I think that it was made by Mavic…they called it Zap or something like that?..it would seem to be a fairly simple thing to do today…
hmmmm?
Nothing like getting stuck 100 miles out on the bike when the batteries go dead.
I think Campy is coming out with a new version soon. They tested at the Classics this year.
Mavic started with the Zap and then produced the Mavic Mektronic. You can find them on eBay once in a while. They’ll run ya about $200 - $300. They have a spare battery mounted in the end of a handle bar. I’ve always wanted a set since if the rear der. internal cable routing on my Zipp 2001’s ever go bad I can switch it over to the electronic shifting without a problem.
Campag also have an Electric Grouppo under developement, some of the Lampre riders used this electronic shifting group throughout the Spring Classics as well as during the Giro.
apparently rider response is positive & the units were releiable.
more info on cyclingnew.com as well as campags own website.
Actually, Campagnolo is rumored to unveil theirs at Interbike along with a cosemetic treatment to the record group…
Ahhh… Rumor season.
Remind me how much cables weigh again. Oh ya, almost nothing.
What in the world is the advantage to making shifting electronic?
Remind me how much cables weigh again. Oh ya, almost nothing.
What in the world is the advantage to making shifting electronic?
right, how foolish it was to make planes and cars drive by wire.
Bring back cables for my drum brakes too, I mean how could a hydraulic ABS disc brake be any better?
-SD
sorry captain, there is a big difference here.
planes and cars are all powered by long dead dinosaurs and plants, while bicycles are all powered by live animals–us naked primates.
and i got discs on my road bike, but there are no batteries, just plain ol’ finger/muscle power…
The technology in the electronic shifting can be coupled to real time HR and power data. The “semi-automatic” feature can help those wishing to use an auto-pilot and the small benefits like aerodynamic gains and unique frame and handle bar designs lend themselves to cableless systems.
It can be better. Boardman felt it was superior, and this schmuck used it to win a few races including a few Cat 1 district crit championships:
an autopilot on a bike?? wow, let me know when that happens. will it steer for the rider?
personally, i think shift by wire is still a way off (in a practical sense) because the current systems, while clearly far from perfect, offer the substantial advantage of remarkable simplicity and the utilization of a highly reliable (and, most importantly, “free”) power source for moving said gear systems: the rider.
Autopilot in terms of the rpm vs. speed, etc.
Integrating everything will be the next step in bicycles. It will dominate the next 5-7 years of design and be the buzzword like carbon had become today.
-SD
pretty cute.
but give me some complete component/battery/wire/controller wts. in grams and compare each one to the equivalent DA 10 components and cables. my guess is that campy must use so much carbon to compensate for big wt. issues.
then give me some retail prices.
then give me the no. of shifts per battery, and if the components have a manual function over-ride, or if they stop dead. (my guess is that when the juice stops, the parts stop dead–correct me if i am wrong).
in any case, i say, this is a ‘solution in search of a problem’.
integrating–yes. and, boy, does bike design have a long, long, long way to go in this dept.
but adding the crap and complexity of dead batteries and servos, i personally think not.
time will tell…
integrating–yes. and, boy, does bike design have a long, long, long way to go in this dept.
but adding the crap and complexity of dead batteries and servos, i personally think not.
time will tell…
“syncro” shifting is here (one button shifts F/D and R/D) but pre-set or adjustable shift points are not - yet.
-SD
Ha. 10-year reply.
You tell 'em dave.
Damn dude, you waited ten years to get a zinger in?
trav
integrating–yes. and, boy, does bike design have a long, long, long way to go in this dept.
but adding the crap and complexity of dead batteries and servos, i personally think not.
time will tell…
“syncro” shifting is here (one button shifts F/D and R/D) but pre-set or adjustable shift points are not - yet.
-SD
GregX would get a good laugh at this, but alas the last time he logged on to ST was more than four years ago.
.