Campy's Electronic Shifting

[m_moses]

Interesting article on Campy's electronic shifting efforts (http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/13022.0.html) . It seems they're further along than Shimano.

The combination bottle holder/battery is a step in the right direction but they need to find a way to hide the wires.

[RPS]

Thanks for the link. Looks more finished than Shimano's, and also more compact if memory serves me right.

You are right about the cables and ties.

[samtaylor1]

I thought shimano was done a few years ago and was just waiting for battery technology to catch up.

[Grant McLean]

Aside from the battery shape, i'm not sure how this campy electronic group
looks that different than the prototypes from April 2003.... boy has it ever
been a long time in development!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2003/features/campy_elec


g

[A.L.Breguet]

Can I get it in 9 speed? :p

[Fixed]

more reason to ride fixed gear imho
cheers :beer:

[SoCalSteve]

Aside from the battery shape, i'm not sure how this campy electronic group
looks that different than the prototypes from April 2003.... boy has it ever
been a long time in development!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2003/features/campy_elec


g

It takes a long time for a marketing department to figure out how to develop and sell something that no one really needs...

Just sayin'

Steve

[wooly]

I find it hard enough to charge my Garmen Edge computer. I would hate to have to charge my group as well. Nothing like running out of a charge approaching a big hill in the wrong gear. I'm OUT. :D

[SoCalSteve]

seems like a solution to a problem that doesnt exist in the first place...

[regularguy412]

It takes a long time for a marketing department to figure out how to develop and sell something that no one really needs...

Just sayin'

Steve

Ya know-- there's still _ONE_ wire goin' to the rear der. I think the one without electricity in it is preferable.

Mike in AR

[RPS]

seems like a solution to a problem that doesnt exist in the first place...At some level you can say that about almost every previous innovation (non-cycling also).
IMO we should give it a chance; since we can always reject it later.

[stevep]

1/2 of you guys will be begging for this when it comes out.
doesnt matter how much it costs even.

[SoCalSteve]

At some level you can say that about almost every previous innovation (non-cycling also).
IMO we should give it a chance; since we can always reject it later.

I am a techno geek. I love innovation.

One of the biggest problems I see with this is that you have the "electricity" and "human factor" aspect of it...

OK, here's my point: Take 2 watches...1.) a nice quartz battery operated Timex that tells time and does a fine job...Until the battery wears out. Then, no time.

Now, the second watch is a Rolex, it is automatic and is self sufficient...It will always tell time as long as you can move your arm back and forth.

I cant wait to go on a organized ride and see people at a SAG stop looking for electricity to plug in their grouppo because they had forgotten to charge it the night before...

Thats all. Bring on innovation, I love it! At some point it becomes impractical. I dont see this as being a practical solution. Thats all.

Steve

[RPS]

Steve, I still use my Casio Marathon watch that I bought back in 89 for about $30. The battery lasts about 5 to 6 years, and not only does it tell time, it does a lot more -- alarm, stopwatch, 30 splits, countdown, etc.....

I can see some real advantages for this electro stuff if they work out the bugs and clean up the cable routing. Tandems come to mind because it elimates the longer cables. I'll keep an open mind, but price has to be reasonable before I give it a try. By then we'll all know if it works as promised.

[Grant McLean]

Steve, I still use my Casio Marathon watch that I bought back in 89 for about $30. The battery lasts about 5 to 6 years, and not only does it tell time, it does a lot more -- alarm, stopwatch, 30 splits, countdown, etc.....


...and i still have my father's manual 1965 Heuer Carrera swiss chronograph,
sorry, but you can keep your casio!

g

[Grant McLean]

It takes a long time for a marketing department to figure out how to develop and sell something that no one really needs...

Just sayin'

Steve


+1

Not sure they have a good reason yet, so it may be a while before we see it to market!

g

[DarrenCT]

+1

Not sure they have a good reason yet, so it may be a while before we see it to market!

g

Grant, how is the biking around Toronto? Hilly? Flat? Boring?

[Grant McLean]

Grant, how is the biking around Toronto? Hilly? Flat? Boring?

Flat and lots of traffic. You need to be creative to have a good time,
it's kinda like dating the same girl for a really, really long time.

g

[SoCalSteve]

Flat and lots of traffic. You need to be creative to have a good time,
it's kinda like dating the same girl for a really, really long time.
g

And what about us married folk?

Just sayin'

Steve

[SoCalSteve]

...and i still have my father's manual 1965 Heuer Carrera swiss chronograph,
sorry, but you can keep your casio!
g

+1!

I love my Rolex Submariner, I'm sure I'll have it (and it working maintenance free) until the day I go to that big bike store in the sky...

Steve

[RPS]

...and i still have my father's manual 1965 Heuer Carrera swiss chronograph,
sorry, but you can keep your casio!

gNice watch Grant, but can you buy one for $30? :D
Can it save many splits to recall at a later time?
Obviously they are different tools for different jobs.
Electronics may offer advantages beyond mechanical.
Eventually it may be cheaper too, like a Casio or Timex.

[swoop]

i'm looking forward to e shifting. i don't see anything wrong with using that newfangled electricity in bike shifting. the promise of quicker lighter action shifting is not a bad thing.

i'm thankful companies are willing to take 200 year old technology and ask the question: can batteries make for faster more efficient shifting?

i do appreciate that the mechanical world is composed of gears and levers.... but i think the battery has had 200 years to make its way into shifting. i know a cable is a sacred thing.. but really.. i'm going to wait to try it before i can sugggest its somehow an insult to the machine.


need? 30 years ago i had no idea i'd need a computer or cell phone or a flat screen tv in my car that gave me directions.


steve, you are the man.. but.. lets wait and see how it feels.

[SoCalSteve]

i'm looking forward to e shifting. i don't see anything wrong with using that newfangled electricity in bike shifting. the promise of quicker lighter action shifting is not a bad thing.

i'm thankful companies are willing to take 200 year old technology and ask the question: can batteries make for faster more efficient shifting?

i do appreciate that the mechanical world is composed of gears and levers.... but i think the battery has had 200 years to make its way into shifting. i know a cable is a scared thing.. but really.. i'm going to wait to try it before i can sugggest its somehow an insult to the machine.


need? 30 years ago i had no idea i'd need a computer or cell phone or a flat screen tv in my car that gave me directions.


steve, you are the man.. but.. lets wait and see how it feels.

Spoken like a true Shrinkologist (and I would know as I sleep with one every night)...

Just sayin'

Steve

PS: Swoop, I have a feeling that if people remember to recharge the battery, it will be a great innovation!

Or, how about this: Sorry, I cant go for a bike ride with you today, I forgot to recharge my battery.

Can you imagine being at the top of Encinal and the battery dying while you are in a gear combo that you do not want to be in...

[Avispa]

1/2 of you guys will be begging for this when it comes out.
doesnt matter how much it costs even.

Bro,

The other day my right hand cramped really bad.... I am glad it was towards the end of the ride. Boy, I did I wish I had electronic at that very moment!

Now, you are right, for those of us that have more than one bike... I see having it on one, but not o all my bikes.

Now, I'd really like to see someone winning a Grand Tour on this stuff... Especially the Giro with its cold, wet stages. I'd figure, if electronic will be good for that stuff, it surely will do great on my wimpy 40-60 mile rides! :D

A.

[Johny]

Bro,

The other day my right hand cramped really bad.... I am glad it was towards the end of the ride. Boy, I did I wish I had electronic at that very moment!


Hey I told you to buy Shimano! :D

Seriously I welcome Campy electronic shifting as I got arthritis on both thumbs (from holding my three young kids) and I love Campy.

[3chordwonder]

"Nothing like running out of a charge approaching a big hill in the wrong gear."

I actually threw my iPod in the bin after picking it up for the umpteenth time only to find it was out of power. I use an iShuffle now. Not having any moving parts it keeps its charge well enough to make the crucial difference: the shuffle I can use, the iPod was a redundant frustration production implement (FPI). The extra features on the iPod counted for exactly nothing in the end.

Derailleurs having moving parts makes me think an electronic groupset stands a great chance of it being a FPI, negating incremental improvements in shifting.

What's the bet they're struggling with the issue of how to build in a mech for manual shifting when batterypower fails? Because that's about the only way I can see worthwhile numbers buying into it, imho of course.

[imp25rs]

I for one am not crazy about electronic shifting. Batteries are certaily smaller and lighter than they were when Mavic tried to get there going but you still have the problem of how long with the batteries last? Are they going to survive a 14 hour day of riding in the hills where you are shifting more than usual? It is bad enough if I forget to clean my water bottles after a ride, if I forget to charge my drivetrain, I am stuck. The one place I see electronic shifting as being a benefit is in downhill MTB racing. You would get quick, positive shifting and battery life would not be a major concern.

[swoop]

not to be the defender.... but we're talking about stuff that hasnt made it to market and might not. the guys using it say a charge is good for almost a week of tour stages.... at least that's what read and saw in the coverage online.

but we're all always a equipment failure away from a long day of low cadence in the 53x11. worse things can happen. my neighbor's pacemaker seems to be still working.

[Elefantino]

Lexus has a car that parallel parks itself.

A friend of my son's has 48-inch plasma TV. With Bose surround sound.

My big boss has a $25,000 painting in his entryway.

Do you need any of that? Probably not. But if you have the money, they're probably nice to have.

Me? I parallel park myself, have a 30-inch Sony flat screen that I got as a floor model and own no paintings that my daughter didn't do.

I am not Campy's demographic for E-shifting — I wish I was; alas, the false economic boom has left me behind (is that a political statement?) — but there sure is one out there.

[RPS]

What's the bet they're struggling with the issue of how to build in a mech for manual shifting when batterypower fails? Because that's about the only way I can see worthwhile numbers buying into it, imho of course.For those who are not racing and don't care about the extra weight perhaps a hub charger could work to always keep the battery charged. With electronics it could be made to work like a hybrid -- so that it only charges on downhills or when the rider wants to stop so that it doesn't rob power (other than due to weight).

Maybe the answer is solar. Or maybe you can carry a small plug-in backup battery like those made for cell phones in your tool bag to get you home. The point is that we don't really know which way it's going to go -- if at all.

I like the idea that at some point shifting could be automated as an OPTION -- much like paddle shifters on high-end cars to work like an automatic transmission. We could shift manually for racing or for sport, but may be able to select a program to keep our cadence at or near a predetermine range when out for a casual ride. Just more stuff to play with.

[dauwhe]

For those who are not racing and don't care about the extra weight perhaps a hub charger could work to always keep the battery charged.

It's funny, but I almost see it as an ethical issue. If battery power is helping me ride my bike, replacing energy that would have come from my body, it somehow feels wrong to me. If that power came from a generator on the bike, I'd have no such qualms.

Dave "Schmidt hubs on all my bikes" C.

[Grant McLean]

... Just more stuff to play with.

This is why i'll never have electronic gadgets on my bike.
When manual shifting become too much of a burden,
i'll just switch to my fixed...

g