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Honestly, I think the push for electronic shifting on every high-end build is getting out of hand | Bicycle Mechanics - Discusd

paul9•7mo ago

Honestly, I think the push for electronic shifting on every high-end build is getting out of hand

Tbh, I was building up a custom gravel bike for a client in Portland last week, and they insisted on a wireless groupset. Ngl, the install was smooth, but two days later they brought it back. The battery in the rear derailleur was totally dead after a single wet ride, and the app to check the charge was glitchy. I had to put a regular mechanical setup on there so they could actually go on their trip. It played out fine in the end, but it cost them extra and wasted half my Friday. I get that it's cool tech, but for a bike that's gonna see real mud and rain, a simple cable is just more reliable right now. Has anyone else had a customer regret going fully electronic after a real-world failure?

3 comments

3 Comments

lee7337mo ago

My buddy runs a shop in Bend and had a customer with the same problem. The guy was all excited about his new electronic gravel bike until a long weekend trip. The derailleur just stopped talking to the shifter in the middle of nowhere, no mud or rain even. He had to finish the ride in one gear. They got it working again back at the shop, but now the guy is always worried about the battery dying. He told my friend he wishes he had just kept his old bike with normal shifters.

tylerr396mo ago

Ever notice how electronic shifting turns a simple bike ride into a tech support call? That guy in Bend didn't just lose his gears, he lost trust in the whole machine. Now every time he heads out, he's probably staring at a battery meter instead of the trail. Mechanical parts can fail too, but at least you can see a bent derailleur or a frayed cable. When the magic black box stops talking, you're just stuck. Makes you wonder if we're adding problems for features nobody really asked for.

coleman.taylor7mo ago

Man, that's rough. Portland weather will find any weak spot in a system. Had a similar thing happen with a customer's road bike last fall. Just a bit of morning fog and the shifters got all confused. They missed their big group ride because the app said the battery was fine, but the derailleur was totally unresponsive. Ended up being a software bug. Felt bad for them. Sometimes the old ways are just less hassle.