Electronic Groupsets.....good idea or utterly pointless for most people ?

[FluffyChicken]

BEAST was 1990, and by Suntour using the Browning shifting ring thingy. So it probably wasn't BEAST if it was 1988.

One tick...

Browning derailleurs

Browning Component Inc. was based in Bellevue and then on Bainbridge Island both of which are near Seattle. ...

disraeligears.co.uk

catalogue

Suntour 1990 -1 | SunTour Catalogue 1990 (MTB) | Retrobike

and a few examples on Retrobike.

oooh and a nice demo of the front setup here.

Suntour BEAST - Gli albori dell'elettronica

Autore: Francesco Mazza L’elettronica nel mondo della bici, in particolar modo in quello delle Mountain Bike, stenta a carpire l’interesse del grande pubblico. Contro diffidenza e tradizionalismo i circuiti stampati hanno sempre avuto vita dura tra le due ruote a pedali. In questi ultimi anni le...

www.mtb-mag.com

@any123 and I think @pete_mcc

 

[d8mok]

This is the chainset

The mech is a video I was sent so can’t post that.

 

[slomo]

Utterly pointless.
Research and Development they say.
Marketing i say.
Another component that will have zero obsolescence built in.
Meaning your 'state of the art' groupset will become obsolete in a years time - when a new state of the art version replaces it.
And you would be FOOLISH not to buy the new version - because:
1 - it's only a couple hundred quid.
2 - it makes you go faster - no really.....it does.

Will we EVER learn?

 

[slomo]

In case i seemed cynical in my previous post.....

Here is an example of marketing:

'MORE PRECISE SHIFTING'

My XTR 952 group - i press the little lever with my thumb - the chain skips onto the next sprocket.
I pull the little lever with my finger - the chain skips onto the next sprocket.
It works each time - every time - without fail.

It has behaved in this manner for (probably?) 20 years?

How much more precise could i want it to be?

Have i ever thought 'goddam it - i wish this groupset was more PRECISE'!
No.....

Some R&D is valid.

Have i ever thought i wish i could slow down more efficiently - yes - and disc brakes help.

But telling me 'you could slow down EVEN MORE PRECISELY if you switched to ELECTRONIC disc brakes (assuming there were such a thing)'

Well.....that's just marketing.

I know that becasue when i pull the little lever on my hydraulic (oh the shame) disc brakes, the pads grip the rotor and the bike stops - each time - every time - without fail.

Just saying.

 

[Mangizmo]

In case i seemed cynical in my previous post.....

Here is an example of marketing:

'MORE PRECISE SHIFTING'

My XTR 952 group - i press the little lever with my thumb - the chain skips onto the next sprocket.
I pull the little lever with my finger - the chain skips onto the next sprocket.
It works each time - every time - without fail.

It has behaved in this manner for (probably?) 20 years?

How much more precise could i want it to be?

Have i ever thought 'goddam it - i wish this groupset was more PRECISE'!
No.....

Some R&D is valid.

Have i ever thought i wish i could slow down more efficiently - yes - and disc brakes help.

But telling me 'you could slow down EVEN MORE PRECISELY if you switched to ELECTRONIC disc brakes (assuming there were such a thing)'

Well.....that's just marketing.

I know that becasue when i pull the little lever on my hydraulic (oh the shame) disc brakes, the pads grip the rotor and the bike stops - each time - every time - without fail.

Just saying.

Well that's my opinion too, I personally find mechanical systems rather brilliant these days, but hey, if people want to buy it, it's up to them, I just can't see the benefit for myself, I can only see disadvantages

 

[Mangizmo]

Well that's my opinion too, I personally find mechanical systems rather brilliant these days, but hey, if people want to buy it, it's up to them, I just can't see the benefit for myself, I can only see disadvantages

And before someone asks, yes I have tried it on a 50 mile day long ride, it works really well granted, but so does mechanical

 

[benjabbi]

Di2 and AXS both work and work well. Yes it's expensive but high end versions of everything are expensive, from groupsets to jeans to bacon.
New tech (Di2's not even really new, Dura-Ace first came out in 2009 and there was a Nexus Di2 IGH in 2001) always brings out the people who are more than happy with what they have, fine, no ones forcing you to buy it. Even S.I.S. and Hyperglide had their detractors and they most definitely changed things for the better.

 

[Russell]

Very much off topic now Slomo but I would imagine that an electronic braking system that removes hydraulic lines and replaces them with actuators in the caliper would offer faster brake response. Electronic signals being transmitted faster than the compression of the brake fluid etc.

Sensors in the pad could recognise brake rub and self adjust on the fly.

Bikes become 100% cable free.

More eco friendly as they use less oil and plastics.

Can’t wait.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Very much off topic now Slomo but I would imagine that an electronic braking system that removes hydraulic lines and replaces them with actuators in the caliper would offer faster brake response. Electronic signals being transmitted faster than the compression of the brake fluid etc.

Sensors in the pad could recognise brake rub and self adjust on the fly.

Bikes become 100% cable free.

More eco friendly as they use less oil and plastics.

Can’t wait.

and can feedback to themselves and modulate/abs/tech-jargon faster, 'talk' to the suspension too to read the ground and adapt...
Of course if you're riding road, canal paths or even fire roads, there is little point to it.

There are quite a few times now I've had my shifting bugger up because of the cables during a ride and not due to lack of maintenance but because of UK weather and terrain.
Lack of maintenance can really destroy it.

Something people that would pay £1500 for a "Transmission" probably don't mind not having to do other than a bit of chain cleaning, there are no cables to get messed up. If this new setup is fit/forget/charge, they can cope with that ;-)

I don't know how fit & forget Di2 or AXS claim to be but the Transmission claims to take AXS a step further.
Would I buy it? no. I wouldn't spend £1500 on a whole new bike either.

Will it work (Electric) with ebike. Of course, there are plenty of them selling. A whole section of Retrobikers seem to have them nowadays.


and some people strap great big petrol engines to the bikes too, have done for many many many year. So much so they don't even need to bother pedalling.

 

[Russell]

Yes, electronic braking systems reading wheel speed and modulating power when they recognise a wheel locking. The transmission recognising the reduction in speed and automatically selecting the right gear based on info from the gps, power meter, brakes and suspension. Yeeehaaaa!