Alfine goes electric

[vorsprung]

http://road.cc/content/news/53529-shimano-launch-alfine-di2

Electronic shifting on hub gears?  i wouldn't touch it with a barge pole but they must think someone would buy it

I don't quite understand what they are doing here.  Hub gears == no maintenance.  Electronic shifting == change the batteries on a regular basis

[Kim]

Should be popular with various niche someones, but I can't imagine it selling in any quantity.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Electronic shifting = powered by the dynohub IMHO.

[Kim]

Electric shifting = powered by the dynohub IMHO.

Really ought to be, shouldn't it?  I mean, dynamo hubs and hub gears are a natural combination...

[bobb]

Electronic shifting == change the batteries on a regular basis

2 or 3 charges a year would be enough for most according to Sh*mano...

[marcusjb]

Hub gears == no maintenance.

Electronic shifting == no maintenance

No cable stretch, no need to lube cables etc., massively long battery life.

Perfect for a commuting bike.  I do like the idea that it should all be powered off the dynohub though - makes perfect sense.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Shimano engineers let slip about wanting to use dynohubs to power electronic shifting nearly a decade ago. They must be getting round to actually doing it soon.

[vorsprung]

The old alfine groupset has a generator hub at the front available as an option so....

Surely the 2 or 3 charges a year depends on how far you are going?  I guess mr average isn't doing 250km a week

[bobb]

The old alfine groupset has a generator hub at the front available as an option so....

Surely the 2 or 3 charges a year depends on how far you are going?  I guess mr average isn't doing 250km a week

Indeed. A pro racer doing 50,000 km a year would probably have to charge 5 times a year....

[Ham]

The Alfine makes perfect sense, as it constantly goes out of adjustment. I don't know whether the miles you inevitably ride when it isn't perfectly adjusted and the cogs slip cause lasting damage or not, but eliminating that issue would be worth it for me. (that is, until I know the price....)

[Tom B]

No cable stretch, no need to lube cables etc., massively long battery life.

Could shifting be done by electronic signals, so eliminating the need for cables?
Don't know about Alfine but some hub gears make rear wheel removal more complex than on derailleur-geared or s/s bikes.

[marcusjb]

It's truly interesting to see them suddenly open up this market sector with electronic shifting; a complete opposite to where they've started with it (the top-end road-racing end with Dura-Ace and, more recently, Ultegra).

I wonder whether they'll be many mechanical shifting groupsets in 10 years time?

[bobb]

I wonder whether they'll be many mechanical shifting groupsets in 10 years time?

Probably. Got to give the luddites something to buy. I mean some people still use down tube shifters FFS! 

[delthebike]

Probably. Got to give the luddites something to buy. I mean some people still use down tube shifters FFS! 

Oh please! I've got indexed gears after all. 

[marcusjb]

I wonder whether they'll be many mechanical shifting groupsets in 10 years time?

Probably. Got to give the luddites something to buy. I mean some people still use down tube shifters FFS! 

I agree they'll be a few - probably for the touring/expedition types.

But I wonder if mechanical Dura-Ace, Ultegra etc. will still exist by then?

Unlike the race to sell us more gears, electronic shifting does have some very appealing, sensible advantages. 

[smurphboy]

Hub gears == no maintenance.

Electronic shifting == no maintenance

No cable stretch, no need to lube cables etc., massively long battery life.

Perfect for a commuting bike.  I do like the idea that it should all be powered off the dynohub though - makes perfect sense.

Don't forget the customisable nature of electronic shifting. You could hack it to have it change under certain conditions (load, location, cadence)... Shiny

[Kim]

Have duplicate shifters in more than one place.  Have shifters that don't require significant force to operate.  Automagically sequence through a complicated gear system in the right order.  Not have your cables freeze in winter.  There's all sorts of advantages, I'm just sceptical that they're going to sell in large numbers.

[smurphboy]

Have duplicate shifters in more than one place.  Have shifters that don't require significant force to operate.  Automagically sequence through a complicated gear system in the right order.  Not have your cables freeze in winter.  There's all sorts of advantages, I'm just sceptical that they're going to sell in large numbers.

Duplicate shifters is an idea I like. Rapid fires for standard shifting and little buttons on the bar ends too... Or even get rid of the shifter and have it operated off the brake lever with a little paddle.

[orienteer]

Shimano offered an automatic hub gear about ten years, didn't catch on.

How about linking it with the latest brain wave research? Special helmet that detects when you're thinking about changing gear.....

[smurphboy]

Shimano offered an automatic hub gear about ten years, didn't catch on.

How about linking it with the latest brain wave research? Special helmet that detects when you're thinking about changing gear.....

Not sure how it would cope with me on a hill wishing for -1 as a gear or i gear

[Andrew Br]

Joined up thinking but they didn't get the timing right ?

It looks like Shimano are to introduce an alternative to the Son Deluxe.
"The range of SHIMANO ALFINE components for sporty and fashionable cycling has been further expanded with a 1.5W sports hub dynamo with Center Lock disc brake rotor mount. DH-S700 features a super smooth rotation and a lightweight design (420g). It will be available in silver and in black.

I've seen that elsewhere.
It suggests to me that Shimano is either expecting another huge leap forward in LED lighting technology or they're releasing a low output/drag hub to keep an electronic shifter battery topped up.

I'd love electric/onic shifting for my Rohloff if only so that I didn't have to move my hand off the bars to change gear (I'm using a hubbub but it's still annoying).

[zigzag]

I'd love electric/onic shifting for my Rohloff if only so that I didn't have to move my hand off the bars to change gear (I'm using a hubbub but it's still annoying).

like this?

[AndyK]

Wonder what the carbon footprint of all those batteries will be...

[Andrew Br]

I'd love electric/onic shifting for my Rohloff if only so that I didn't have to move my hand off the bars to change gear (I'm using a hubbub but it's still annoying).

like this?

Yes, I've seen that. The manufacturer said that they were developing a dyno-charged version so I'm waiting for that.
I'll also wait for any reviews before taking the plunge.

[AndyK]

Sounds like a scam to get cyclists onto the annual electronic upgrade bandwagon. 'This year's electronic shift from Shimano 0.003s faster than last year's…' etc.