If the idea of wrist-twist is too taxing, perhaps an electronic shifter is the best option to get your meat-bag mobile. With the press of a button, the Shimano Di2 derailleur on this $10,000 Merida Scultura 909 road-racer automatically eases you into that next gear. Now shipping on select bicycles, the Di2 system features a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery (lasting 1,000 kilometers or 621 miles) powering an integrated CPU that monitors and adjusts the front and rear derailleurs to keep them perfectly trimmed. The system allows you to shift 30% faster (as fast as you can move your finger) than with mechanical derailleurs -- even under load while cycling out of the saddle. Great for pros (we guess). For everyone else there's Vespa. Check the action after the break.
[Via
Engadget Chinese]
posted Mar 17th 2009 5:45AM
As decadent as it may be with the pric tag this groupset will carry, I can tell you from personal experiene that it's a hell of a lot of fun shifting at the push of a button. This has to be the best incarnation of an electric groupset so far. Can't wait for it to trickle down to 105 (of course that'll probably be a decades) so that I can afford it.
I think the grip shift thing is better you get more control, but i guess im going into auto v manual argument there.
oh and about the: 'bike shifter for the PARADOXICALLY lazy', i c wat u did der and i lol'd.
RE: Dave Chappelle's comment
Grip shifters are terrible!! Beyond the fact that 99% of the bikes manufactured with grip shifters are garbage unto themselves, having you changing the angle of your wrist is just asking to sprain it.
Half the value of this is that, in all likelihood, it is probably lighter than traditional shifting systems.
When did bikes get so expensive? I went to a bike store the other day and couldn't find a decent bike for under $400?
@Asha- Not lighter. Weighs more. About 150 grams more, I believe. But the battery is the main factor.
105? Maybe never. Ultregra: Probably 3-5 years, but that's a long time.
I think it's a marginal improvement & like the full index shifting style of Shimano over Campy so moving more in 0 lever movement isn't really high on my interest list.
I'll take a SRAM Red groupset instead thank you. But on another note it is nice to see a few fellow bikers on the geek site. Now seeing that it's a beautiful day here in Wisconsin I must go outside and take my Garmin Edge 705 accesorized with an attached Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 out for a long spin. Enjoy the day!
1000 km battery life ?
My cable usually gets me 10x that and it only costs $3 to replace
-and it has a low ecological footprint, unlike Li-ion batteries
Bikes=simple, easy to use, easy to fix
Shimano's aforementioned offering=garbage bastardization of the bicycle (and likely an order of magnitude less reliable than a cable based shifter)
@RoboDan:
I believe they mean that a single charge lasts you 621mi. So, let's say that the battery can be charged ~500 cycles, that battery will last you 310k miles. I usually move on to a new bike every 20k or so due to frame stress, so this battery is probably the least of your worries. Unless you forget to charge it.
I can't wait to see what this system will be like in a couple years - for now I'm happy with my Ultegra.
This isn't an issue of laziness -- I just broke a (mechanical) shifter cable. They are under heavy loads, they stretch and come out of alignment, their characteristics change with temperature, etc, etc. This is definitely a place where innovation is welcome. Mavic tried it some years ago -- didn't catch on.
I don't know if this will work better, but I hope it'll be refined to the point that it hits the consumer market, working well. Reliable shifting and quick shifting speeds are always nice, and can be crucial in a race.
And I'd hope that someone figures out something clever for recharging it. The rear derailleur cogs seem an ideal place to put a small generator that could do trickle charging... but generators are intrinsically heavy. Hm.
Actually Mavic tried it twice -- with its Zap and Mektronic groups. Neither of them caught on because they were flaky as hell and only included shifting for the rear derailleur. I really wanted to hate Di2 -- a lot -- and rode it at the Frostbike tradeshow in February. The short review is that I'm sold on it. The long review is here: http://www.danbailey.net/446/frostbike-reviews
Amen! I concur w/ all of that...it's a great innovation in cycling and I hope it continues to develop.
I like the idea of electronic groupsets but I can't say that I see the point of what they've done. All they've done is changed the type of cable that is used to transmit the shifting; I only had to press a button (well, push a lever) to shift up and shift down on my current road bike. I can't say the speed of changing gears was the limiting factor.
Now, what I would like is a *smart* electronic groupset that automatically changes gears for me to ensure I keep the same cadence irrespective of my road speed. That way I don't need to worry about which dérailleur to change to stay at the optimal pedal rate, the electronics sort all of that out. All I would need to do is ease off slightly when it decides that I should change gear (possibly throw in some pressure sensors in the pedals so the electronics can work out when I've eased off and, hey presto, full automation).
Well, there's always Shimano Coasting, which has an automatically-shifted Nexus 3 internaly-geared hub...
Think of it this way, in auto racing, most (if not all) people would take a manual transmission over an auto. However, at the highest levels, paddle-shifted automatics are even faster, but keep the gear control in the hands of the driver. Now you start to see why auto-bikes were as-seen-on-tv crap, manuals are mainstream, and these new, high-end electonic shifters are coming along...just like paddleshifters in cars.
I saw this stuff at the Toronto International Bike show this past weekend. I've been involved in the bike world for most of my life as a racer and a mechanic, and I can tell you that this stuff is hot hot hot. Maybe a little specialized for every-day use, but the performance was impressive.
Rear deraillers switch great, but even my Dura-Ace has trouble sometimes on the chainrings, and it definitely takes some effort. Also you can cross-chain without any rub, as the front adjusts trim depending on the gear selected at the back, which also is part of what makes it perform such effortless quick shifts. But at this price point its really for the obsessed or professional level racer.
Reserving judgement on this one until BikeRadar gets through testing it in real conditions (ie how well will it hold up to rain and crap from the roads). The idea is sound though, especially auto adjustment of the derailleurs.
Trickle down to 105? See you in about 20 years!
I'd love to see a built in recharge too, but wouldn't that increase the resistance of the system? Given that people like Rasmussen used to take stickers off his bike to conserve weight I'm guessing that wouldn't go down too well.
It's my understanding that Hincapie used this groupo in the ToC, which had ATROCIOUS weather conditions, including torrential downpours and snow (well, snow on the side of the road at least). I didn't hear any complaints out of his camp. That's about as "real world" of a test you're gonna get I think.
I love this idea but, sadly, I will almost certainly not ride a bike with this tech for several several years.
Yes, Hincapie is using this, and yes that's about as real world as it gets.
Look to this years Tour de France on the Time Trial bikes and you'll see more folks using this.
Awwwww! I have to push a button?!
Quite likely that a chain will last a lot longer when it is properly aligned all the time, or in a race that would mean a lighter chain can be used (hey, every gram is worth something when climbing a hill), as long as the weight of the electrical system isn't too high.
The point of this isnt so much the speed but also the reliability. It can adjust the chain line automatically and also ridding the problems associated with the traditional cable. I dont even think this weighs that much. Cost is the problem now with a groupset going for about 3000 i think? Mavic tried and failed but with Shimano's huge r&d department it might take off. Ill second the hopes of it trickling down to ultegra and 105.
"The system allows you to shift 30% faster..."
If you're trying to go that fast, I'm not sure lazy is the right word -- perhaps obsessive.
this looks great, does (can) it work as car automat - automatic adjustment so that i would need the same power (same speed) treading the pedals, so only the speed of bike would differ - this is optimal setting for minimum attrition.
P.S.: i would also love an electric-supported bike, but not a heavy sollution for electric only driving for hundrets of kilometers, but some very light sollution for small supporting driving uphill (and recharged when driving downhill).
No, it's not an automatic transmission. There's other, non-electronic systems that can handle that. (Whatever system is on the Trek Lime -- my sleep-addled brain isn't letting me remember the name.)
I've been using Shimano for almost 30 years and I always liked their taste (and courage) for new technologies, after all they invented the first brake-lever with integrated gear shift. That stuff was so good in the first generation that I'm still using it today!
But come on: Mavic had elctronic gear shifting for how long? A decade almost on the pro circuit! That ship has almost sailed by now!
I can't believe Shimanoo took so long to get their act together....
DT shifters are becoming like payphones.
"Mavic tried it some years ago -- didn't catch on."
That's right, but way, way back Browning, a brand that also made guns and other stuff (who soon after licenced their system to Suntour) already had electric shifting for mountainbikes.
It didn't catch on, mainly because Shimano had already started it's route to dominance of the bicycleparts-market. For those not in the know; Shimano's position in this market is similar to that of Microsoft in the computer-market, with one big difference...they actually make top-quality products ;-)
This market is very traditional, especially the road-race scene, so I am curious if this will catch on. However good modern derailleursystems work, it is reallt silly in this day and age that a mountainbike still has it's drivetrain and brakes open to all outdoor elements.
We should be riding hydrolics instead of chains for the drivetrain, electricity instead of cables for the gearshifting, and continuous variable gears instead of cogs and indexed gears...!
The problems with all those lovely tidbits (which have all been tried) is that the weight and internal friction they add are really significant engineering concerns. Price and complexity also figure in. This isn't a car, where you can burn a lot of extra energy, and make things strong where they need to be by slapping in some more metal.
Brakes, of course, SHOULD be external, to allow heat to be shed. And, at least in mountain bikes, the revolution to disk brakes is almost complete. If shift-by-wire starts working well, I suspect the off-road community would pick it up faster. As it would with continuous variable gears and hydraulic drives, if they worked.
The roadies are indeed conservative, though -- I doubt a road groupo (yes, I spelled that right) with electronic shifting will catch on.
correction: Shimano don't make top-notch gear. As with Microsoft, Shimano are in the position they are now because of ubiquity. Nobody new to bikes would know that Crank Bros does a better clipless pedal design than Shimano, but after seeing Shimano on every new bike in the store, they'd just assume it.
Shimano do a wide range of cycling gear. Some of it is really crap, and some of it is really good. If you want the top-notch stuff though, you have to pay through the nose for it. For the same quality, you can get those parts for cheaper (or better at the same price). For example, I got a new track chainring custom made with a custom design and anodising for about a third of the price of a Shimano ring. For half the price of their midrange clipless pedals, I got vastly superior Crank Bros ones.
Their top-of-the-range track cogs all wear way too fast for anybody that spends real time on their bike.
I'm not trying to take anything away from them though - I'm a huge fan of biopace chainrings and indexed "trigger" gear shifting.
Hydraulic drive trains though? Why bother with all that fuss when the chain drive achieves over 98% efficiency?
"biopace chainrings" are so 1992ish
I haven't used Crank Bros pedals but have used Speedplay and Shimano SPD-SLs, and FWIW I prefer the action and flexibility of the SPD's.
I am under the impression that the author thinks that somehow the electric shift mechanism also powers the bicycle forward....
The Shimano Di2 is indeed a pro oriented upgrade, more accurate, more reliable and faster than normal cable operated shifts.
Even Tour De France contenders miss gears some times, with this all the gears are always perfect.
What I'm looking forward to in this (once the price drops over the next decade) is being able to run two sets of shifters on my Triathlon bike: One for when I'm on the aerobars, and another set when I have to be up on the bar while climbing. That's something that no conventional shifters can do, and what I imagine will catch on with the pros in a year or two, once Shimano makes that option available.
From Shimano's website:
Recently we have announced the electronic road racing components DURA-ACE with Di2
technology. Now an important addition: electronic shifters especially for time trial and triathlon
usage. These products eliminate the need to change hand position for shifting. The rider can
change gears at the base-bar as well as at the bar extensions from now on. The direct result is
saving time and a better
By 'perfectly trimmed', do you mean that the gears are a constantly variable transmission (CVT)? If so, then this is great. Even on my road bike there are gaps in the close ratio derailleur where you can't get just the right gear to spin at the correct cadence.
On my Cannondale Bad Boy 8 commuter bike, I have an 8 speed Shimano Alfine hub gear that has an even bigger jump (massive one between 4 and 5, or possibly 5 and 6). But, I just love the internal geared zero maintenance aspect of it!
I do remember Mavic's attempt in the early to mid nineties. There they were just using a solenoid to operate a standard derailleur. The only real benefit was for tri-bikes that could have shifters on the aero bars as well as the climbing/sprinting bars. There was a weight penalty, and I seem to remember they used to stop/go a bit haywire in the rain!
Still, I have a feeling that the UCI may ban these for pro events -- they seem to have a bit of a downer on most technology. However, I seem to remember that the TdF is not a UCI event (some arguments over drugs, I think), so we could see this in action there.
Pip-pip
It will make the bike lighter for the pros. It's not about lazyness.
It actually makes the bike very slightly heavier - but not by much. The payback is in the rapid shifts, and that they stay perfect even over long periods whereas cable shifts need adjusting. They have been tested, and the Di2 is awesome - can't wait until I can afford one!
Luckily this comes at a time where bikes are so light they're below the weight floor for legal racing. Racers have been adding on PowerTap rear hubs just because they can, still maintaining a super-light bike. It's a good time for pro cycling, gear-wise.
Aside from all the merits already cited for this type of shifting over mechanical shifting there are some future developments that will be beneficial. Think about the first generation of mobile phones and compare them to todays' mobile phones. This is a first step.
The purpose isn't so much about laziness as its about eliminating the mechanics of bicycling from your thought process when you ride, so you can focus more on messages from your body or the road, or traffic or just the scenery. Its what you look for in any well designed device, properties that allow you to stop focusing on the device itself and you begin to focus on the activity.
Just glancing over the pic, I thought it was another accessory for the Nintendo Wii. Especially for the game Wii Fit. lol
George Hincape rode these in the Tour of California this year and said they were fantastic. It's not an issue of laziness, it's all about efficiency and flawless shifting.
Three teams, Team Columbia-High Road, Garmin-Slipstream and Rabobank used this int he Tour of California this year. The reviews by the pro riders were excellent. The ride was 750 miles, and included days of riding in the rain, through snow/slush covered roads, etc. Seems to hav ebeen a pretty good endurance test...
As a rider, I can tell you that the Derailleurs are the most mechanically touchy systems on the face of the planet. Perhaps not so much on road bikes, but when you ride downhill, the slightest error in your cable tension can mean the difference between changing one gear, several gears, or loosing your chain.
I honestly thought it said bike shitter in the title.
Derailleurs are really really sketchy. It's funny, because a chain drive is one of the most efficient machines we can make, but the device that changes gears on a chain drive is pretty easy to piss off, and you do NOT want to be stranded 20 miles from mobile phone service with a bent derailleur arm. So as an experienced rider I can appreciate the electric shifting.
At the same time, I want nothing more than that automatic CVT system designed by Da Vinci and executed for the first time only a few years ago; I think the product was called NuVinci. It automatically adjusts gear ratio through its entire range based on pedal pressure; that way you always have the right amount of resistance for any speed. The only problem with it is you lose some efficiency from a traditional chain drive.
If you have a chain tool with you (you do have a chain tool with you, right?) you can just remove or bypass the derailleur, pick a cog combo, shorten the chain a bit and merrily single speed your way home. Or do it the fun way, push it alongside and hop on a pedal to coast through the flat and downhill sections. Woooo!
Umm.. Isn't the purpose of riding a bike usually for excercise and athletic leisure..?
Didn't read the backlog did you?
Seriously . . .
read the article again
did xbox start making bikes and nobody told me?