Shifting - random thought
 

Is anyone else excited about the electronic shifting?
I'm not particularly interested in it for my single but it sure would simply shifting issues on my tandem. In theory once you have it set you're good to go - none of that pesky cable stretch.
If I had a coupled bike I'd only need one cable splitter for the rear brake while the derailleurs would be wiring connectors. Am I living a pipe dream?

So how do you adjust it to get it to shift just the right amount?

I'm curious to see it. Are these electronic shifters supposed to be self adjusting, or are they going to use indexed stops that still require tuning? Still a derailleur, right? Just a small motor instead of a cable?

Has anybody tried the new Shimano gear hub with the electronic shifting? Not quite the same as what you're talking about, but in the end, the rear hub responds to wireless shifting commands from a box mounted elsewhere on the frame.

Rohloff was rumored to be looking into something similar for their Speedhubs, using pushbuttons on the handlebar. Not sure where they're at with that currently.

is this the one?

http://www.bikepro.com/products/rear...ap_rrder.shtml

Hmmmmmmmm.

Cable stretch is EASY to address; about a 1/4 turn on the in-line cable adjuster every 500 miles or so seems to do the trick.

Now, lets look at electronics.. It needs a power source (there's a laundry list of issues right there), it must cope with moisture and the corrosive power of persperation, and it must also deal with RFI from various sources (overhead power lines being the most prevailent)... the same types of RFI that hose-up heart rate monitors and wireless speed sensors that have merely two to three feet between the transmitter and receiver. So, what could go wrong?

Anyway, my answer would be no.... I"m not excited about electronic shifting, anymore than I'm excited by replacing my chains with kevlar belts.

Here's one I found from Shimano.

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...6868-1,00.html

In the video the rider says the front derailleur adjusts slightly for the rear derailleur to prevent cage rub. Again, wonder if this is "smart" sensing or or just programing & screw adjustment? I suspect the latter.

Electronic shifting will evolve like index shifting evolved. People questioned why we needed index shifting in the mid-1980's I can shift fine without index shifting. Index shifting will be a pain in the @$$ to keep working. We all worked through that & lived to tell about it. Suntour didn't & Campagnolo almost didn't but that is another story. Electronic shifting will probably take years to work out all the bugs & find it's own direction. I don't want to be the first guy to buy the stuff. Imagine the possibilities!!! Seamless gear changes. Shift buttons built into your gloves. 20+ cog cassettes or 5 front chainrings. I think it will happen & we will be better off for it! Just take a look back at history.

A couple links that are primarily pictures are provide below. Shimano has been testing the group in the pro peleton for the last couple of years and they appear to be getting close. The latest reports have the electronic group inclusive of the batteries weighing less than the current components. One of the time trial bikes at the tour was outfitted with it. It was uber-clean with just 2 little buttons on the end of each aerobar it added about 5 mm to the length of the bar see the first link below

http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/a...nic-time-trial

http://velonews.com/article/72308


http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/ar...N/2490/v/1/sp/


http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?...006/news/03-14

To those interested, find a copy of "The High Tech Bicycle". Great book publishing in 1982. The author predicted Campagnolo's fall from #1 with uncanny accuracy. Campy's failure to innovate & comfortable expectance as the racers favorite almost did them in. Shimano's AX groups were a flop in the early 80's but were the first steps in the evolution to todays equipment.

Why limit yourself to recent history, take a trip back to the 1900's and you'll find that nothing much has really changed about the bicycle aside from the players and incremental refinements...
http://www.thetandemlink.com/articles/History.html

Shimano thought so to; their current prototype is wired: http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...6868-1,00.html

Speaking of wires, why are there so many wires on my "wireless" flightdeck?

From what I read, the electric shifting is most interesting for the time trial bikes (and that will mean triathlon bicycles too) because there can be shifting buttons on BOTH the ends of the extension bars AND the brake levers. Since the wires are just carrying electrons they can be routed without worrying about too sharp of turns that would add friction to a cable. Time trial bikes and triathlon bikes may well be enough to support a niche of electric shifting.

Bloomington, IN
1973 Chiappini single with downtube friction shifters (Campagnolo Nuovo Record)
2004 Kestrel Talon with indexed Campagnolo Chorus 10 speed with triple
2006 Santana Niobium with indexed Shimano 10 speed with triple (FSA crank, XTR rear derailleur, FliteDeck)

If weight comes down because of this technology, I don't see why large scale adoption of this system wouldn't happen.

I'd get it if it proved itself reliable enough. Again, like most other wired appliances for bicycles, these things need to be robust; I've broken at least 3 different CatEye computer harnesses within 2 years. Thus, the reason for my going all wireless on my cyclocomputers.

Is it possible to order one of those Mavic derailleurs from BikePro? :lol:
Think we'll ever see archived Nashbar websites? A decade after they go out of business?

Ho-hum . . . we're excited! Mavic had electronic shifting about 15/20 years ago.
'Whoops . . . the battery just died and we're climbin' this big ol' mountain!?' Just something else to complicate things . . . and need batteries.
Nothing is really new, just 'pete and repeat'.
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Mavic ZAP derailleur and controls; later refined and called Mektronic.

Pedal on
 

Yea.. just like an automatic motorcycle, some things are just not to be!

here is another one to add to the mix...how about the shimano's air actuated shifting?
http://www.bikemagic.com/news/article/mps/uan/391

I'm with Tandemgeek on this one, though I can't fault someone for liking novelty. Maybe better to learn how to adjust your shifters so its no longer a problem. I find bar end shifters on my tandem work just fine - indexed for the rear and non-indexed for the front derailleurs to be pretty fool proof. I was having a problem where I couldn't seem to adjust the rear derailleur for the middle gears and after replacing it, the problem went away.
But, if racers ever adopt electric shifters, everyone is going to have to have it...

There are three big hurdles between electronic shifting and my tandem.
#1 - Price. The current price is insane even for the average upper middle class bike geek. Maybe someday.
#2 - Field repair. I don't know about your stoker but mine does not put those shoes and clothes on to walk. Even a 20 mile ride can leave you 10 miles from home where even the most helpful stranger can't carry your tandem. This may be addressed some day by some sort of manual emergency feature involving a cable from the derailleur to the captain....
#3 - Triple - No matter what cassette you put on a double it is still not a triple. SRAM likes to claim there is no need. They are right I have no need for SRAM shifters on my tandem if they will not handle a triple.

Even though a lot of you seem to resist the idea. We WILL be using it across all product lines within the next 10years or so. Its a natural progression like index shift was 20 years ago. Most people that have it that I've spoken to love it. Batteries last over a year. Right now it's just expensive.

Ultegra gets electric shifting in 2012.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/...2-group_153843

Shimano 105 shoudl have it by 2014 or so and Tiagra etc by 2015-2016.

I think you may be right. Someday we may all use it. Someday it may use common reasonably priced, repairable components and shift a triple. When that day comes i will be happy to use it on my tandem. Actually i think it would be great to have shifters on the hoods and on aero bars. Just not today. you mentioned Ultegra and 105, when will it handle a triple?

Shimano has also developed special buttons for the drops which will enable sprinters to shift without taking their hands out of the drops.

Once Shimano offers an Ultegra-grade gruppo w/electronic shifting I'll look at it more seriously, but not now.

So is there a problem that electronic shifting solves?

Frankly, Your post sounds more to me like "We're going to force electronic shifting down your throat." than "Here's how electronic shifting is going to improve your bicycling experience."

I still don't need indexed shifting. What has made the difference with Ergo and SIS is not the indexing but the ability to shift while standing. The shifting is right up there on the brake hoods where your hands are when you're up out of the saddle. It is just total fun on the Niagara Escarpment rollers we have around here. Doing a double shift so you don't stall while standing together up a short 12% grade, and knowing it'll work, every time....priceless!

But for a long self-supported tour I'd go back to down-tube friction shifting for total reliability.

As for excitement, the only thing that excites me is that soon it will be spring and Susan and I will be going out riding together again any week now.... :love: