Filed under: Emerging Technologies, On Two Wheels, Lightweight
Shimano introduces "shift-by-wire" for high-end bicycles
Every car sold in America these days, along with an increasing number of motorcycles, uses "by-wire" technology. Basically, sensors and computers are connected by wires which carry the electrical signals to and fro, eliminating the mechanical connection between the operator and the machine. There are many reasons to make this change, some of which have to do with the complex emissions systems employed by our automobiles. Also, a computer is sometimes able to determine what the operator wants even better than the human controlling things.
Shimano, by far the world's leading manufacturer of bicycle components, has begun making the transition from cables to wires on human-powered bicycles. The company's new Di2 comes complete with two brake/shift levers, two spring-less derailleurs equipped with servo-motors, a 7.4-volt lithium ion battery pack along with a wiring harness. Claimed improvements include accurate shifts every time and reduced weight. That's right -- the new electronic shifter weighs less than the company's high-end manual equipment.
[Source: Wired]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Michael 4:28PM (8/02/2008)
That's pretty neat.
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TX CHL Instructor 6:20PM (8/02/2008)
Neat, I suppose. But I purchased a fairly nice, sturdy 7-speed bicycle (including helmet, flashing taillight, and locking cable) that is adequate for my needs for about one-tenth what this electronic shifter alone costs. This shifter is pretty much either for world-class athletes to whom the elimination of 30 grams of weight is something that would be worth $2500, or for folks who have so much money that it doesn't matter.
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Conrad.TDI 12:10AM (8/03/2008)
Or for everyone in three years!
Derek 9:18AM (8/03/2008)
I remember an electronic shifting system coming out for bicycles back around 1990.
For a vehicle without onboard power generation however, this just sounds like a constant pain of battery changing.
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Architeurthis 11:14PM (8/03/2008)
That was Mavic (they called it Zap). They were a little overambitious and moved too quickly to a wireless system which was not all that reliable. Maybe that's what happens when you're 15 years ahead of your time.
George Krpan 5:07PM (8/03/2008)
Important development.
They say it makes a perfect shift every time.
That will be important inducement for novice riders.
I'm envisioning a fully automatic mode.
Sure, it's expensive, now, but it will trickle down.
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John 12:54AM (8/04/2008)
The cabled stuff shifts perfectly every time and doesn't need servos or batteries, and is perfectly reliable. What a silly idea. Mavic tried this before and was laughed out of the market.
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Will 8:24AM (8/04/2008)
Hey John,
The cable stuff doesn't shift perfectly every time. Shimano isn't in the practice of bringing stuff to market without merit.
In wet and grimy conditions, think Atlanta roads in the spring, cables bind up as grit collects at the entrances to the cable housings and at the bushing underneath the bottom bracket.
Also, as components wear, the shift points must be adjusted or you could drop your chain. I've dropped my chain before at a really bad time in a race and I almost missed the sprint because of it.
This component group has a front derailer that monitors chainring and chain position, hopefully making constant adjustment and dropped chains a thing of the past.
Also, if you have a frame with internally routed cables, this thing could be a God-send as you wouldn't have to snake cables through your frame every season because the wires wouldn't wear out.
dirtkahuna 9:08AM (8/04/2008)
Stefan Shumacher used this new Shimano electric shifting system in this year's Tour de France. He wore the yellow jersey for a bit and made some fine efforts in the mountain stages.
As a bicycle racer, I scoffed at index shifting when it came out, but now that I've got it I really like it. The same probably goes for the electronic shifting. The only thing that would suck is if it fails while you are miles from home.
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virgil 10:25AM (8/04/2008)
Done years ago by Mavic, and "laughed off the market" as mentioned above, not because it was impractical, but because we already have a perfectly good way of changing gears on bikes thank-you very much!
A decent cable system, with gore-tex sleeves that run along the entire length of the cable (thus eliminating entry of dirt at the sleeve junctions) will last for several years with zero maintenance, in even the most sloppy of conditions (such as mountain biking in the northeast). The cost is about $40.
Shimano is famous for constantly modifying their component sets without any backwards compatibility, just to try and sell more to the folks who must have the latest technology. Contrary to what the article suggests, that such novel technology will remove barriers to entry into biking by those fearing crappy gear shifts, the opposite is true - the outrageous cost of such components raises a significant barrier to entry, and is is no way "green".
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Will 11:01AM (8/04/2008)
I was under the impression this component group was for racing, which has no pretense to be green.
And by the way, I mountain bike on the east coast. Where the cable comes out of the full length housing that I run on my mountain bike, I've had mud jam that thing solid.
Again, cables wear, and barrel adjusters unwind themselves. I'm all for a "install it and forget it" shifter system.
MarkR 2:16PM (8/04/2008)
While that will work for the likes of lance Armstrong and other pro's that have someone charging the bateries every day.
The last thing I what is to be screaming along at 30+mph in the 52x11 when I come to a big hill and need to shift to something more respectable like 37x 17 only to find out the batteries are dead, and I'm about as screwed as an Innocent athlete that has the unfortunate experience of having LNDD f&^*$ up their urine sample.
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MarkR 2:18PM (8/04/2008)
While that will work for the likes of lance Armstrong and other pro's that have someone charging the bateries every day.
The last thing I what is to be screaming along at 30+mph in the 52x11 when I come to a big hill and need to shift to something more respectable like 37x 17 only to find out the batteries are dead, and I'm about as screwed as an Innocent athlete that has the unfortunate experience of having LNDD f&^*$ up their urine sample.
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Psycho 3:16PM (8/13/2008)
And while we're at it, who needs a horseless carriage anyway. Only the wealthy would ever use such a POS. We have a perfectly good system that will last forever. It's called a horse. Hmmmmpphhh!
...Fast forward...
Why do I need a computer to inject fuel into my engine, we've had a great way of doing it for a long time now, it's called a carburetor... Electronic fuel injection.... Hmmmmmppphhh!
...Fast forward...
Ok, only kidding. I think it's a great idea. Maybe not for your kids, (or someone that only wants to spend $70 on a Wal-Mart bike) but hey - it's all good.
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