Jakedatc

except teams that are on RED22, DI2 11 or Campy 11 who ride 11-25 for all but the most hilly stages and TT where they might stay with 10speed.

I stream the eurosport coverage online every morning because Dave Harmon and Sean Kelly actually know what they are talking about and there aren't commercials every 2 minutes like NBCsports. They can also translate interviews in multiple languages.

Rowan

Single speed.

Ronno6

Maybe they have...........that may be why they worry about it.

Nerull

If they want to come in dead last, sure.

Rowan

Think about it, though. Make a change in the race set-up for at least a time trial. Single speeds. Some lumpy terrain. Defined range of gearing options. Judgment for success is based on picking the right gear for the course and the man.

bikerjp

No idea. I just recall hearing them say a few times some rider was having shifting issue with the electronic stuff and then ask Kelly how many are using it and a short discussion ensues. To be honest, I don't even know how they knew it was electronic shifting. I certainly can't tell based on the TV coverage.

NathanC

From browsing the sites, I would say the majority or the Campy and Shimano teams have the electronic groupset.

And with 11 speed, 11-25 is the new standard as previous mentioned.