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by greggturkington 1723 days ago
One drawback being how easy today's derailleurs are to adjust and tune with simple tools. Run the cable, set the High, set the Low, and you're done.

> the Ford derailleur appears to be aimed at the e-bike market

...and possibly pros? They mention Di2 in here, I don't know anyone (outside of Freds) that are riding Dura-Ace-level grouppos that actually do their own maintenance, so this probably won't be targeted to enthusiasts.
3 comments
ptmcc 1723 days ago
Di2 (and SRAM's equivalent AXS) has been getting aggressively trickled down the groupset line and the price has been dropping precipitously. It's a bit obscured by the ongoing supply chain issues, though.

Electronic shifting will become a standard, or at least a common option, on mid-range 105/Rival bikes ($2-4k) within the next few years most likely. The same way hydraulic disc brakes have trickled down over the past several years.

I still ride mechanical myself, but have friends with electronic shifting and they rave about it. It's nearly zero maintenance because it's self-adjusting. Just lube it and clean it, and replace the chain every few thousand miles.

Even though electronic shifting may be "better" I still find a beautiful simplicity in the all-mechanical nature of a bicycle.

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wolverine876 1723 days ago
> I still ride mechanical myself

Is that a term now? It is no longer that the norm a bicycle, and you have to specify if it's uses electricity. Now you specify that you ride "mechanical"?

The world is changing or the e-bike sellers are doing some great marketing.

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ptmcc 1723 days ago
I was referring to my derailleurs being traditional cable-pull mechanical instead of electronic, not e-bikes.

I think human-powered bikes are still the assumed norm, but the surging popularity of e-bikes may start challenging that soon, especially for practical purposes as opposed to recreational purposes.

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maxekman 1723 days ago
Di2 is available for other models also; Alfine internal gear hub and GRX gravel series to name a few.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/product/component/alfine-s705...

https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/product/component/grx-di2.htm...

[edit: links and XT->GRX]

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wiredfool 1723 days ago
DI2 is not just Dura-ace. Ultegra, GRX and XTR have it (at least, if you can get the parts).

Sram has AXS all the way down to rival, which is 105 level.

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