More gasoline on the fire - Electronic Shifting
 

Oh no he didn't!

Editor from Cyclist Magazine weighs in on the electronic shifting debate.

Opinion: Down with electronic shifting!

They may be clever, but do electronic groupsets actually make a bike better? Cyclist editor Pete Muir thinks not

Other opinion pieces by Pete Muir:

Opinion: Down with Electronic Shifting
Opinion: Cycling is better without GPS
Opinion: Round Tubes are Best

Let's guess his age ...

It's possible for people to like different things.

Wire rope has been a necessary pain in the ass since before the coronation of Queen Victoria. Now you have to play interventional radiologist to replace it. Time to move on!

Okay .... magazines and websites line by clickbait headlines and controversial polls.

There is Zero logical reason to stop using mechanical or electronic shifting. Neither can nor has "hurt" cycling.

This is clickbait crap.

Most of the reasons he gave were just ideals of lifestyle not depending on modern technology. Much revolving around batteries that need charging. Which requires electricity. And so on and so on about how the purity of the bicycle is being destroyed

Manufacturers are going to be going to electronic shifting on lower tier bikes as time goes on because it is less trouble. Time and more units in productions will make it less expensive and attractive for them.

At one time the cable pulled DR's were new-fangled modern technology. And we still have people claiming we don't need but one gear on the back and front.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f31dda1326.jpg

ignoring the old-timey nostalgia for mechanical stuff...

1. comparing like to like, they don't seem to be. for both ultegra and di2, mechanical appears to be 120-150g heavier. i'm sure there are cases where it goes the other way, but it's hardly clear cut.
2. "hard to know if you've changed gear" !?! what!? i have never experienced this, gloves or not. electronic shifting isn't totally silent, and there's the button itself, and the fact of it getting harder/easier to pedal.
3. true. not sure that'll hold over time, depends if the same forces that generally make electric things cheaper than mechanical ones will apply here
4. the "problem" is that the batteries last a long time? all things require maintenance of some sort, the electronic drivetrain requires a plug-in/charge at some interval, which is likely far less than some other things like chain cleaning, air in the tires, etc. are those also huge problems?
5. i'm a lousy mechanic, and i can't/won't replace drivetrain cable or re-index/adjust a derailleur. had to take it in to do so many times on my GRX bikes. never had to on Di2. so, a bit of maintenance vs... NONE. i get that it's nice for things to be "easy" to maintain, but eliminating that maintenance (no cable to wear out) is better.

2 out of our four bikes are mechanical derailleurs. i will not buy another bike with mechanical shifting.

He may have a point, but in 2023 he is an old man yelling at a cloud. No high-tier groupset is supporting cable shifting anymore. :50:

I can also argue that my stick-shift transmission (1998 Saturn SL) is superior to an automatic transmission, but market forces have made a stickshift nearly impossible to find on a new car too.

It’s “progress,” whether you like it or not.

Where is the home button on my new iPhone???

In before move to 50+

Torches are better than battery operated flashlights. Hear me out:

1. The weight. Electronic groupsets flashlights are heavier than mechanical flaming ones. Not by much, and I don’t really care about a few extra grams, but it’s still worth mentioning and getting out of the way.

2. The fiddly buttons. Again, better than they used to be (‘improved ergonomics!’) but it can still be hard to even know if you’ve changed gear turned on the flashlight when you’re wearing gloves and you can’t hear the whir of the servomotor flashlight click on (‘quieter than ever!’).

3. Price. Electronic things are just more expensive than mechanical lighting things on fire. Get used to it, schmuck.

4. The risk of running out of juice. The standard answer to this is, ‘But one charge can last months.’ Which is exactly the problem. If there’s no need for regular charges, you’re more likely to forget, and more likely to have it fizzle out on you when you’re 80km from home with a storm darkness coming.

5. No home maintenance. In truth, I’m a lousy mechanic, but even I can adjust a mechanical derailleur torch, replace parts and bodge a fix when things go wrong. With an electronic derailleur flashlight there’s no chance.

This guy definitely hates LED light bulbs.

I've pushed this shift button like 5 times now and have no idea if it's even doing anything!

- said no one ever

Campagnolo Super Record 12 speed mechanical with rim brakes for Luddites and it’s definitely high-tier:

https://www.lafobikes.com/collection...speed-groupset

Are electronic gizmos inherently more expensive than mechanical counterparts. Or are you just paying for the improved features?

Fify. Super Record is a high end group set.

I stand corrected. Although I wonder if next-generation Campy groupsets will support cable shifting.

with enough volume to spread out the development and tooling costs electronic things are generally cheaper than a capable mechanical equivalent. not sure if bike stuff reaches that scale.

it would definitely cost less to make one difference engine than one simple electronic computer. but if you had to make 10,000,000....

the same things goes for electric cars. 100 times less moving parts in the engine.

Oooh, they have Chorus for $1500!

Good place to get Campy stuff. Bought quite a bit from them along with VeloMine.com

Ekar is a high end gravel groupset and it is cable only. I really like my EPS, but the brakes on the Ekar are outstanding. The only problem with EPS is the cost difference to a plain Record

To be honest, I've came away from a ride saying, "My legs are fine, but my hands sure are tired from all that shifting." It's the reason most of my bikes use friction barcons. The 2 with brifters have Microshift instead of Shimano. It's also the same reason I use triples. Less shifting through the range than 1x or 2x. Electronic might solve some of those issues, but at what cost? So, my bike evolution stopped at 8/9 speed. Doubtful I'll ever get any of the newer tech. Maybe a tubeless wheelset. I'm OK with that. I guess it'll save me money in the long run. Not wanting to start any kind of debate. Simply pointing out that the writer of the article was incorrect in his assumptions. :D

:lol:

I bet the Author just loves e-Bikes too.

Imagine all your indignation at people who miss the way bikes were. Now picture only being able to get recumbent cargo e-bikes with enclosed fairings. That would be progress, too. Right?

Ford got it right 100 years ago, too. The Model T had 4 wheels, a steering wheel, a gas and brake pedal, and seats.

I get it. Some riders want to play dress up wearing old cycling clothing, DT shifters, steel tubes, etc. Nostalgia sells too.

I think this is not a matter of “black or white” or reason to exclude some opinions, but rather of individual preference related to cost to benefit ratio. In a broader approach, 2 major upgrades affected road bikes during the last years: disk brakes and electronic shifting. They both are better than the old system (rim brakes and mechanical shifting). But together, they increased bike weight with 10-15% and its price with around 25%.
Do the changes solve well known issues of the old systems? Not quite, I think, at least for non-pro riders. Do they worth the “penalty” in weight and costs? That is a matter of individual preference.