Originally Posted by
spectastic
there's a reason why some people race crits with their aluminum bikes instead of carbon. when they crash, they've got less to worry about. if you crash with a di2, I wouldn't enjoy that extra bit of stress. so there, would you rather ride the crap out of a super expensive bike at the risk of damaging it, not ride it as much in order to keep it clean (kind of like a trophy), or just stick to a normal bike like everybody else and not care about how flashy you look?
What I'm trying to get at is that this is not, from a purely engineering and manufacturing point of view, a very expensive thing. Sure, I would be terrified tossing a $10,000 bike on the back of my car or riding in a crit. But, I would never spend $10k on a bike in the first place. I'm wondering why, in the unique world of cycling components, this particular piece of equipment has not become more common and more affordable, especially since there are plenty of manufacturers
outside the bicycle trade with the ability to produce electronic shifting systems affordably.
I'm sure that I'll be dead before there is a Campagnolo
Sconto groupset let alone such a thing with EPS. On the other hand, while one can drop $10,000 on a Felt
AR FRD, it is also possible to pick up a Schwinn
Prelude for under $300. Same goes for bars, cassettes, bottle cages, saddles, etc. I'm sure that at some point in the next hundred years that electronic shifting will be available in the whole rage from WalMart $19.98 junk through Campy's Super Record gorgeous, perfectly performing, for the real-pros-with-sponsors options.
I've spent many years in the IT field; and I understand the economics and pricing fairly well. Being new to cycling, I'm kinda mystified by some of the things I see. I'm curious to learn from you and everyone else how things work here, not simply wanting to buy something now.
Thanks.