Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Hergest
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby Hergest » Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:47 am

It will be interesting to find out exactly what was the problem with the electronic gears that caused Wiggins to lose the Giro Del Trentino.


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toolonglegs
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby toolonglegs » Sat Apr 20, 2013 3:36 pm

Was having a chat a couple of weeks ago while watching multiple bikes get changed from electronic to manual gear shifting ( a very time consuming job! ) and the point was brought up that electronic was great if it is your pride and joy or if you are on a protour team... But if you are on lower level race team then stay away from it as it is no where near robust enough... But seeing that Wiggins is on the arguably most hi-tech cycling team ever I suppose that makes no one immune to these all too common faults!.
I am sure it is fantastic to ride but not fantastic enough that you would be happy to throw away the Giro de Trentino for ;-)

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ozzymac
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby ozzymac » Sat Apr 20, 2013 3:55 pm

toolonglegs wrote:Was having a chat a couple of weeks ago while watching multiple bikes get changed from electronic to manual gear shifting ( a very time consuming job! ) and the point was brought up that electronic was great if it is your pride and joy or if you are on a protour team... But if you are on lower level race team then stay away from it as it is no where near robust enough... But seeing that Wiggins is on the arguably most hi-tech cycling team ever I suppose that makes no one immune to these all too common faults!.
I am sure it is fantastic to ride but not fantastic enough that you would be happy to throw away the Giro de Trentino for ;-)
Have we actually heard what happened with his bike?

What type of gearing do sky use?

I'm sure I remember riders having trouble with manual gear bikes before, so I don't think bike failures are just electronic only.


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toolonglegs
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby toolonglegs » Sat Apr 20, 2013 4:18 pm

Sky are on DuraAce... 9000 I would expect by now.

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biker jk
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby biker jk » Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:03 pm

We may never know the cause of Wiggins' mechanical. Recall Evans' mechanical at the 2011 TdF was attributed to electronic shifting, a wheel problem or a cracked chainstay (rumours it was the latter but never confirmed of course given the BMC marketing disaster that would have ensued).

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby toolonglegs » Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:15 pm

Yeah I will be surprised if we hear the actual reason... They will just chuck a new groups set on!... Lucky buggers! :-)

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby Sharkey » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:32 am

I loved how Wiggins hurled his bike away in disgust, and it ended up perfectly parked against the wall.

Image

Couldn't do it if you tried.

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby jasonc » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:41 am

Sharkey wrote:I loved how Wiggins hurled his bike away in disgust, and it ended up perfectly parked against the wall.
I reckon there is some intent there - he looks at the bike as he throws it. i'd say he's done it before.

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clackers
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby clackers » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:43 am

Sharkey wrote:I loved how Wiggins hurled his bike away in disgust, and it ended up perfectly parked against the wall.

Image

Couldn't do it if you tried.
Skill!

He dropped a (mechanical, ahem) chain in the velodrome years ago and according to Kate Bates lifted it over his head with both arms and flung it away.

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby danny the boy » Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:05 am

This is what Cadel said about the Wiggins breakdown. The last line is unbelievable considering the profile the sport has reached.
Fair or not, mechanicals are a part of the sport. But Evans is concerned that competition among some industry manufacturers for their products to be used and showcased by winning performances could lead to a rider's performance being impeded.
''There have been quite a few changes with some of the equipment this year. Some of the things the cycling industry is doing right now, I am a little bit disappointed with,'' Evans said.
''I can completely understand [Wiggins'] frustration. We are athletes and I am sure this is the same for any sport and profession, but we put in a lot of work to be there, and be at our best when we are there. Being let down by something that is not ready to be used in the race is pretty disappointing.''
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cycling/ ... 2i8br.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby __PG__ » Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:33 pm

Neatly encapsulates how much marketing is driving the equipment used in Pro cycling.
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby RonK » Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:58 pm

clackers wrote:He dropped a (mechanical, ahem) chain in the velodrome years ago and according to Kate Bates lifted it over his head with both arms and flung it away.
Dropped chain on a track bike? I watched Cycling Central last night and I think Kate Bates has Wiggins confused with David Millar.

More dummy spit bike throws here.

More about the Sky bike setup here.
Last edited by RonK on Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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toolonglegs
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby toolonglegs » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:05 pm

Yeah Millars was a classic!

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby jasonc » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:26 pm

RonK wrote:More about the Sky bike setup here.
Interesting read

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby auswi2 » Wed Apr 24, 2013 7:45 pm

I changed from a Mech roadbike as it was the wrong size to a correctly fitting roadbike and went with DI2 and what i love about it is no need to adjust the FD or RD. Easier on the rear cassette and FD Cog.

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Red Rider
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby Red Rider » Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:26 pm

Sharkey wrote:I loved how Wiggins hurled his bike away in disgust, and it ended up perfectly parked against the wall.

Image

Couldn't do it if you tried.
Imagine how much practice he must have put in!

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clackers
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby clackers » Fri Apr 26, 2013 11:00 am

Red Rider wrote: Imagine how much practice he must have put in!
It's a drill they do at Sky, Red Rider - another one of their five percenters or whatever they call them. :smile:

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Shpox
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby Shpox » Fri Apr 26, 2013 11:59 am

As someone from Gen Y - yes. This is the equivalent of Auto vs. Manual except the Auto is a ZF or DSG. The answer to whether its 'worth the expense' is how much is the drivetrain of a bike worth to you? Classicists will argue to stick to its mechanical as it's the heart of the bike, while others prefer no derailleurs at all.

My opinion? As long as it's reliable, embrace the change. If it's rubbish, then it will fall off its feet. If it isn't, the sales will speak for themselves. For me, the essence of a bike is in the actual riding. As much as I like a tactile feel, it's not the core of my ride. If that was the case, I'd use a wind trainer all day. Di2 lets you focus on the journey more than how you got there. I love it and it's most likely going to get better. I think cycling might be one of the last industries to turn from analog to digital and the ability to program is drivetrain is enough incentive to pick it up. People tend to fear electronics but they're just a tool there to assist you. A simple input/output. They're not 'evil'.

A logistical point for me is worrying less about maintenance. Crisp shifting since the day you bought it? Awesome. I'm quite anal about how my bike performs and hate having things out of adjustment. When it's beyond my capability or something doesn't seem quite right e.g. from a fall or a bent hangar, I take it a to a bike shop. Unfortunately, the bike shops around me are rubbish. I don't see why I should pay $50-60 to pay for a full race service while all I need is an expert diagnose a fault. Often, these services have resulted in scratched bike/improper tune in the end, making me questioning going there in the first place. I don't mind premiums if the service standard is there. In my case, it isn't. Long story short, the service in my local bike shops are not confidence inspiring and Di2 gives me more reason to stay away from them.

In my opinion, the only reason not to buy Di2 is if you're a weight weeny. SRAM 22 is pretty good for the money and it's light.

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RonK
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby RonK » Fri Apr 26, 2013 1:40 pm

Shpox wrote:For me, the essence of a bike is in the actual riding. As much as I like a tactile feel, it's not the core of my ride. If that was the case, I'd use a wind trainer all day. Di2 lets you focus on the journey more than how you got there.
Nicely put Shpox, I heartily agree. But make it EPS for mine...
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Shpox
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby Shpox » Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:19 pm

RonK wrote:
Shpox wrote:For me, the essence of a bike is in the actual riding. As much as I like a tactile feel, it's not the core of my ride. If that was the case, I'd use a wind trainer all day. Di2 lets you focus on the journey more than how you got there.
Nicely put Shpox, I heartily agree. But make it EPS for mine...
Me too! My only concern with Campag is replacement. It's beautiful to the extent that it would crush my soul if I ever got damaged by an accident.

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby WilliamHenry » Tue Nov 19, 2013 7:50 pm

TDC wrote:
winstonw wrote:if you took global warming seriously, would you go Di2 or mech?
Di2 solar...special lycra that render the whole surface area of your back as a photovoltaic cell.
Sounds very effective.. I have seen many guys using photovoltaic cell..

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby WilliamHenry » Fri Nov 29, 2013 3:52 am

WilliamHenry wrote:
TDC wrote:
winstonw wrote:if you took global warming seriously, would you go Di2 or mech?

Di2 solar...special lycra that render the whole surface area of your back as solar kits
.
Sounds very effective.. I have seen many guys using photovoltaic cell..

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby CKinnard » Wed Feb 18, 2015 8:36 am

a long bow, but electronic everything has unintended consequences, like electric windows in cars. this woman would have died if no one was around.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/dramatic-re ... 3h5aw.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the trouble with electronic is (and all these things have happened to Di2 owners I know)
- the probability you forget to charge the battery
- the probability you forget to take the battery off charger before driving to start of big ride somewhere.
- Di2 doesn't guarantee clean changes. a mate broke his front der when Di2 didn't change cleanly on a climb. so he was up for a new one at significantly more cost than mech.
- overnight battery discharging issues due to complex design - faulty junction boxes, lack of waterproofing, even limit screws that have wound 1/2 a turn loose can rapidly discharge the battery.
- look at the long list of firmware revisions to Di2. who does their firmware upgrades regularly?
- yet another charger to take on cycling holidays.
- the need for a charger adaptor if going OS
- the durability of electronic is still very much first gen. I don't know anyone who has owned it more than 2 years. Let's see how many problems develop when it's over 5 years old.
- those who think electronic is bulletproof might ask themselves why it's only recently been introduced to mountain bikes, and at a much greater price.
- the probability of batteries not being available sometime down the track due to redundant design.
- a mate who spent a few months in Europe last year had issues with his Di2 in Italian regional area, and of 4 LBSs, none had the experience or interest in his electronic problem.

electronic is a first world solution for a first world problem -> people who don't know which way to turn barrel adjustors.

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Drizt
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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby Drizt » Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:20 am

Said by someone who doesn't have di2 :)

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Re: Electronic Gears - worth the expense?

Postby jasonc » Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:24 am

Drizt wrote:Said by someone who doesn't have di2 :)
+1

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