Dirvetrain preference : Mechanical vs electronic

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

Seedster
Posts: 672
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2015 11:05 pm

by Seedster

I used to ride Campagnolo mechanical. After building my first EPS bike, I put my mechanical only Time RXR up for sale.

I dont think i could go back to mechanical for my personal bike but I certainly appreciate the fact that there are those who still do.

If I ever venture down the disc rabbit hole, I would get H11 EPS

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



tabl10s
Posts: 754
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:40 am

by tabl10s

Sammutd88 wrote:
Thu Jan 11, 2018 12:22 pm
Ive never used electronic and I’m scared that if I ever do, it will force me to spend more money and never go back to mechanical....
First bike after 14 years off came with D-A Di2(9050). The next two have eTap. Mechanical can bite me as I'm never going back.
2015 Pinarello F8: 13.13lbs/5.915kg(w/Roval 64's). Sold.
2016 Rca: 11.07lbs/5.048kg.
2015 Rca. 11.15 lbs(w/Roval CLX 32's)
2015 Rca/NOS(sold).
2018 S-Works SL6 Ultralight 12.03lbs(w/Roval CLX 50's)

AfromD
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:46 am

by AfromD

I'm on DA9150. Added some climbing switches below the top of the bars. No matter how little purchase you have on the buttons, whenever you can reach them, you can shift. No force needed, can shift from any hand position now. I also like the full synchro shift for the same reason. Big buttons do rear derailler, only need to shift front directly at the crest or bottom of a hill. rest all taken care of by the system. DA has some extra buttons that can be assigned to tach functions so one can control that on bumpy sections or while cornering without taking hands off.

TurboKoo
Posts: 651
Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:55 pm

by TurboKoo

I’ve been through all generations and won’t go back; 7970 was good, 6770 better. 6870 again step forward and current generation is just unbelievably good. I have 9150 at the moment and plan to change my ST-RS785/6870 to R8070 on my cyclocross for next year.
Cannondale SuperSix
Shimano 9270

User avatar
pdlpsher1
Posts: 4016
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

AfromD wrote:
Mon Jan 15, 2018 4:12 pm
I'm on DA9150. Added some climbing switches below the top of the bars. No matter how little purchase you have on the buttons, whenever you can reach them, you can shift. No force needed, can shift from any hand position now. I also like the full synchro shift for the same reason. Big buttons do rear derailler, only need to shift front directly at the crest or bottom of a hill. rest all taken care of by the system. DA has some extra buttons that can be assigned to tach functions so one can control that on bumpy sections or while cornering without taking hands off.
I also have the climbing switch and I cannot live without it. With it I can shift effortlessly without even moving my hand while climbing. I just use my right thumb for an instant gear change. People say this switch is big and ugly. But when you're going all out on a climb no button can be too big, haha.

One oddity I can never figure out is why did Shimano put the wire exit on the left side when 99% of the riders put the unit on the right side of the handlebar :noidea:

Image

jlok
Posts: 2400
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:30 am

by jlok

I think the buttons are programmable so that doesn't matter?
Rikulau V9 DB Custom < BMC TM02 < Litespeed T1sl Disc < Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc 1 < Propel Adv < TCR Adv SL Disc < KTM Revelator Sky < CAAD 12 Disc < Domane S Disc < Alize < CAAD 10

Aya
Posts: 42
Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:50 am

by Aya

I don't dislike electronic drivetrain that much, but I'm using the mechanical now, because I have little reason to change it.
The only merit of electronic drivetrain I think is automatic trimming, but It seems that the price difference is too much for just that one merit.
In addition, I don't like systems which needs battery charge. I rather have interest for news about Rotor's Uno than Di2 or Etap.

User avatar
pdlpsher1
Posts: 4016
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

jlok wrote:
Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:43 am
I think the buttons are programmable so that doesn't matter?
The buttons have different shapes to them and it's designed for a right-handed rider and mounted on the right half of the handlebar. One cannot turn the unit upside down and reprogram the buttons. The wire should exit from the right and be connected to the right shifter. Currently the wire has to make a U-turn which is dumb. Other than the wire direction the unit is well made and very functional. The big button are easy to press even with big, heavy gloves.

Multebear
Posts: 1395
Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 10:11 pm

by Multebear

Electronics really makes sense on the TT bike and the cx bike. On the road it sure is nice, but not really necesesary. I have two identical roadbikes, one with 9070 di2, and one with 6800 mechanical. I enjoy riding them both, and when I’m on the 6800 mechanical bike, I forget all about it being mechanical after 2 minutes. I don’t miss di2, when I’m without it. But I still enjoy it on the di2 bike.

Jenmoss
Posts: 98
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:15 am

by Jenmoss

I remember being at a bike show when Shimano first introduced di2 . I gave it a go and it was very good. The thing I don’t like about electronic shifting is that it makes me feel unattached to the bike. It does not feel like I’m in control. I’m relying on a motor to do the shifting so for me it loses a human element. This is just my opinion and I admit it does work very well but it’s just not for me.

Stueys
Posts: 673
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:12 pm

by Stueys

I’ve had 9070 for a couple of years on my nice bike, run mechanical on everything else I own. There’s nothing electronic can do that mechanical can’t but everything thing electronic does is just that little bit nicer and crisper. It all adds up to an overall better experience, whether that’s worth it or not is a personal choice. For me I wouldn’t go back now.

cho00010
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon May 22, 2017 2:52 pm

by cho00010

I upgraded to di2 2 years ago and it was utter bliss. But I just started riding mechanical again and so long as it's set up correctly, it's flawless too. Buy what you can afford. If you have cash burning a hole in your pocket and you want etap or di2 - go for it.

Allen254
Posts: 144
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2016 3:05 am

by Allen254

I had a weird transition over to electronic. I've always used Shimano mechanical, and decided to switch over to sram Etap and its much different. sram Etap so far is okay, I guess im not necessarily impressed other than the fact that there are no cables, speaking of cables, I feel like the mechanical groups give you cable feedback when shifting, which helps with shifting smoothly both on the front and rear mechs(which I miss). but this is just my opinion.

tabl10s
Posts: 754
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:40 am

by tabl10s

Jenmoss wrote:
Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:04 pm
I remember being at a bike show when Shimano first introduced di2 . I gave it a go and it was very good. The thing I don’t like about electronic shifting is that it makes me feel unattached to the bike. It does not feel like I’m in control. I’m relying on a motor to do the shifting so for me it loses a human element. This is just my opinion and I admit it does work very well but it’s just not for me.
Try going back to a bike with no index shifting if you want to feel attuned. I'll take a little detachment any day over old tech.
2015 Pinarello F8: 13.13lbs/5.915kg(w/Roval 64's). Sold.
2016 Rca: 11.07lbs/5.048kg.
2015 Rca. 11.15 lbs(w/Roval CLX 32's)
2015 Rca/NOS(sold).
2018 S-Works SL6 Ultralight 12.03lbs(w/Roval CLX 50's)

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Ritxis
Posts: 1119
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 3:00 pm
Location: San Sebastian

by Ritxis

jlok wrote:
Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:43 am
I think the buttons are programmable so that doesn't matter?
are programmable, i have reversed the mode of change that comes from series, if desired, can be programmed for chainring change



Tuned without outer casing, Team Sky
r6001.jpg
r600.jpg
r600.jpg (6.72 KiB) Viewed 2431 times

Post Reply