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Your wireless drivetrain might not be as safe or secure as you think - Canadian Cycling Magazine
(cyclingmagazine.ca)
this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2024
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Maybe I'm missing something, but I have never understood the appeal of electronic shifting.
Are you asking about electronic, or wireless shifting? Because electronic wired shifting is also a thing, and adds some advantages, while wireless adds more advantages on top of that.
I've never used either, but from people who have, I've heard that the shifting is a lot smoother on electronic shifting than mechanical. Whether smoother shifting is actually worth the price seems to be the debate most people have.
As for wireless, the advantages there become a little clearer and easier to explain. You can put the shifters wherever you want for maximum convenience. In the drops if you spend a lot of time sprinting. At the ends of your aero bars if you're a triathlete or time trialist. You can even have multiple shifters at multiple positions. Plus, yeah, the stuff @[email protected] says about removing cables.
As I said though, this is all by reputation. I've only ever used mechanical.
I read that electronic shifting can automatically downshift when you come to a stop which I find a little tempting. But not tempting enough at the price I've seen. There's a spot on my regular route where my habit is to downshift 6 times as I come to a stop sign at the bottom of a hill. I do wonder what it would be like not to have to think about that so much.
I believe some electronic gears are also really good at changing gear under pressure, which can be fantastic in a situation like that even if you doesn't automatically downshift for you.
What does "under pressure" mean? Does it mean shifting while stopped? I'm told some non-electronic belt drives can do that.
Just the opposite! It means while pedalling hard. Normally, to change gears, you need to ease off the pressure, similar to how you put down the clutch to change gears in a car. This can be awkward when trying to get moving from too hard a gear, or if you forgot to change gears before arriving at a hill.