3 ms·

I’ve never used the Shimano system, but I have used the Bosch/Rohloff system. I would much prefer a mechanical shifter. Pros of electronic controls: it will tr

by amluto 2y ago

I’ve never used the Shimano system, but I have used the Bosch/Rohloff system. I would much prefer a mechanical shifter. Pros of electronic controls: it will try to delay shifting until the minimum pedal torque part of the cycle (kinda cool, but I can do this myself just fine without even thinking about it), it will reduce motor torque (useful, but see before — if I pause pedaling for a split second, that will pause motor torque too), and it will automatically downshift when stopped (this is conceptually nice but so problematic that I turned it off). Cons: you can’t shift large amounts quickly. And, critically, if the Bosch assist system craps out for any reason except low-but-not-quite-dead battery, the shifter will crap out along with it. This turns an oh-well-I-have-no-assist situation into a there’s-no-way-I’m-getting-this-bike-back-home situation. The Rohloff system is a hub shifter, so all the fancy front derailleur management benefits don’t apply at all.

ndsipa_pomu 2y ago
That sounds quite different. The Shimano Di2 is for manually propelled bikes and it has no way to determine the torque/pedal position. However, derailleur systems are designed to shift under torque, so it doesn't make much odds with most shifts, unless you're doing front chainring shift at the same time as that can make a big change in the pedal resistance which you would want to anticipate.
- amluto 2y ago
  On all derailleur bikes I’ve ridden, I try to back off the torque a bit while shifting, and this at least seems to reduce nasty noises and any occasional tendency to feel like the chain slipped one link. But I’ve also never ridden a bike with a top-of-the-line derailleur and chainring set from any of the major manufacturers.
  - ndsipa_pomu 2y ago
    Backing off a bit should only really be needed by either worn or misadjusted derailleurs. Modern derailleurs work really well and there's not a huge difference between top and bottom ranges for the major manufacturers. Most of the difference is lighter weight, better manufacturing tolerances and often the number of gears. Misadjustment is more common for the cheaper ranges as the bikes will often not be as well maintained as the expensive ones.

by amluto 2y ago

ndsipa_pomu 2y ago

That sounds quite different. The Shimano Di2 is for manually propelled bikes and it has no way to determine the torque/pedal position. However, derailleur systems are designed to shift under torque, so it doesn't make much odds with most shifts, unless you're doing front chainring shift at the same time as that can make a big change in the pedal resistance which you would want to anticipate.

amluto 2y ago
On all derailleur bikes I’ve ridden, I try to back off the torque a bit while shifting, and this at least seems to reduce nasty noises and any occasional tendency to feel like the chain slipped one link. But I’ve also never ridden a bike with a top-of-the-line derailleur and chainring set from any of the major manufacturers.
- ndsipa_pomu 2y ago
  Backing off a bit should only really be needed by either worn or misadjusted derailleurs. Modern derailleurs work really well and there's not a huge difference between top and bottom ranges for the major manufacturers. Most of the difference is lighter weight, better manufacturing tolerances and often the number of gears. Misadjustment is more common for the cheaper ranges as the bikes will often not be as well maintained as the expensive ones.