EPS (and thumb shifters)

[jpw]

So i was out test riding EPS yesterday. Loved just about everything about it, except for one little quibble.

When my hands are on the hoods and the webbing between thumbs and first fingers are nicely up against the back of the 'horns' i find it not easy to reach for the thumb shifters, even though they are positioned only a little back and down from my thumbs. I find myself having to make an awkward swivel of the wrist to press the shifters with the pads of my thumbs, or else i have to slide my hands slightly back along the hoods to get the thumb print in the right place to apply downward pressure.

This quibble aside, EPS is rather nice. Nicer that Di2. Totally intuitive shifting arrangement, and sweeping across the entire cassette with one hold down is an excellent feature. I even found that with my hands on the tops i could operate the thumb shifters with my little fingers.

Any word about possible enhancements to the EPS range for 2014? I know about the V2 battery.

[oldpotatoe]

So i was out test riding EPS yesterday. Loved just about everything about it, except for one little quibble.

When my hands are on the hoods and the webbing between thumbs and first fingers are nicely up against the back of the 'horns' i find it not easy to reach for the thumb shifters, even though they are positioned only a little back and down from my thumbs. I find myself having to make an awkward swivel of the wrist to press the shifters with the pads of my thumbs, or else i have to slide my hands slightly back along the hoods to get the thumb print in the right place to apply downward pressure.

This quibble aside, EPS is rather nice. Nicer that Di2. Totally intuitive shifting arrangement, and sweeping across the entire cassette with one hold down is an excellent feature. I even found that with my hands on the tops i could operate the thumb shifters with my little fingers.

Any word about possible enhancements to the EPS range for 2014? I know about the V2 battery.

Thumb buttons being what they are, ya either like 'em or don't. The EPS ones are longer/lower, to allow shifting from the drops a little easier.

The V2 battery is a 2014 item..nothing else for EPS..new Interface along with the battery since all the diagnostic lights are on the interface rather than the battery.

[Ahneida Ride]

take a look at Retroshift


http://www.retroshift.com/

[oldpotatoe]

take a look at Retroshift


http://www.retroshift.com/

and then get EPS or Di2.....

[FlashUNC]

take a look at Retroshift


http://www.retroshift.com/

and then get EPS or Di2.....

"Hey guys, I was looking at this new Porsche, and I have a couple minor questions/observations about it."

"You should look at a horse and buggy. Those are way better."

[jpw]

and then get EPS or Di2.....

quite so

[Joachim]

I'm sure the retroshift comment was just a joke... I hope.

[Ahneida Ride]

I'll take retro shift any day over electronic shifting ..

It works seamlessly and its simplicity means it is not susceptible
to failure and is is easily repairable.

I'll take a stick shift any day over an automatic

[Ahneida Ride]

I'm sure the retroshift comment was just a joke... I hope.

Nope ..... It works perfectly ..

However it you road race and you could loose by 1/10 of a second .... RS is not for you.

[Ahneida Ride]

and then get EPS or Di2.....

and then get a retroshift after an electronic failure.

[oldpotatoe]

and then get a retroshift after an electronic failure.

Or use friction if you really want foolproof AND good looking. retroshift looks like it was designed by some guy named Rube.

AND considering EPS/Di2 demonstrated reliability and shifter cable/housing failures, I'd say 'reliability' is a wash...

Compared to the dozen or so retroshift groups sold...

[oldpotatoe]

"Hey guys, I was looking at this new Porsche, and I have a couple minor questions/observations about it."

"You should look at a horse and buggy. Those are way better."

tee hee..until the horse dies.

[jpw]

tee hee..until the horse dies.

been out on Athena EPS yet?

[Ahneida Ride]

You need a race track to experience the true benefits of a Porsche.

In Manhattan a Bicycle is faster.

------------------------

If you get dropped on a regular ride, uh..... it ain't the shifters.

If you loose a race by 0.2 seconds, you need EPS.

[tigoat]

and then get a retroshift after an electronic failure.

Isn't no shift aka single speed better than all of them?

[Ahneida Ride]

The main advantage is modern shifting is to co-locate gear changing
with hand real estate.

You shift where your hands are most frequently located.

after that it's all personal preference ergonomics.

I find the retro-shift easy and intuitive.
The cog side is indexed just like the big box guys.
The FD side is quasi indexed. which is perfect for non-conventional
drive trains (Campy + TA Crank)
The retro shift will last forever ..
The RT price is right.
With one rapid flick the chain will dance up or down a full cassette.
The RT brake lever is quite good .... not as sexy as high end Campy
The RT system has exposed shifting cables. not as clean looking as Campy.

I am a Campy affection-ado. 2001 Campy Record on the Bedford
New Shimano Ultegra on the Serotta (with Retroshift)

Both systems perform quite exemplary.

------------------

To those who belong to religion C or S. I Blaspheme ! :eek:

:fight:

To the unconverted ... I preach that Divine Providence has
provided the spirit of the Internet ... with many new unconventional
opportunities .... some of which exceed expectations.

:banana: :p

[Ahneida Ride]

Isn't no shift aka single speed better than all of them?

not when you have my Knees !

[FlashUNC]

I even found that with my hands on the tops i could operate the thumb shifters with my little fingers.



The pinky shift on a climb is maybe my favorite feature of Campy. And the front shifting on EPS is just stupidly good.

[endosch2]

and then get a retroshift after an electronic failure.

Wow, clearly woke up on the retro-grouchy side of bed....

I am really trying to think of the number of rides I have had disrupted by problems with cables and housing. There are too many to count. Way too many to count. Friends with frayed cables, poor shifting, etc.

I guess you argue they are servicable because they need service.

So along comes a potential fix and we bash it because of wholly unsubstantiated, unscientific belief that it must be worse. Kindof like carbon failure discussion over again.

[raygunner]

I'm a fan of this:

http://www.ahearnecycles.com/picture/stem%20shifters1177227587999385879.jpg?pictureId=7 975176

[oldpotatoe]

been out on Athena EPS yet?

Just got the workshop finished yesterday, so maybe next week or week after gonna strip the MXL and get the drill out. Pix to follow.

[jpw]

Just got the workshop finished yesterday, so maybe next week or week after gonna strip the MXL and get the drill out. Pix to follow.

great. looking forward to it.

[Ahneida Ride]

Wow, clearly woke up on the retro-grouchy side of bed....

I am really trying to think of the number of rides I have had disrupted by problems with cables and housing. There are too many to count. Way too many to count. Friends with frayed cables, poor shifting, etc.

I guess you argue they are serviceable because they need service.

So along comes a potential fix and we bash it because of wholly unsubstantiated, unscientific belief that it must be worse. Kindof like carbon failure discussion over again.

Really..... when did I ever bash Electronic ?

I believe I was the very first member to sing it's praises (right here) after demoing DI2 at NAHBS about 5 years ago.

I also posted many times that I believe that in 10 years ...
all systems will be electronic.

My thesis is that this one alternative out there is worth looking at,
Especially if one is price sensitive and one has a drive-train formulated
from mixed components.

Let's define serviceable

When a Shimano Brifter fails .... It is not rebuildable. buy a new one. :eek:
and if you are out riding and it fails .... well.

When a Campy Brifter fails .... It is rebuildable. :)
and if you are out riding and it fails .... well.

If a retro shift fails it is rebuildable.... cheaply
and if it fails while you are out riding .... you can always resort to friction mode.

Of course ... if you don't take care of your cables periodically, adjust
derailleurs you are tempting fate. At least you can inspect your cables.
You can't inspect internally wired electronic.

My self .... I've had zero problems with a convectional setup.
after the cables stretched.

--------------

Many moons ago ...... I was out in the St. Lawrence 1000 Island
region in a new boat and the Electronic Black Box went Kaput.
We were stranded in the middle of nowhere and dusk was approaching.
A group of Canadians came by and towed us in to a Canadian port.
We got lucky.

-------------------

But if you want the best shifting system out there ..
Electronic is the way to go. It's a no brainer

------------------

As far a being a Luddite .... well something are difficult to improve upon.
The basic bicycle double triangle design is 100+ years old
A Brooks B17 design is 100+ years old.
I ride both.

--------------------

The durability of Electronic will eventually depend on the quality
of the electronic components used. Will preplaned obsolescence be built
in? If so desired, I suspect they could they could make a unit that would
last 30 years.

I have a 30 year old CD player that still works well.
I have not been able to obtain more then 2 years of service from
the recent CD players I purchased.

My Best .... :banana:

[Ahneida Ride]

Wow, clearly woke up on the retro-grouchy side of bed....

I am really trying to think of the number of rides I have had disrupted by problems with cables and housing. There are too many to count. Way too many to count. Friends with frayed cables, poor shifting, etc.

I guess you argue they are serviceable because they need service.

So along comes a potential fix and we bash it because of wholly unsubstantiated, unscientific belief that it must be worse. Kindof like carbon failure discussion over again.

Really..... when did I ever bash Electronic ?

I believe I was the very first member to sing it's praises (right here) after demoing DI2 at NAHBS about 5 years ago.

I also posted many times that I believe that in 10 years ...
all systems will be electronic.

My thesis is that this one alternative out there is worth looking at,
Especially if one is price sensitive and one has a drive-train formulated
from mixed components.

Let's define serviceable

When a Shimano Brifter fails .... It is not rebuildable. buy a new one. :eek:
and if you are out riding and it fails .... well.

When a Campy Brifter fails .... It is rebuildable. :)
and if you are out riding and it fails .... well.

If a retro shift fails it is rebuildable.... cheaply
and if it fails while you are out riding .... you can always resort to friction mode.

Of course ... if you don't take care of your cables periodically, adjust
derailleurs you are tempting fate. At least you can inspect your cables.
You can't inspect internally wired electronic.

My self .... I've had zero problems with a convectional setup.
after the cables stretched.

--------------

Many moons ago ...... I was out in the St. Lawrence 1000 Island
region in a new boat and the Electronic Black Box went Kaput.
We were stranded in the middle of nowhere and dusk was approaching.
A group of Canadians came by and towed us in to a Canadian port.
We got lucky.

-------------------

But if you want the best shifting system out there ..
Electronic is the way to go. It's a no brainer

------------------

As far a being a Luddite .... well something are difficult to improve upon.
The basic bicycle double triangle design is 100+ years old
A Brooks B17 design is 100+ years old.
I ride both.

--------------------

The durability of Electronic will eventually depend on the quality
of the electronic components used. Will preplaned obsolescence be built
in? If so desired, I suspect they could they could make a unit that would
last 30 years.

I have a 30 year old CD player that still works well.
I have not been able to obtain more then 2 years of service from
the recent CD players I purchased.

My Best .... :banana: