Old 07-26-11 | 11:59 PM
  #10  
A10K
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 172
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From: Austin, Texas

Bikes: Unidentifiable CX-based franken-commuter

http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...28C810%29.html
Shimano's first electronic shifting group was actually marketed towards the leisure/commuter set, but was a flop (it was put out in 2004, who still remembers it less than ten years later?). I think it fell in the same crack as the Trek Lime and Landrider Autoshift setups that aimed for the elusive rider who refused to learn to shift but willing to pay LBS prices.
Nowadays electronic shifting has the touted benefits of faster shifts and foolproof front derailleur trim, but what's the use? One setup by an LBS at the start of a bike's life and five minutes with a barrel adjuster once every other month after can achieve reasonably fast shifts on pretty much any setup. For those like me that aren't counting the seconds we save per hour, its not worth it to pay for a microprocessor to deal every shift with what is basic maintenance and setup. The weight savings on a Dura-Ace Di2 setup are only meaningful when compared to Dura-Ace mechanical. For most people, they'd get a better price/gram return by upgrading wheels, handlebars, stems, saddle, etc.
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