It has been several years now since electronic shifting systems, represented by Shimano’s Di2, first hit the market.
Even those who once insisted, "I don't need electronic shifting!!" have started to think, "Maybe I should give it a try," now that the lineup has expanded with offerings not just from Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM, but also from brands like X-Shifter and others.
I, for one, held out for a while, but having used it, I have to admit there are many advantages to it.
I use Shimano's Di2 Ultegra, and I wouldn't go as far as to say "It's absolutely incredible," but rather, "Yeah, it’s not bad at all."
For instance, the levers are small, making them recommended for those with smaller hands—especially women. Furthermore, because it doesn’t require force to shift, it’s a huge relief when you’re tired or when the weather is cold and your hands are numb, as the derailleurs will snap into gear with ease.
Also, since you don't need to adjust the trim (the adjustment to prevent the chain from rubbing against the front derailleur) while riding, it reduces the stress of that annoying rattling sound.
So, electronic shifting is performing quite well.
Today, I’d like to introduce a bit of a "trick" that is unique to Shimano Di2.
Shimano Di2 (electronic shifting) has both road and mountain bike lines. While not unlimited, these two can be combined depending on the setup.
In other words, the following combinations are possible:
・Mountain Shifter + Road Derailleur
・Road Shifter + Mountain Derailleur
What does that mean????
This is a bit of a geeky topic, but this is a feature that was lost to mechanical derailleurs and shifters.
Mechanical derailleurs adjust their position by pulling a steel cable housed inside the shifter to move to the correct gear position. However, because road and mountain lines have different cable pull ratios to optimize their respective functions, they are not compatible.
To bridge that gap, bar-end shifters and thumb shifters are sold by brands like Microshift.
Yes, this is the great part.
The compatibility wall that acts as a barrier for mechanical systems can be leaped over with electronic ones.
This allows you to use drop bars while still running mountain bike components, which are more mud-resistant and have larger gear ratios.
It’s a perfect feature for today’s gravel bikes or bikes with a more off-road-oriented drop bar setup (like the All-City Gorilla Monsoon).
Furthermore, with a front-single configuration, shifting often becomes heavy due to the stabilizer mechanism meant to prevent chain drops, but thanks to electronic shifting, that issue can be overcome as well.
In this instance, a customer asked us to swap components for a bike with just such a setup, so please take a look. The bike is the legendary Continental from BREADWINNER. This is a bike that has been used for Brevets for a long time.
While using road shifters, we are moving a mountain bike 11-46T cassette with an XT Di2 derailleur, and using a rigid, 30mm diameter WHITE INDUSTRIES – R30 crank in a front-single configuration.
With this setup, you are freed from the hassle of front shifting while still being able to utilize everything from heavy to light gears.
The customer who requested this will be using it for Brevets, and as long as the chainring and cassette tooth counts are carefully considered, it becomes a setup that is more than capable for long rides.
In this case, we have also added remote satellite switches so the customer can shift even more easily. Especially for long-distance, long-duration rides like Brevets, there will likely be many situations where the rider holds the tops of the handlebars. It is reassuring for the rider to be able to shift easily in those moments as well.
Electronic shifting might not be necessary for everyone, but depending on the application and the combination, it is possible to create a much more comfortable setup.
I highly recommend you don’t knock it until you try it, and consider it as an option for your next build.
