Rapid rise rear mech.

[mattr]

It meant the downshift happened when it was "safe" to do so, using the gates and shift features. Rather than smashing the chain across the block.
If you are a multiple chain smasher or a low cadence gear masher, probably not for you. I find it really useful.

And Sachs (i think) had a modern reverse sprung front mech (80s?). It didn't last long.

 

[montytri]

I've changed my mind again, after weighing up the pros and cons, it seems to make sense and worth giving it a go.
Got a race on Sunday, think ill wait till after then so i can do some training runs with it.

 

[Chopper the ex Copper]

It's a dead end now anyway with e-XTR just around the corner. If it's as decent a the road electric groupsets then it's going to to make mechanical changing a dead end. Just look how often the mechanical road groupsets get a full revamp compared to mountain bike ones where there is currently no Shimano electric shifting.

 

[hamster]

Hmm: water, electricity, thin wires, collisions...what can possibly go wrong? :facepalm:

Sounds like another wheeze from Shimano's marketing boys to make us break (and therefore replace) stuff more often.

 

[Chopper the ex Copper]

Unfortunately, on the road bike It's proven to be vastly more durable and less maintenance sensitive than mechanical systems. Having proven most unequivocally that they can do it once, I'm sure they'll have little difficulty doing it a second time. Before you'd Even started typing they'd proven you wrong in that score.

 

[Woz]

It meant the downshift happened when it was "safe" to do so, using the gates and shift features. Rather than smashing the chain across the block.
If you are a multiple chain smasher or a low cadence gear masher, probably not for you. I find it really useful.

And Sachs (i think) had a modern reverse sprung front mech (80s?). It didn't last long.

Interesting. Never thought about it that way - speaking as an impatient low cadence gear masher

Technically though, isn't that what the famous Centurion floating top jockey wheel was for? To give a bit
of play slightly independent of what is happening on the rear shifter / cable pull?

Would be great to try the Sachs FD to see it's performance. Wonder why it didn't last....technical reasons,
marketing reasons or the usual patent issues driving it obsolete I suppose.

 

[mattr]

Re:

It's a dead end now anyway with e-XTR just around the corner.

Pretty much, i'll be holding off any major groupset changes until i absolutely have to (i have a "number" of RR rear mechs to choose from, and good 9 speed chains/cassettes are freely available).

I suspect e-XTR will be the next version, due for the 2015MY, so bits available late 2014. (I understand that the current XTR changes are considered to be a mild freshening rather than a full on new groupset)

Unfortunately, on the road bike It's proven to be vastly more durable and less maintenance sensitive than mechanical systems. Having proven most unequivocally that they can do it once, I'm sure they'll have little difficulty doing it a second time. Before you'd Even started typing they'd proven you wrong in that score.

And Di2 has been used very successfully in WC level CX racing. Even in thick mud.

 

[hamster]

Re:

Unfortunately, on the road bike It's proven to be vastly more durable and less maintenance sensitive than mechanical systems. Having proven most unequivocally that they can do it once, I'm sure they'll have little difficulty doing it a second time. Before you'd Even started typing they'd proven you wrong in that score.

There were some nasty breakdowns in pro races in the past couple of years.

There is a world of difference between what works on the race circuit and for the rest of us. Durability is barely a consideration for them, for example.
Bearing in mind my Campag 9 speed road kit goes more than 2000 miles without even tweaking the shift adjustment, it's a hard act to follow.

I'll watch, skeptically.

 

[mattr]

Re: Re:

I'll watch, skeptically.

They have plenty of breakdowns with mechanical groups, you see the mechanic hanging out of a car tweaking gears fairly often. It's not an activity for the faint hearted!
And the longest serving Di2 user i know has around 30000 miles on one 7970 groupset, all he's done is clean it, swap out consumables and recharge the battery. (That's a full season of racing then 2 years as a training bike) And there are plenty of other people approaching (or exceeding) that mileage. And by all accounts the gen 2 stuff is another step up.

 

[shaun]

I personally find RR great for racing as it gives me an edge when having to beak hard and shift down rapidly into a corner. Also when climbing out of the saddle and leaning forward its far easier to change down as the climb steepens or your legs tire. I believe RR was developed purly to help teams and racers lap slightly faster and therefore, weak spring or not, is deemed more cool and rare than normal shifting rear mechs.