5 ms·

Wireless shifting. It's supposed to save us from the tyranny of the shift cable.

gherkin0 11y ago
And when your batteries inevitably die out on the trail and you're stuck in some random gear, you'll bless the day you bought into this ~innovation~.
- gknoy 11y ago
  I'd be surprised if they didn't recharge it by pedaling. ;)
  - gherkin0 11y ago
    That only covers half of the wireless equation. ...unless they ran a wire up the the controls to carry power :)
  - throwaway7767 11y ago
    > I'd be surprised if they didn't recharge it by pedaling. ;) I'd be surprised if they did. A dynamo adds a noticeable load on the bike, and the people buying this are already optimising for small improvements. Adding a dynamo to power it would probably be a net negative for performance.
    - wiredfool 11y ago
      They should generate power from the motion of the shift levers.
      - throwaway7767 11y ago
        > They should generate power from the motion of the shift levers. How much power would that really generate? You can't make them too stiff, since part of the reason people like electronic shifting is that it's easy to do when your hands are numb from cold.
    - jrockway 11y ago
      A dynamo doesn't actually add that much load to the bike, but they're heavy and invasive, the exact opposite of what an electronic shifting system aims to be. I run a dynamo generator for lights on my bike. The datasheet says it steals about 7 watts of power. I'm a relatively weak cyclist, but I can put out 230W continuously for an hour. The dynamo doesn't matter unless you're racing. That said I still have good-old-classic 10 speed mechanical shifting. It works so well I don't see the need to add another computer-based gadget to my life.
jzwinck 11y ago
Actually no--the Shimano and Campagnolo systems (the first two to market, and the only ones anyone really has yet except some pros) are wired. Look up "Shimano Di2." The battery lasts about 1000 miles before it needs to be recharged, and it can be charged via USB.
- gambiting 11y ago
  To be fair, it's the same as top of the range sports cars having automatic transmissions(like Bugatti Veyron). Top of the range automatics are just faster than any human could possibly be, so they are a natural choice at that level. From what I understand, all professional cyclists use electronic shifters because they are more precise and faster - one click always means one gear, while with a manual sometimes you can miss a gear or jump two at once.

And when your batteries inevitably die out on the trail and you're stuck in some random gear, you'll bless the day you bought into this ~innovation~.

gknoy 11y ago
I'd be surprised if they didn't recharge it by pedaling. ;)
- gherkin0 11y ago
  That only covers half of the wireless equation. ...unless they ran a wire up the the controls to carry power :)
- throwaway7767 11y ago
  > I'd be surprised if they didn't recharge it by pedaling. ;) I'd be surprised if they did. A dynamo adds a noticeable load on the bike, and the people buying this are already optimising for small improvements. Adding a dynamo to power it would probably be a net negative for performance.
  - wiredfool 11y ago
    They should generate power from the motion of the shift levers.
    - throwaway7767 11y ago
      > They should generate power from the motion of the shift levers. How much power would that really generate? You can't make them too stiff, since part of the reason people like electronic shifting is that it's easy to do when your hands are numb from cold.
  - jrockway 11y ago
    A dynamo doesn't actually add that much load to the bike, but they're heavy and invasive, the exact opposite of what an electronic shifting system aims to be. I run a dynamo generator for lights on my bike. The datasheet says it steals about 7 watts of power. I'm a relatively weak cyclist, but I can put out 230W continuously for an hour. The dynamo doesn't matter unless you're racing. That said I still have good-old-classic 10 speed mechanical shifting. It works so well I don't see the need to add another computer-based gadget to my life.

jzwinck 11y ago

Actually no--the Shimano and Campagnolo systems (the first two to market, and the only ones anyone really has yet except some pros) are wired. Look up "Shimano Di2." The battery lasts about 1000 miles before it needs to be recharged, and it can be charged via USB.

gambiting 11y ago
To be fair, it's the same as top of the range sports cars having automatic transmissions(like Bugatti Veyron). Top of the range automatics are just faster than any human could possibly be, so they are a natural choice at that level. From what I understand, all professional cyclists use electronic shifters because they are more precise and faster - one click always means one gear, while with a manual sometimes you can miss a gear or jump two at once.