Electronic Shifting: Pros & Cons

MRC01

MRC01

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After riding the same road bike for 20+ years I'm looking to get a new one. I noticed it's getting hard to get a great bike without electronic shifting. From what I read, and test riding a friend's bike with it, I'm generally against it. But maybe I'm missing something and you can convince me otherwise.

Mechanical vs. Electronic bike shifting:
  • Both shift perfectly and have low maintenance
  • Mechanical doesn't need batteries
  • Mechanical is lighter (100-300 grams per groupset)
  • Mechanical is cheaper -- for the same groupset & quality
  • Mechanical is more reliable & durable
  • Mechanical is simpler
  • Mechanical is user-servicable
In short: Why the hype about electronic shifting? It seems a unnecessarily complex & expensive solution for a problem that doesn't exist.
 
Riding a 2017 Super Six evo Hi Mod with Sram Red electronic I'd never go back to mechanical on my high end bike. I would only upgrade to the newest Red group set.
 
"Great" road bike: carbon frame, carbon wheels, top line components (Shimano Ultegra or Dura Ace, SRAM Red or Force).
Price range, around $5k to $10k.
Good to see some great bikes are still available with mechanical shifting.
#18FAN said:
Riding a 2017 Super Six evo Hi Mod with Sram Red electronic I'd never go back to mechanical on my high end bike. I would only upgrade to the newest Red group set.
Click to expand...
Why exactly? That is, what benefits do you enjoy about electronic shifting?
 
First red and force are two different animals mainly weight and cost.
Shifting is what I like left paddle up cassette right down cassette. When you have it dialed in it never goes out of adjustment. Don't get me wrong mechanica gets it done and fine but talk to most on Di2 or Sram electronic you love it.

I gotta ask what bike exactly and what style ridding what is current bike
 
#18FAN said:
... When you have it dialed in it never goes out of adjustment. Don't get me wrong mechanica gets it done and fine but talk to most on Di2 or Sram electronic you love it.
Click to expand...
Once you get mechanical dialed in it never goes out of adjustment either. It shifts perfectly just like electronic. So what does one gain with electronic?
The only thing I can think of is, multiple shift buttons at different spots on the handlebar. But I don't really care about that.
People say they love electronic, but why? I've tried it, honestly I found it no different from mechanical. Am I missing something?
This is for long distance / endurance road biking. I mountain bike too, but this new bike will be a road bike.
 
How much elevation gain ypu ride say in 50 miles. Again nothing wrong with mechanical if it flips your bobber and have it don change.
 
Pretty hilly. Typically 500-1000' climb per 10 miles. Why does it matter?
 
MRC01 said:
Pretty hilly. Typically 500-1000' climb per 10 miles. Why does it matter?
Click to expand...
If you road flats it would definitely not matter you basically be in on gear selection. The very reason I like it is for hilly up down I just like the fast left finger up cassette right finger tip down cassette.
Some benefits for me and others I can get hand numbness in my left hand but my finger tip is all it takes for selection on the cassette.
Again anyone happy with mechanical heck I'd go Dura Ace and be happy.
Still like to know what road bikes you been looking at.
 
So the benefit is shifting with a lighter touch.
Which bikes? That deserves a different thread.
 
Do continue in this thread. I am learning here.

I have never ridden an e shifting bike. Does seem like another layer of complexity and well it rains here (duh)......yet my "wanna have" brain partition is slightly tickled.

Interestingly all the SRAM crap on-line manuals always seem to get me on the wrong path straight to the e-derailleurs when looking for the model I have (my bike came with very little info on paper for as much (varied) manufacturers selected to bolt on by the assembling bike shop.) Point is, the fact SRAM are directing searchers to these e-shifter manuals is not exactly reassuring if you follow my drift.
 
MRC01 said:
So the benefit is shifting with a lighter touch.
Which bikes? That deserves a different thread.
Click to expand...
With SRAM absolutely no cable routing it's all bluetooth. I have in the years I owned it Zero mis shifts or any shift issue ever. I'm not saying or anyone will first generation SRAM is faster or as smooth as Di2 but I believe it is awfully tough.
SRAM Red AXS will be the next group set I own and will probably put on my current road bike. I am told it is that much better than my current setup.
 
Last edited:
Shifting gears with high quality manual shifters, whether Shimano or SRAM, only requires a light touch, but pushing an electronic button is lighter still. However I find the electronic touch too light, lacking feedback. I like the feedback that mechanical shifters give on that touch. Not missing any shifts is mere table stakes for high quality components. The 20 year old mechanical Shimano 105 shifters on my current road bike have never missed a shift over tens of thousands of miles of riding. Sure I'm a mechanic and keep it perfectly adjusted but it's pretty much hands-off, requiring only minor adjustment about once per year. With this mechanical, I spend far less time adjusting it then I would spend charging batteries with electronic.

So yeah, I simply prefer mechanical. Yet I can see the writing on the wall, the top line groupsets are gradually "shifting" to electronic only. So I'll get my next bike before that happens.

As for bikes, my road bike requirements are:
  • Low 1st gear (1:1 ratio) so I can stay in the seat on 20% grade climbs if I want to. My current bike is 39-28, about 1.4:1. Stock, it was even worse, 39-25 or 1.56:1.
  • Carbon frame: carbon has the perfect blend of stiffness for efficiency and compliance for comfort on long rides. The feel of steel yet lighter. Aluminum frames can give the same stiffness & efficiency, but they are rigid and fatiguing.
  • Carbon rims: with 40-50mm depth, a compromise between aero & weight. Carbon wheels do this without the weight penalty that alloy rims would have.
  • Disc brakes: necessary with carbon rims, and provide better more consistent braking at only a small weight penalty compared to rim brakes.
  • Lifetime warranty on frame & wheels (rims).
I studied bikes available from Canyon, Trek, Giant, Cannondale and Fezzari.
 
Charging and swapping of batteries takes all of about 15 seconds I run 3 in rotation rear goes to front front on charger and charger battery goes on rear it's that simple.
I think the biggest push on etap is the cable routing or absence of it gets rid of many issues and the fact it's what is being demanded by the consumer.
 
#18FAN said:
Charging and swapping of batteries takes all of about 15 seconds I run 3 in rotation rear goes to front front on charger and charger battery goes on rear it's that simple.
I think the biggest push on etap is the cable routing or absence of it gets rid of many issues and the fact it's what is being demanded by the consumer.
Click to expand...
Charging and rotating batteries for your bicycle - I wouldn't mind dealing with that hassle if it solves an actual problem. But I don't see that it does.

Sure, wireless shifting eliminates cables, which has a cleaner look. But to say that "it gets rid of many issues" implies that mechanical shifting has many issues. Exactly what issues do you refer to? I'm not aware of any, and that's what I started this thread to ask about...
 
vavavroom said:
KISS.
Click to expand...
Indeed. I’m tempted to go to barcons on my bike, at least for the front derailler, it’s gone out of adjustment recently and likes to rub too often (but it’s a triple and thus it’s just never been great).
 
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