Originally Posted by
mtseymour
It depends on what you mean by "trails". If you're riding on flat gravel in dry weather, the Speedhub has more drawbacks (weight, price, bigger gear jumps) than advantages (low maintenance, reliability). The Speedhub is more useful for touring in rough terrain and wet weather.
If you like to Century rides at a fast pace, then Di2 is the way to go. It's lighter than Speedhub with far more precise shifting.
Interesting on the differences between the two shifting mechanisms. By trails I mean paved one's, it is unlikely I would even use the bike on a gravel road or trail, so I would probablt not be utilizing the full advantages of it.
Originally Posted by
dbuhler
Now that they finished the trip Mike has provided a review of how the bike performed as this was their first tour with the Equator, it is on the last page of the journal. They have many tours on their previous tandem so I really value his insight. Wife and I are currently shopping for an Equator as our next tandem.
Good to know on the background of the rider.
Originally Posted by
jim_pridx
Wow! That makes me wonder if I should've gone the belt-driven route. Lots of advantages there!
Well... here is where I muddy the waters.
In discussion with the local dealer, Co-Motion can put a Rolhoff Speed hub on the Carrera. In fact this is actually cheaper than getting the Di2 package. Now this does mean that the upgraded aluminum wheels which come with Carrera would be replaced. However I have also been thinking about the pathfinder package (Schmidt SON dynamo hub, superb Schmidt Edelux II headlight, and Sinewave Cycles Reactor USB to) and I believe this would also negate the aluminum wheels.
So I guess now I looking at getting a Carrera either way, it comes down to Rolhoff Speedhub vs Ultegra w/Di2.
I have not been to keen on how the Rolhoff shifts gears, however I see there are other options such as the Rohbox or E-14 (presumably expensive).
Thanks,
Matt