I had a Dura-Ace 7800 groupset so dialed in that it did everything electronic shifting is supposed to do so wonderfully today (crisp, precise, flawless & smooth shifting), but without carbon bits, without needing batteries and without worrying about it getting mixed signals. All it required was regular lubing & cables as they wore out.

Mechanical shifting, given its simplicity, looks like an upgrade from electronic shifting...

Mechanical shifting is such a pain in the a**. I can't believe how hard it is to actually press the shift levers, my hands get so tired when riding a couple of hours. And the noise...OMG!! So noisy and distracting. Not to mention, the carbon green house gas impact of mechanical shifting...oops, sorry that an electronic shifting thing. But seriously, mechanical shifting is less profitable for the bike industry. And as cyclists, we need to keep the bike industry going by always buying new stuff, whether we need it or not. And thankfully channels like this keep us feeling inferior for not upgrading to the latest tech which we really don't need. Long live bike industry marketing and their supporters!!!

Excellent video with some very useful insights as I am considering electronic shifting for my next bike

Very definitely 1st world problem video 😂 I would have electronic if I could afford it but I cannot so I have good ol 105

What a great, balanced discussion of the key issues

I bought my first bike with electronic gear shifting at the start of this year (a Cervelo Caledonia) and I absolutely love it. It is so much better than the mechanical systems that I had on previous bikes and I've had no problems with it at all to date. I've not yet needed to charge the battery as I still have a solid green light at the end of my right-hand handle bar. When I do have to, however, it will be a very simple task.

Maintenance? I’d probably count charging batteries and pre-ride checking their charge as maintenance. Also replacing when they come to the end of their useful life. Not sure if it’s any less than cable systems to be honest

honestly after a good few years riding a few to many years i suppose I firmly believe that a well maintained 105 is as good as I need, will swop out my current ultegra for a 105 when it wears out. Spend the money on decent wheels !

I got first gen ultegra Di2 on a second hand bike I bought, recently had battery discharge issues and had to upgrade junction Box before I could even start diagnosis. Turned out being external battery holder so all in all set me back about £300 but all nice new intensity system now

Seeing some of the comments about the superiority of electronic shifting makes me think that the writers have never had an optimally set up mechanical system. I have used Di2 and most of the major manufacturers mechanical systems and find there is little or no difference either in speed or precision of shifting. As for comments about the greater need for adjustment/maintenance of mechanical systems, I've never experienced this - a quick fine-tuning after installing a new cable and that's it for a mechanical system.

I've never regretted switching to Di2. You don't NEED it, but you will love it. As for batteries, I charge it at the beginning of each month.

I checked with several bike shops in Athens for a new Shimano 105 (mechanical) road bike in my size. I have been using 105 in the United States for years. Due to supply chain issues, no 105 road bikes were available, but I was able to find a road bike with SRAM Rival eTap AXS. It was a revelation. Even after riding 105 for years, I sometimes push the wrong lever. The SRAM eTap system seems more intuitive. Also, 105 will produce chain rub when using the extreme cog and chain ring combinations. SRAM eTap is free of chain rub regardless of the gear combination. I have noticed with 105 that I need to adjust the shift cables due to seasonal weather changes to compensate for thermal expansion. I don't expect this to be a problem with SRAM eTap. I will get a SRAM eTap road bike in the United States as soon as my wife agrees I can buy a new bike.

id rather keep my 105 and upgrade my wheels,,that mite actually make a difference to my speed as to fancy electronic shifting which probly wont

Only buy it if you can afford it, it is not necessary to have an Electronic groupset. Mechanical just works fine.

I used di2 for 6 years and went back to DA mechanical 9100 now i enjoy cycling again di2 almost made me hate riding i think the price and inconvenience makes it logical to use mechanical

I have two bikes with di2, and two with mechanical shifting, and I have to say I'm getting more and more tired of mechanical shifting and all it's fiddliness. Sometimes I even consider going back to friction shifting if I really want to keep using mechanical shifting.

Sram Etap is great until the spring in the little battery connector in the front derailleur dies. Sram has no support for the first gen Etap. So you are left with searching for used. Which are currently selling for 150% over new.

So now I need a torque wrench to adjust my seatpost, oily fluids and a syringe for my brakes, weird sticky milk for my tires plus a compressor and a special charger for my shifter. Cool, what else is new?

I've had a Specialized Roubaix for 2 years with Shimano di2 Ultegra and it is fantastic but it's hard to explain

I have a 2022 SRAM FORCE DI2. I have all praise and no complaints except that SRAM Batteries can be very hard and long to initially charge. My solution was to buy generic batteries that are cheaper, faster to charge and seem to last just as long.

I like my Bike O Matic. Mechanical shifting automagically :)

All 3 of my road bikes are Ultegra Di2. I love it!!!! I think that's why I don't ride my mountain bike anymore?

I ride a standert steal frame with ultegra, think about going to the new 105 di2, but the weight is a honest problem for me. Ultegra weight 2300 and 105di2 2900.what u think guys

2 words from the tech world. Proprietary Batteries. Cables will live on. I’d be on board with electronic only if they used the AA battery standard.

How can I order a new charger?

SRAM seems to be the bomb with etap esp the sequential shifts!

*Quality*

SRAM Force, built two bikes and my partner wanted electronic shifting as well... The market is not going back, high-end and mid-end will be electronic and wireless while low-end groupsets will keep the wire.

Today, Oct 22, Shimano 105 has Di2

I ride a lot of long distance loops on hilly rural roads- bit of a grinder- I dont shift much- each hill is a test. I once had clipless pedal body pull off the spindle and had to ride back effectively one legged (my weak one) about 40 k- now do I want to try to troubleshoot problems out there, racing the dusk home with no lights ? while the premium price of that crap I could get something for my wife or kids instead ? All the so-called pros of electric is a con.

Good vid, mech every day, cheaper and easier to use, get on your bike and go!

The question I always ask with cycling tech; is it VFM? And will it make me significantly faster?

Sounds like almost all the downsides are more human error downsides than system downsides. From what I hear that it is mostly price and maintainability that are really system downsides.

I have Dura-Ace Di2 coming from SRAM Red eTap and I can without hesitation say Shimano is better and never has missed a shift. The SRAM would drop the chain either inside or outside the chainrings because it just would not dial in as you put it. I always had to be mindfull of front shifts every time. With Shimano I have become complacent because it works fantastic. I have Campagnolo mechanical on my cyclocross bike and I just can't shift it well anymore because with mechanical it comes down to feel and I lost that. I would never buy another mechanical group and I would never buy SRAM again either.

A big no to electronic shifting for me. I ride my bike everyday, so battery life will a lot lower. If you look at the recharge rates, you only get approx 200 recharges to 100% before degradation starts to set in or capacity becomes lower over time. Recharging or battery replacement for me isn't an option. For example, my head and tail lights are now all Dynohub powered and I'm not going back to buying new batteries The cost over the year(s) for batteries or using any of the rechargable variants is too high to continue. Nothing wrong with mechanical/cable shifting. Can find replacement cable, derailleurs or shifters just about anywhere lbs and at a reasonable cost. Can't make the same statement with electronic shifting setups. To each their own preferences, peace out .

Greatest group ever: Campagnolo Record 10 ErgoPower mechanical

Until they make a solar version which you never have to charge I wouldn't use'em for free.

WHEN IT STARTS COSTING MORE THAN A DECENT BIKE ITS NOT WORTH IT !! A proper set up mechanical works just AS GOOD AND IS LIGHTER easier to fix yourself and most importantly cheaper to replace broken parts !! l dare you to ask the pros which they would rather race with also their mechanics which they prefer to work on !! WE know the new race bikes are super heavy compared to bikes just yrs ago by 1-2 kg and that on the mountain stages makes a difference !!

Through my research, Mechanical to me seems more reliable..

I don’t see the benefit myself. Far too many things to go wrong with electronic shifting. I guess I’m old school. Though I’d love to ride a bike with it, I wouldn’t want to own one. There are so many other things I would rather spend my money on

I’ll take mechanical 12 speed Campag’ over anything else (particularly Shimano 😬) all day long thanks 🤩

Here in the US, people go for SRAM - no cables and the batteries are easier to charge.

I get to see this cable vs electronic situation play out everyday at my private pro shop. Yes, electronics are definitely GREAT in every-way possible, "especially if you are older". It comes down to Shimano Di2 or SRAM wireless as I favor SRAM because it gets rid of all cable/wire problems. Any SRAM wireless system allows older folks to save a ton of money as they can use their older bikes to be "easily" converted to electronic shifting. Where a Shimano Di2 presents a big and very costly wiring plumbing problem(s) unless you purchase an all new bike with Di2 installed. Hey if you have that kind of money yes go for it complete with disc brakes too. Why it's good for older riders is simple.... As you get older (ie 40 plus) hands don't work so great, especially on cold days so pushing a cabled lever is often a very painful proposition, vs a simple touch of the finger. Also shifting on a SRAM wireless system is extremely simple because you only have One button on each lever, vs two tiny buttons on each lever on a Di2 system. Sure initially its a bit expensive but Electronic offers great Long run money savings because there are no more gear wire problems/headaches thus avoiding costly visits to the bike shop. If you think about it, the number one reason having to go to a costly bike shop visit is because of a shifting problem. Electronic shifting virtually eliminates these costly visits. So yes, if you are older and you love to ride your bike, you'll thank me for giving you this advise, and you'll say to your self, "I should have done this long ago"... Enjoy. ( :

switching to electronic shifting? man i am in the process of switching to wireless shifting. shimano no more.

105 Di2 anyone?

Dinosaurs move aside, the electric era is here! Just got the new Sram Rival and it was cost effective and is way better than mechanical! #Electronicgroupsets

I have three road bikes. Two of which have Shimano Di2 groupsets, one is a 10 spd ultegra the other is Dura-Ace 9200 12spd. I only ride the 10 spd. Dura-Ace mechanical shifting bike during the winter months for nostalgia reasons, because electronic shifting bikes are far in away more superior. I equate it to people who prefer six-speed manual transmission cars to feel more connected to driving, however, we all know dual-clutch transmission cars, performs, much better, particularly in high-end supercars ( BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini), etc, everyone knows you can't outperform a dual-clutch electronic transmission system. So let the old heads hold on to the past 👴 🧓 👨. Electronic shifting bikes rule!

Too much. This is too much. I don’t need anything fancy on my bike. Then again, I’m pretty new to this. Let my butt stop hurting first before you talk upgrades, lol.

4:15 youre wrong.

losing your charger? running out of battery? I know a stupid person you can blame for those

Hate electronics. Yuck. I like any vehicle of mine to have as little as possible; if any at all.

The battery doesn't last several hundreds of miles about 10000 clicks would be more better if I was riding on straight road and didn't need to change gears then I would probably get 10000 miles

Not necessary

Cost too much !

I don´t race, so i don´t need any electronic shifting!

Utterly pointless invention for the average cyclist.

It's simply not affordable. Just an expensive trend for dudes that only have one hobby to spend money on. I mean the price comparisons are night and day. You could buy a pretty nice bike for the price of these things. There are NO benefits worth the price difference, period. One bad bail and its junk!