Shimano vs. Campagnolo electrics

[cinelli]

Shimano quietly rolls out a new electronic shifting system and the buzz begins. Campagnolo has been quietly testing theirs for years with a lot less fanfare. I suspect Shimano will beat Campagnolo to the punch but by only a few months.

Will they work? Of course they will. The technology has been there for years just waiting for a major player to jump on it. Mavic failed because they are Mavic. Shimano won't fail and Campagnolo will be right behind.

Will we buy it? Of course we will. All of the skeptics who say no said the same thing when Ergo shifting and clipless pedals came out. The number of downtube shifters you see today can probably be counted on one hand.

Bicycling is very steeped in tradition and history. But bicycle sales is dependent on change and innovation.

"Remember the past, enjoy the present, and look forward to the future."

[Grant McLean]

[QUOTE=cinelli]
Will we buy it? Of course we will. All of the skeptics who say no said the same thing when Ergo shifting and clipless pedals came out. The number of downtube shifters you see today can probably be counted on one hand.

QUOTE]


So you're putting electronic shifting in the same leap of performance as
Ergo and clipless pedals? It's a trivial refinement at best. Come or
go, it's not going to change anyone cycling experience. Push a button
or lever and the gear changes. So what.

At launch, they'll be ugly heavy and expensive, and get better as they go
along, and eventually they'll be as good as they already are.

Thus endith the lesson. ;-)


...just so you know i'm not picking on shimano. I didn't buy campy 8sp
ergo levers or delta brakes either...they were crap.

-g

[David Kirk]

Mavic failed because they are Mavic. "

Actually the Mavic failed becuase Adidas bought Mavic and saw that the margins were very good on wheelgoods but low on the Mektronic stuff. They axed the program not because it didn't work or because it worked poorly but because it wasn't profitable enough to suit Adidas.

Certainly a valid reason.

Dave

[classic1]

Japanese vs Italian electricals and electronics. Isn't this like a no brainer ;)

[slowgoing]

Japanese vs Italian electricals and electronics. Isn't this like a no brainer ;)

They'll both be made in China in a few years.

[Brian Smith]

Japanese vs Italian electricals and electronics. Isn't this like a no brainer ;)

No.
http://www.sonusfaber.com/

This isn't exactly Lucas vs. Nippondenso.

[zap]

oooooooh. I have their older speakers.

Had them for a while now. Still work.

Great craftsmanship. Sound great if you like real sound.

[Lincoln]

Japanese vs Italian electricals and electronics. Isn't this like a no brainer ;)

As long as it's not English (read, Lucas--Prince of Darkness)....


# Lucas - inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
# The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker, and Off.
# Or what about the other 3 settings: Smoke, Smoulder and Burn?
# The British drink warm beer because they have Lucas refrigerators.
# Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency that's all.

[csm]

lucas invented the pacemaker.

[Grant McLean]

As long as it's not English (read, Lucas--Prince of Darkness)....



British firms design and manufacture a lot of amazing Hi-Fi.

www.naim-audio.com

-g

[coylifut]

[QUOTE=cinelli]
Will we buy it? Of course we will. All of the skeptics who say no said the same thing when Ergo shifting and clipless pedals came out. The number of downtube shifters you see today can probably be counted on one hand.

QUOTE]


So you're putting electronic shifting in the same leap of performance as
Ergo and clipless pedals? It's a trivial refinement at best. Come or
go, it's not going to change anyone cycling experience. Push a button
or lever and the gear changes. So what.

At launch, they'll be ugly heavy and expensive, and get better as they go
along, and eventually they'll be as good as they already are.

Thus endith the lesson. ;-)


...just so you know i'm not picking on shimano. I didn't buy campy 8sp
ergo levers or delta brakes either...they were crap.

-g

you left out the C Record group.

[guyintense]

lucas invented the pacemaker.

Joe Lucas was awarded the Iron Cross because he was responsible for more RAF pilots crashing than the entire Luftwaffe.

[CalfeeFly]

I remember similar threads when Mavic came out. :confused: I remember similar bike shop discussions. :argue: I just can't see the advantages when a dead battery or short has me walking from the middle of no-where. :help:

[dave thompson]

As long as it's not English (read, Lucas--Prince of Darkness)....


# Lucas - inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
# The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker, and Off.
# Or what about the other 3 settings: Smoke, Smoulder and Burn?
# The British drink warm beer because they have Lucas refrigerators.
# Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency that's all.
I remember this well, particularly after my XKE would often wheeze to a stop after a Hawaiian rain.

I was told by the Jag mechanic that Lucas was the reason there were no British astronauts; they would climb into the capsule, see the "Electrics by Lucas" placard and climb out of the capsule.

[Jeff N.]

The difference is that when Ergo and STI came out, it was IMMEDIATELY obvious that it was a marked upgrade/improvement from the downtube shifter. I know of NO one who shunned it and, in fact, they lined up around the block (myself included!) to get the stuff; supply could not meet the demand.
Electronic shifting, on the other hand, ....well, it simply makes no sense to me; a solution without a problem. And I would never buy it unless I had no other choice. Change for the sake of change is ludicrous, and thats what I see electronic shifting to be. But if other folks want it, by all means, knock yourselves out! But I ain't standing in that line. Jeff N.

[Dekonick]

lucas invented the pacemaker.

I thought Dr. Zoll invented the pacemaker...

[Dekonick]

I'll help everyone by taking your old, now worthless ergo and STI shifters off of your hands... :p

[nobrakes]

There was someone's question as to why the electric shifting wasn't wireless, and part of the answer was due to battery size requirements, the other not mentioned was every rider in the peloton would need a separate frequincy in the transmitter, otherwise, when one guy shifts, all the deraillers in the peloton would shift. That would be an odd scenerio.

I also remember back when the Gan team was using ZAP shifters, and how the sprinters on that team were begging to use anything but the Mavic system, it was apparantly very slow shifting in sprinting situations. By the looks of it, Shimano and Campy have bypassed this problem. The only thing I don't get is why they are insisting on leaving the shift buttons on the brake hoods? At least with ZAP you could put buttons where you thought they would be useful.

Personally, I always thought that a tandem would lend itself well to an electric gear shifting mechanism, what with all that cable length and many bends the cable must take to get back to the derailler, has anyone out there ever tried to use the Mavic system on a tandem?

[Too Tall]

Gee, if the bikes weren't plastic you could send the signal thru ground...but nooo :rolleyes:
Yes, I know a local tandem team with Zap. Works.