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Bike Nerds Rejoice

Feb 23, 2005
436
2
Spokanada
From Wired Magazine:
Japanese parts manufacturer Shimano is launching an electronic shifting system for high-end road bikes that it claims will vastly improve performance and reduce maintenance. By replacing the conventional levers that pull wound-steel cables through protective housings with solid-state switches and rubber-coated wires, there's no chance for road gunk to clog things up and interfere with shifting, or, for that matter, your post-ride beer.

The principle of an electronically controlled drive train is to execute perfect shifts every time, thus "reducing mental overhead," in the words of Shimano marketing manager Devin Walton. This is a resource cyclists find in short supply during epic rides.

Thursday's announcement that the system, called Di2, will hit shops in January 2009 settles a question first raised in 2005 when prototypes began cropping up on the bikes of select Shimano-sponsored racers in the pro peloton. The system's development has been photographed, chronicled and Angsted over ever since.

But if the existence of electronic shifting comes as no surprise, its weigh-in certainly should. During a recent telephone interview, an industry insider who spoke on condition of anonymity stopped cold amid a why-do-we-need-this diatribe, upon learning that Di2 weighs less than Shimano's current generation of parts. According to the company, Di2 will be 67 grams lighter than the current Dura-Ace 7800 and only 68 grams heavier than Dura-Ace 7900, the snazzy forthcoming 2009 suite of parts. "I'll be going to hell," said the source, who then fell silent -- no doubt converting grams to ounces to fractions of a pound to the limitless advantages of such weight savings. That's at least an extra Clif Bar.
Di2's front derailleur automatically adjusts itself so the chain doesn't rub as you shift.

Shimano plans to offer the electronic setup as an upgrade option within the 7900 group -- which is preselling for $2,600 -- so parts such as the two-tone cranks and brakes will be the same. (No word yet on the additional cost for electric; it could be double.) Di2 consists of two brake-and-shift levers, two derailleurs whose springs have been replaced by servo-motors, a 7.4-volt lithium-ion battery pack, and the wiring harness that connects everything.

The derailleurs, whose job is to move the chain from gear to gear as you shift, talk to each other and automatically adjust so the chain doesn't rub. They also calibrate themselves, so you don't have to play with cable tension to maintain shift quality as cables stretch and the chain and cogs wear. And although the control buttons have been placed in the traditional location behind the brake levers -- so as not to confuse anyone or overly tax that mental overhead -- they could be integrated with the ends of time-trial bars, the top of the handlebars or just about anywhere a rider might find convenient.
Mentions a wiring harness so I am assuming you will have to run connections. $2600 for the new 7900 gruppo and probably double for the electronic?!?!?! Crazy.
 

ridiculous

Turbo Monkey
Jan 18, 2005
2,907
1
MD / NoVA
Im imagining the day I can hack into someones shifting system from a chase car and cause the biggest peleton crash ever. I dont know why that came to my mind first.
 

How

Monkey
Sep 10, 2001
195
0
Area 51
Something I think about is that quite a few auto makers who went drive by wire=fail, but then again never doubt Japanese Ingenuity.

Me? I ride single speed lol.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Im imagining the day I can hack into someones shifting system from a chase car and cause the biggest peleton crash ever. I dont know why that came to my mind first.
Im imagining a Swedish hacker on the side of the road with a wireless jammer...
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
The new system is not wireless. From Velonews:

"Except when it comes to downloading the on-board computer to a PC, the system is not wireless. It powers each derailleur through a wiring harness rather than adding the complexity of wireless transmitters and receivers. To have been wireless, each component would have required a separate battery, which would have added weight, and each receiver/transmitter would have consumed battery life at a higher rate."

http://www.velonews.com/article/81107/shimano-s-electronic-dura-ace

I ain't no expurt but since it's not wireless I think it would be pretty tough to hack. Personally I am intrigued and would like to check it out, but it'll be a while before I move away from a mechanical system.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
The new system is not wireless. From Velonews:

"Except when it comes to downloading the on-board computer to a PC, the system is not wireless. It powers each derailleur through a wiring harness rather than adding the complexity of wireless transmitters and receivers. To have been wireless, each component would have required a separate battery, which would have added weight, and each receiver/transmitter would have consumed battery life at a higher rate."

http://www.velonews.com/article/81107/shimano-s-electronic-dura-ace

I ain't no expurt but since it's not wireless I think it would be pretty tough to hack. Personally I am intrigued and would like to check it out, but it'll be a while before I move away from a mechanical system.
A low yield nuclear weapon would set off a electromagnetic pulse, known as EMP, would would disable the shifting of even wired systems.

I assume the racers would die though from either the explosion or the radiation, making the disruption of their shifting moot.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,558
24,181
media blackout
A low yield nuclear weapon would set off a electromagnetic pulse, known as EMP, would would disable the shifting of even wired systems.

I assume the racers would die though from either the explosion or the radiation, making the disruption of their shifting moot.
Tour de Zombie?
 

Spokompton

Monkey
May 15, 2005
321
0
Spokane WA
So the only selling point is that is stays clean?

Uhh, kinda seems like the wrong bike market. Wouldn't MTB be more into this?


I'm gonna cry when someone tries making wireless brakes for bikes. Bad enough someone tried making a hydro system actuated by cables. :imstupid: