It's easy to be a luddite, Especially to us British, compared to our European neighbours we are easily 6 years behind when it comes to ebikes and their usage ( don't even get started on wine, coffee, food and lifestyle) BUT since the year dot progress is progress and will not be stopped. Value ??? When in the real world has value EVER had anything to do with cycling!! for most of us who cycle for competition/ pleasure/relaxation/fitness/companionship/and our mental health ??Have the best you can have when it comes to your best bicycle, because this is your passion and also it's mental & physical health. and those two things you can't put a pound sign on . If ( and i get it ) the feel of something mechanical that is perfectly adjusted floats your boat then yes go for cable operated , and also the maintenance / tuning of it may also hold pride & contentment ..... BUT in that case IF something working perfectly does float your boat then electronic shifting DOES work perfectly EVERYTIME. And where you wont be needing to maintain it , you can spend that time instead playing with the settings which are almost infinite to get it perfected for you and your riding style instead, OR the next ride that you are planning . ELECTRONIC shifting is simply the way to go .

I've been riding for nearly 60 years and have never broken a gear cable. However I've been knocked off a few times and fallen off more than a few times and prefer the cost of mechanical replacements rather than the expense of electronic components. I'll stick with mechanical. It just works.

One of the joys for me on a bike is mechanically moving those derailleurs and feeling the shifts. For me it's all about being part of the machine not just about being an operator.

Im still on 10 speed ultegra and 11 speed aram GX. Its absolutely great. No charging, no batteries running flat because a strap was over the shifter button. I can fix and service cable my self and it is a lot cheaper. Electronic might be a bit better, but its not for me.

I used to have ultegra Di2 until one day my bike fell over from leaning against a wall; rear mech never worked again. Went back to mechanical, never been happier.

I met a professional rider who was fuming at the way the electronics failed at a crucial stage of a race. He said, stuff the sponsors...when I'm in race mode, I want bullet proof reliability. And that is cable connected gear changes.

I've switched from a 2x to a 1x mechanical groupset and I gotta say, some of the downsides of mechanical shifting are taken care of by that. It's so much easier to index the gears now and takes about a minute. And since I'm a weekend warrior I don't care much about the performance. If it works, it works. What I do care about is availability and affordability of parts. So I guess I'll stick with mechanical for a while.

I've had di2 for ages and even though mechanical was fun and tactile I'll never go back. Di2 for life.

I use mechanical 105 shifting. I've done test rides on bikes with electronic shifting. I guess it's fine but I just don't get what the big deal is. People act like it's this huge upgrade and I'm like, meh. I think I'm just old fashioned. If I can use a bike with no electronics: no power meter, no bike computer, no electronic shifting, then that's what I'm going to do. I like having a bike be a purely mechanical, relatively simple machine.

I'm a 77 yo for whom fiddling with mechanicals is part of the fun. My main bike is a 2003 Lemond Tormelet. The mix of 105 and Deore 3x7 shifts perfectly. One can do the micro shift on front mech by adjusting the limit screw just past the resting shift position. In fact, that's essential for a good shift. It helps to have robust hands. My mate with hand arthritis does have Di2 and loves it. He has had all the issues mentioned. Dead battery, intermittent cable issues, etc. When dust had fouled his chain so the rear stopped shifting we did not consider a mechanical issue till getting the bike on a stand. This is he best review of the issues I've seen.

While you mentioned that electronic shifting is more certain, one thing I have noticed on my daily 13 mile each way commute across London is that the shifting certainty means that I change gear more often, I don't sit in the "wrong" gear anymore because changing gear is so reliable. My speed is slightly increased and my perceived effort is reduced.

Ive got over 60 high end bikes from 12spd DA to 9spd record. Main thing is a straight hanger and properly tuned gears. Best groupset overall is 7800. IYKYK.

Tried electronic for 2000kms & compared to mechanical couldn't wait to get rid of it. Main cons: gotta regularly recharge, more expensive, replacement parts cost more, less connected with the bike...For the professional peloton it makes sense but for casual & leisure cyclists it's overkill imho

Kudos to this post. I am an old rider using mechanical. I prefer the feel and force it takes to actuate the levers and I can service them all myself. I still have a mean handshake at 60yrs and am not a fan of electronic shifters or disc brakes. I can already lock up and skid with rim brakes just fine. Thank you for the content!

While I don't regret going electronic on my Road Bike I admit to being a little underwhelmed by Di2. I never had issues with shifting or setting up mechanical, I actually quite like setting up/indexing gears. Never had a cable snap that I can remember, had a SRAM force return spring go once, took me a while to figure out why my rear mech' was automatically climbing the cassette! I think I listened to much to the "YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK" people and expected to blown away but at the end of the day, you push a thing, and a thing moves a chain that's it! I know there's "synchro" and auto trim but I've been shifting 2X for 30 years my brain and muscle memory does that. I'll admit it shifts better and I like the satellite buttons for when I relax on the tops and settle into a long climb, (I'm one of the 3 or 4 people on the planet that purchased the Garmin remote who didn't hate it so I don't care about that function) but for me its just not the game changer or deal braker I expected and I'm not clambering to upgrade my mech' bikes any time soon. I have a similar opinion on Rim Vs Disc Brakes, but being a 54kg whippet, I suspect Sir Isaac Newton has something to do with that one 😆

I loved my 1970 Cinella full campy downtube levers, five speed cassette, tubular tires ( oh the glorious sound of silk tires humming at speed), rim brakes, and quick release with drop outs that did NOT need the skewers to be turned. The wheel just drops out. In the early days we did not even have speedometers! The most noticeable improvement in tech are the clipless pedals and shoes vs toe clips😊

I've been riding for 60 years and always embraced new tech, index gears (remember them?), brake shifters and now electronic gears. I've used etap for six years now with not a single problem. Price, don't care! Batteries, I carry a spare but have never used it. Shifting in the cold is dead easy. I am a minimalist so love the lack of stuff you get with etap. No cables on the bars, no cables in the frame or near the wheels. I wish I'd had them when I was racing in Yorkshire back in the day. I was always missing the break up the hill cause I couldn't find the right gear, at least that was my excuse.

I 100% prefer the mechanical shifting because of following reasons: - cheaper - more direct connection to your bicycle - no batteries to be charged - no batteries added to the mountain of waste

I'm almost 50 yo now and got a SRAM Force etap. Money can buy happiness... I might not be faster, but I simply love the electronic sequential shifting. Cheers!

I’m fully satisfied with all the clarifications between E shifting and mechanical. I was thankful I hang around on my mechanical shifters, it works for me. I subscibe to your channel.

I bought an electronic rear derailleur (SRAM GX AXS) for my MTB. It’s works well and is solid enough, but… if you aren’t diligent, you can forget to charge or lose a battery. Then you’re screwed on a ride. The contacts springs on my derailleur failed and wouldn’t connect with the battery, creating problems on a ride. They warrantied the derailleur, but I wasn’t comfortable with the cons vs the pros. If you break the derailleur, it’s about $500 min to replace. I do love how it cleans up the bike and simplifies it (less cables, easy to remove and clean). I went back to mechanical and used Shimano SLX on my new bike. I don’t miss electronic. Rest assured, electronic is mostly about making much larger margins for the brands. Less about being that much better.

I just got my first bike with an electronic groupset, and I will never go back to mechanical. In terms of batteries, there is an easy solution: Use SRAM electronic group sets, such as Rival (most affordable), Force or Red (most expensive), rather than Di2. The SRAM batteries are way cheaper and easier to replace and charge. In fact, that was one of the reasons I got SRAM, including the ability to take a spare battery on my long rides. Regarding the difference in price point of mechanical vs electronic group sets, that is just part of the game, save for an extra couple of months and enjoy! Life is short!

Nice perspective. The 2 genuinely high level racers I know, though, both run mechanical. Their bikes go in and out of cars/vans every weekend, and they've both had issues with batteries dying and/or finding themselves trying to diagnose an electronic gremlin at 1am in a hotel room. They both agree Di2 is objectively better, but it's once bitten, twice shy.

I ride a Specialized Roubaix Comp with SRAM Rival eTap shifting. SRAM has two advantages over Shimano, in my opinion. First, there is but one shift lever under each brake lever, so there is no fussing about trying to find the smaller level like with Di2. Second, if you do not check battery levels frequently enough and get caught on the road with a dead battery (and it WILL happen, hopefully only once!), it will be the one on the rear derailleur that is used more frequently. At this point, one merely selects the front chain wheel one uses more (the large if you are like me and do not do enormous hills!) then swap the batteries on the front and rear derailleurs, which will allow you to continue to shift on the cassette and get home, hopefully not letting it happen again! I upgraded to this bike last year from a 2018 Roubaix and do not regret it for a moment!

I thought I don’t need it, but now that I have it I don’t want to go back to old tech. I absolutely love it. As a matter of fact, I also bought a mountainbike with electronic shifting.

I have made the switch to Di2 and I have to say I like it better. Especially when doing climbs or just reacting to an attack in a race. It is an instant shift. Smooth and just feels good. I do wish the industry would still provide both. I do not like how they so quickly phase out old mostly reliable components. Same with disc brakes. Would be cool to still be able to buy a super lightweight rim brake bike new. I properly charged battery last a long time and hasn't been an issue for me. It also charges pretty fast as well. Overall, to me, it is worth the cost difference. As far as the electric cable for the front derailleur I taped it to my seat tube and so it is safely out of the way. I did have one rub up against my rear tire and it came close to fraying it in two before I noticed it. Luckily, I caught it in time, and it still works.

I think it depends - as most things - on the use case. I would recommend it on road bikes as the shifting really is super smooth, no maintenance due to wore out cables, no adjustments anymore once it's setted up. (the battery is very long lasting and durable as well) But I wouldn't recommend it for gravel/offroad bikes as it seems a bit fragile to me in case of falling down or collisions with roots or whatever...

There is a third option: the so called non-existing shifting. It's even faster than electronic shifting, no cables, charging, internal routing etc. needed. It's a marvelous system. Some also know it as the "single speed or fixed gear system"

That announcement was really clear and convincing. Thank you 🙏.

What you said around 3:20 about over shifting; that's how you shift on the old lever style top tube and down tube shifters. That's cool they programmed it into indexed gears

your presentations are not boring. thank you❤

Electronic + Wireless like what you get with SRAM on a Triathlon Rig is a game changer where you can have multiple points to have gear changers to maintain your position.

What a great channel, I thought your video explanation was perfect, thank you! I still use mechanical groupsets for my training and race (sportive) bikes and I have been riding seriously for over 30 years, so I am unlikely to change now. But I also have an ebike for riding around London and this has disc brakes and Di2 Alfine hub gears and is an absolute joy to ride. Almost no maintenance and superb braking on a heavy bike. What I really like is that I can stop at a traffic light and shift to 1st gear when stationary and the display shows me which gear I'm in.

I picked up a tt bike with di2 last year and it’s made my road bike with mechanical borderline unrideable because the electronic is just so much better. Perfect shift every time, it just never messes up. I get so aggravated on my road bike having to feather the shifter to try to micro adjust when it mis-shifts. Now I’m in the market for a used di2 groupo so that I’m not so mad on my road bike 😂

I embraced hydrolic disc brakes, but so far, I've resisted electronic shifting and the move to proprietary parts with fully integrated cables and hoses. Wanted a new bike so i got a modern steel Fairlight Strael v3 in mechanical 11 speed Ultegra. All cables and hoses routed externally, threaded BB, and standard bar, stem and seatpost. Couldn't be happier and if something breaks i can easily fix it myself with minimal fuss or cost. Interestingly I've noticed some online articles and videos recently promoting the benefits of good old fashioned friction shifting. Generally i do wonder if there’s a growing movement to keep bikes as simple as possible and definitely a feeling that things have got way too expensive for what should be a simple and eco friendly machine.

Great advice - thank you!

Been riding close to 40 years now. I can't recall once having a shift cable fail during a ride. I have an Ultegra DI2, a Sram Red 10 speed, and a Campy Chorus 12 speed. The old Sram Red sucks. It has never shifted to my satisfaction. The DI2 is without complaint. But the Chorus 12 is by far my favorite. Each shift is crisp. I change gears under full pressure without problems. I love the range of gears. I even run an FSA crank with 54/34. The whole setup cost me 1/2 of any 12 speed electronic set would have cost. Ultimately the real question is which setup makes you faster and happier? Personally I feel faster and happier having more money in my pocket to buy additional speed or those super expensive nutrition bars and energy gels.

Long live mechanical shifting and rim brakes! Electronics are expensive. Also, it transforms bikes into electronic gadgets that go into the bin like a phone, rather than a life-long love affair.

I used the old version of sram red etap wireless and I loved it actually. Very crisp in shifting and quick.

I've been cycling 50+ years. I have never had a gear cable break or had one that needed replacing or any maintainence, outside of the end of it getting frayed. There are people on a mission in this World to introduce complexity, when simplicity is the way to go.

Here's another hit for electric shifting:. My buddy was on his backup bike...He forgot to unplug his di2 when taking his other bike out of the van and that wrecked his rear derailleur. No longer able to charge it so it had to be replaced. He had to take the bike 70miles to the shop and they kept it while waiting for a replacement. 10 days later and another 70 miles, plus $500+ for the part. Not a thing with mechanical systems

As I write this comment, I'm sitting at 11 22 in time in the video . Had this thought that I've learned more from this video that you made. Then I have in years and years of watching GCN. I'm just saying great job make more 🤯.

Having just bought a bike with mechanical as my electric group set bike broke I can definitely say I’m swapping back to electric as it crisper changes and easier to change on hills.

I was actually dismissing electronic shifting as a gimmick. After seeing all the advantages here, I am starting saving up for one. Even though it's a lot of money extra, I think it's worth it, when you get older like me with a little arthritis.

Great video! Love all your output…. Very easy to understand! Thanks!

Downside of electronic is your locked into a techno trap of needing a phone or device, internet, accounts, firmware updates, the money for all of those things. I feel it leads to more expensive bikes overall. Plus if your like me and tech minimalist like myself sort of locks you out of that's product. Comes from my experience of not having a job for a bit and needing cheap transport to get back onto my feet financially.

Great discussion, thank you ! You slipped it a comment that may have gone past more then a few people, "if you are racing"... are you consistently operating at the top end of your fitness range and competing, you will want every available advantage, in that case, electronics and discs might be down your alley. Been on a bike and racing since the mid 70's, the technology back then obviously was very rudimentary, I remember seeing the first Regina 6 speed block and being excited. Everyone rode 531C frames and Campy, that's all there was to be. proper cyclist. STI changed everything, before that the phenomena of Look clip less pedals, I was first off the rank with both, what they did for my racing was amazing, out of the saddle and shifting... yow I've stayed with mechanical all this time, although I switched back to Campagnolo when Ergopower came out. I stopped racing ten years ago, I still train hard and put in the kms, but have yet to fins a substantial reason as to why electric shift would be of benefit to me now, I just don't need it.... I did, road test a top of the range Cervelo not that long ago with the SRAM group, tubeless tyres and all that palaver.... you know, it was okay.. nothing there to justify the eye watering price of either the complete bike, or the group. where I live, in Chiang Mai, has a robust and very active cycling community full of young turks, some very very good, who like to have their S Works, Pinarellos and Cervelos, with disc brakes and full Di2. And of course, the correct shoes and clothing. I'm digressing but the only real point is that, to me, my 11 speed Campy Chorus mechanical group works a treat, I can fix it myself if needed, rebuilding the shifters is easy, I have never yet been stuck out in the sticks praying for a phone signal ... Cheers, mate

Thank you so much! Pressure from mates to go electronic but I have resisted. I will stay with the mechanical 105 for the new bike I am getting. This info made my mind up. Cheers!

Fantastic explanation, very helpful!

I have a Shimano 11 speed. electronic switching. I recently switched to this type of switching. But I can say that compared to the mechanics, the electronic group works clearly. For me, the difference is palpable. The only minus of this system is the price.

Before I even watch the vid im going to say, although I really liked the mech groupset I had,,, I LOVE the electronic groupset I now have.

Well done video. I was thinking about electronic shifting but you've convinced me that it really is;nt worth it in my case. I've had a few companions whose battery died on a ride and it was a disappointment for them. A well tuned and cleaned mech system is what I'm sticking with. Thanks for a well balanced explanation.

I like my axs X0 on my eMTB and yes, I had a purely mechanical shifting previously over 50 years, but with the new pod, I shift even more relaxed 🙂

Great vid. Short answer to the question: Yes, it's worth it to upgrade to electronic. I've never had a dead battery, it shifts the same way every time, and it's far easier to shift while you're in the middle of an effort, or braking. No brainer.

I recently bought a new carbon disc bike. $2100. Full mech Ultegra. Same bike Di2 105 was $600 more. Just an incredible deal for smooth shifting, durable, classic and easy to maintain drivetrain. Would I like di2? Sure. But with this deal I’ll save the money.

I was complaining about my r8020 hydraulic ultegra but after your video I started appreciate this group 😊

It is worth it. Let’s embrace the goodness of new technology. I was agains electronic systems until I try it and I love it. Now I want it in all my bikes.

I saw no purpose for electronic shifting until I got a bike that came with it. Now that I use it, I absolutely love it. Effortlessly shifting, no missed shifts, no adjusting. Would not want to go back to mechanical.

SRAM Rival is my setup. The biggest help I've had with it that I didn't anticpate, was the rear being totally wireless makes it really easy to remove the mech when I pack my bike for travel.

I am too disabled to use mechanical shifting and side pull brakes. I had to stop in 2014 because I could no longer ride *down* hills. But I bought a crazy expensive Specialized S-Works Diverge ($8500 for Di2 + hydraulics in 2015), and that next year I rode 20,000km. As to wearing electronic doodads out: even though I wear out carbon bikes, I’ve never worn out a Di2 part (I average around 15,000km/year). I did break a SRAM Red front derailleur once but it was due to my bad hands stripping an Allen head bolt. My opinion, for what it’s worth (and this is what I tell my friends who are thinking about going electronic): you don’t need it unless you’re disabled like me. It’s super nice and I highly recommend it if you can afford it, but otherwise don’t bother.

Tired of British people online telling me how to ride a bike. Sure they speak English but as a country they don’t have the depth in road racing despite wiggins/half froome. This guy does. He makes the best argument and hits all the pertinent points. One of the better Brits online that I’ve seen.

I did Unbound 200 last year on my first Di2 bike and it was an amazing decision for many reasons - particularly hand fatigue!

You’re the first person I’ve seen explaining properly how electronic shifting works. Thanks. I’ll stick with mechanical , for now, though

Solid points!

I ride in a fairly salty road group, traded in my Cervelo S3 11 speed mechanical for a Cervelo Caledonia 5 with sram e tap 12 speed. Electronic shifting is instantaneous front and back. This helps immensely when riding with a fast pace road group, especially attacking hills. You are spot on, the e tap is totally brainless, just discovered your Chanel and am subscribing, keep up the good work👍✌🏼

"Does it make your life easier?" Was pretty much all I needed to hear! 😆 (I already migrated half of my bikes to SRAM Eagle AXS anyway, but still nice to hear it should stay easier, because everything always works fine when new. 😉)

Is electronic shifting worth it? No. Do I need it? No. Do I want it? Yes!

I’m a di2 convert. It’s just great. Really is. I won’t be going back. Not sure why anyone would think a 1500 mile charge cycle would be a problem. Love the full synchro shifting. 👌🏻

Excellent Video matte. Spot on about the balance, not favoring at all. Cheers from Brazil!

If you choose a SRAM electronic group set you could very easily change the batteries when they are worn out and if one battery goes dry during your ride you can change it with the other battery and still be able to change your rear gears and you can take the batteries of and charge them inside.

I've got Sram etap, had it amazingly 5yrs, I got it as I really wanted it then, I love the logical left easy right hard aspect of shifting. Whereas di2 keeps the mechanical aspect; right rear up and down the back gears and left front gears - for me, the Sram stuff is better. I'm still getting a month out of it and even I'm amazed, still at every shift, tho it's reduced but theirs nothing like it 👌

As a bike mechanic, I can tell you my main problem with electronic groupsets is availability, and maintain ability. Why make something but not make enough replacement parts. And the comparability!! It’s electronic they should all be compatible. You should be able to use Ultegra 10 speed Di2 FD with the latest ultegra groupset it’s just a solenoid!!! Their software is crap…

thank you, I have learned a lot from this video!

A well set up and maintained 105 11s works flawlessly. The main problem is the drive to internal cables leaving a tortuous route from shifter to mech that just adds resistance and inaccuracies develop. I'm even using TRP compressionless cables and TRP Spyre brakes and they work perfectly too. There is one situation whereby I could give SRAM kudos and that's for going wireless, and the ability to mix and match road STI's with MTB derailleurs so if you want to tune your gearing for where you live it's simple, no silly long b-screws and mech extenders and all those bodges...

I ride a bike with downtime shifters and recently got a chance to ride a bike with ultegra mechanical, during a fast group ride, and I have to say the smoother shifting ability definitely makes me faster!

I live in the hills and being able to shift in any position is awesome. Yes, keep it clean, but that goes for anything. I assume most have lights, radar, etc. Charging derailleur batteries is an afterthought. I have Sram Rival AXS. You can still ride hours after the light on the derailleur goes from green to amber.

What a great video, so glad I found your channel. I think you put a great case for mechanical, though I’m still gonna go Di2…because I can! 😁👍🏻 Blessings from Dorset.🙏😎👍🏻

I run a mix of Rival (FD), Red (RD), and Force (Shifters). Incredible difference to my experience with mechanical over the years. Shifts flawlessly every time. Perfect too if you’re not comfortable servicing gear cables and making adjustments on a regular basis. Very reliable so far and the battery lasts a long time.

I have a red etap 22 on my Cannondale. The Problem is the battery. The Sram shifting is much more intuitive than Shimano and you cannot mistake. And in the winter battery will got empty earlier. The Ultegra 8000 was the best Groupset I ever had.

I didn't gel with Di2 at all even without gloves on. I found myself hitting the harder gear too often when on a steep climb in Portugal. Even after two weeks on the bike (Scott Addict) I still made the same error. I'm sure I'd eventually get used to it but I love bikepacking across Europe and love the push of the lever too much to change. I use 1x GRX as I dislike changing the front ring. Excellent points you made, fully agree with all 😊

Well thought out video. Enjoyed it.

i dont mind electronic shifting, im just against the price as it stands now. It's a ripoff

Great video, thanks. Far better than the GCN tech coverage of the same subject. However... two things really. 1) Cost. At £750 more than mechanical, for bikes under £3K that most of us ride, it is going to mean significantly poorer components elsewhere, where it matters more: frame, wheels. 2) Complexity and Reliability. Less complex is better (always) - and simplicity is the essence of bicycle design. More complexity = less reliability (always). electronics anywhere on a bicycle is less reliable in the long term - so I don't agree with you on this. Over several years of riding in all weathers water gets in to Di2 connections and components, and then they die, usually suddenly, and you need new ones = complex and £big. On a mechanical the shifting gets gradually worse, so you notice and you put in new inner cables = easy and £small. Over recent years watching/riding/supporting the Fred Whitton I have seen loads more DNF than previously - almost all due to Di2 failures and not flat batteries either.

If you have a Tri-Rig there’s nothing like going electric with remote shift buttons, keeping your hands and aero position in place and that smooth shifting. Probably the best application for Electric.

Absolutely worth every penny. On my 22 day tour. I was the only one with ZERO mechanical issues. And yes, poor shifting and broken shifter cables were seen in other traditional bikes.

The fun part is they are slowly phasing out mechnical shifting in general. Any quality bike a step up from the lowest tier now seem to have a price spike due to e-shifters

I will switch to electronic once it will become cheaper than mechanical. And trust me, it will. Currently it looks like the levers themselves are only slightly more expensive, but then the electronic shifters are signicantly more expensive. In order to fully reap the benefits of electronic it needs to be fully wieless! No half measures like the cables that you still need to run from shifters into the battery. So, in summary, we just need to wait a little longer, it is not the time yet.

Thankyou for info

Everyone should put down at least 2k miles in a mechanical groupset before ever touching an electric one. Reason one being, you should learn to understand shifting and the aspects of the groupset. Reason two being itll make you journey with the bike more fun when you get that electric upgrade, if you decide to get it.

I’ve ridden DI2 for the last few years alongside Dura Ace 9100 mechanical. I tended to choose the mechanical bike as I prefer the ergonomics of the hoods and the gear changes are just as smooth. I’ve now sold both DI2 bikes and have gone mechanical on all my bikes. Gear cables with a modern group set are totally reliable and never need adjustment. There is no worry about electronics packing up like a Dura Ace lever did on me. The amount of times I’ve been on group rides and someone’s battery goes flat, it last happened last weekend.

I changed to electronic wireless shifting. Benefits: no cables anymore, no temperature issue with cable tension anymore. You set it up once and it is always accurate, shifting is fantastic especially when you do a technical curvy road and you need slow down and speed up, and the compensation shifting when you change gear at front then rear gears are adjusted. I will never go back to mechanical.

DI2 is allready over 10 years old. Professional cyclists use it because of the precision, speed and adjustability of the system. Di2 offers advantages such as smooth shifting, precise transitions between gears and automatic adjustments for optimal chain tension.The electronic system is less susceptible to cable breaks and disruptions than traditional mechanical shifting systems. Di2 systems have LED lights (apps)that alert the cyclist to battery status and switching mode. If you don't live in a thirdworld country you will be fine getting replacement parts, nowadays you can order abroad. It is understandable that many people are concerned about the disappearance of craft skills in a world that is becoming increasingly automated and digitized. While advancement and technology offer many benefits, they can also lead to the loss of traditional crafts and skills that have often been passed on for generations. However, it is important to remember that technology and craft skills do not necessarily have to exclude each other. Modern technology can be used to improve, automate craft processes or offer new creative possibilities. So it is not so much a matter of 'hating', but rather of finding a balance between tradition and progress. Many people still appreciate the craftsmanship and authenticity that come with handmade products, and there are communities and initiatives that seek to maintain and promote craft skills. So as the world evolves, it's important to recognize and appreciate the value of both traditional crafts and modern technology.

The questions "is it worth it" and "do you need it" are impossible to answer. It depends on your preferences and what you had to do to get the extra money. All I can say is that I just got a bike with SRAM Rival electronic shifting, and I love it! I've got it in sequential mode, so it changes the front derailleur automatically to avoid cross chaining. Not having to think about cross chaining is surprisingly enjoyable. I don't have to think about what cog I'm in on the back, If it's too easy to pedal hit the right shifter, if it's too hard hit the left shifter. That's it! Blip blip! It makes riding fun and makes me want to go ride, so it's doing it's job.

Call me old school, bit i still prefer the mechanical setup. It works absolutely great. If its not broken what is there to fix? This electrification technology lost its appeal for me. I'm starting to feel like its being forced down my throat.

Do i need di2...no, do I want di2..... yes

WOOW FANTASTIC! GREAT JOB MAN!

Very good vid ! I'm not ready for it yet Lol but now I know more details and thanks for this !

I have Di2 since 2015 and I personally love it. Yes it can have small issues and can be mare for people new to it when these issues arrive. I do love that you can interchange Dura Ace, Ultegra, XTR, XT and GRX (talking 11 speed), to make you perfect set up. For example, on my road bike, I use the XT display. This shows my gear and battery status, so avoids and power issues. It also doubles up as the Wireless sender and junction port. Shame this is not on 12 speed as yet, so will stick with 11 in the meanwhile. I agree not cheap, but not changing now.

My first electronic group set is Ultegra 11 speed Di2 on my 2022 bmc road machine. First road bike with discs and just love them both. Very rare does my campy 10 speed record mech equipped Ti bike get an outing these days. I keep the mech set in very good condition, recently replaced the cables etc, however the electronic set is just crisper, no hassles with the front derailleur, and over all I just prefer the feel of the shifts. I am 68, so have had a few group sets in my time . Each to their own though

Only Di2 was considered in this video, and some negatives were ''cables disconnecting", "cables hitting tire and wearing", and "battery going flat". AXS doesn't suffer those issues (well, SRAM batteries can go flat too, but you normally have two on the bike, so the limp in the limp-home is much less severe). Despite that, I actually have an AXS bike and a mechanical bike, and I like both equally.