This will put the naysayers on here regarding wireless shifting for the masses in a tiss... http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/x ... ing-48668/ If that's what people want and it makes life easier then why not, we all have a choice, okay, many of us haave a choice. Some will, some won't but at least it could well be affordable to a wider group of people at the price level and without having to buy new components.
I'm tempted. Apparently the unit has a cable pull off around 40mm, and is controllable to 0.1mm or less. I'm thinking of using it with a Shift mate to control Alfine 11.
I have to ask why... I can see niche applications, but this is crying out for a 6V AC input.
Or maybe it isn't aimed at people who use bikes as functional items?
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way.No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse. There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
mercalia wrote:whats the point as they are " pulling a small length of cable to actuate the derailleurs" which my hands do for free
The point? Well as an example I have a friend who enjoys cycling but just doesn't get how to use gears effectively. They barely manage hi to low on one chainring let alone double / triple, double changing etc.
This (according to the blurb) would allow those with less technical bent to have the gears set up more simply working the gears in order without having to consider chainrings, crossovers etc. It's been done mechanically before but the shifters were huge rotary units. This is much neater and could prove a boon for less experienced riders.
Convention? what's that then? Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
mercalia wrote:whats the point as they are " pulling a small length of cable to actuate the derailleurs" which my hands do for free
The point? Well as an example I have a friend who enjoys cycling but just doesn't get how to use gears effectively. They barely manage hi to low on one chainring let alone double / triple, double changing etc.
This (according to the blurb) would allow those with less technical bent to have the gears set up more simply working the gears in order without having to consider chainrings, crossovers etc. It's been done mechanically before but the shifters were huge rotary units. This is much neater and could prove a boon for less experienced riders.
does the friend drive a car? ( I hope not ). seems likely cannt just be bothered to learn?
I've never used electronic shifting but those I know who have all say it's far more precise than mechanical, especially when you're tired. There's no mis-shifting as you don't push the lever over far enough (or too far!), it's just pressing a button; on or off. Great for audaxers on long rides and quite likely for touring too, as well as commuting and racing. And no problems with cable stretch, because the actuation cable is so short; therefore no degradation in performance over time. Wireless is presumably taking the electronic concept to a new level of neatness.
I'm sure they are fine for racing, where people have support vehicles, fine for the mechanically inept who can't mange two simple levers (heavens help us), and, to be fair, fine for those who really enjoy having the technology and are more than capable of keeping keep it running, adjusted and fully charged, but for the rest of us it just introduces another failure point in a system that works fine without it. And it costs more.
I think one of the points about it is that, unlike conventional systems, it needs no adjustment. As for battery life, obviously it depends on the weather and how often you shift (just like a cable then) but certainly people have done LEL on one charge. I don't know how long it takes to recharge or whether, in extremis, you can just put a new battery in.
A regular visitor to the village coffee shop with the SRAM Etap gear system complained that his front shifter had stopped working and he had to climb the slope in the big ring. We got him to swap the batteries around and the front started working. The rear derailleur was ok too, so got him home for a recharge.
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway X2, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840
Bmblbzzz wrote:I think one of the points about it is that, unlike conventional systems, it needs no adjustment. As for battery life, obviously it depends on the weather and how often you shift (just like a cable then) but certainly people have done LEL on one charge. I don't know how long it takes to recharge or whether, in extremis, you can just put a new battery in.
Rubbish - it will take just as much adjusting as any other setup on installation.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way.No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse. There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Bmblbzzz wrote:I think one of the points about it is that, unlike conventional systems, it needs no adjustment. As for battery life, obviously it depends on the weather and how often you shift (just like a cable then) but certainly people have done LEL on one charge. I don't know how long it takes to recharge or whether, in extremis, you can just put a new battery in.
Rubbish - it will take just as much adjusting as any other setup on installation.
You have electronic set up and mechanical to compare? Ask ANY bike mechanic in a shop that will get both types ih, ask any racing team mechanic in competitive racing how much time they save by having electronic groupsets in the ranks as opposed to mechanical.
Rubbishing something as many on here do without actually having the system and understanding what it is trying to do/offer is rather silly. You can put forward an arguement to say 'well'because of X' and that's great, discussing pros and cons is what good discussions are about and seeing things from other people's POV, however just saying this is this without any proof (much like X light is no good in foggy conditions discussion/Alu & carcon are no good/dangerous/too flexy for long steerers on forks) is not helpful and shows a narrow viewpoint of the person not willing to put forward any hard evidence.
