Shop clerk, I’m thinking about going electronic…
Once you try it, it’s so comfortable you can never go back. We have it in stock now!
Wait a minute.
Do you really need it?
That thing.
What’s wrong with your current mechanical lever?
Mechanical shifting is incredibly smooth too.
Sure, the early 105 STI levers weren’t great.
Especially Ultegra—it was even worse than 105.
For 20 years until electronic shifting came out, they kept evolving.
Technology like that can’t be bad.
Light touch, crisp gear changes.
Do you need anything more than that?
Whether it’s Shimano, Campagnolo, or SRAM, mechanical shifters have reached a point where there’s nothing left to improve.
New products are important for the industry.
What parts will be developed next, and what will we end up putting on our road bikes?
But seriously, why attach all this stuff?
Getting to the essence of things
Isn’t the lack of excess what makes it cool?
Let’s reconsider a road bike life overflowing with parts.
The Function Doesn’t Change
The cable just became a wire
That’s basically it. Bike frame
Something that could be done with cables is now done by moving a motor with electric wires.
Sure, it became button operation, so it’s easier.
But wait, is that it?
If it’s that expensive, I want a more dramatic change.
Yet it’s hugely popular.
Electronic shifting.
Charge your phone, charge to shift.
Charge, charge, charging hell.
Of course, if the battery dies, it won’t work.
Cables don’t need charging.
They work forever.
And they’re cheap.
Do you need it?
Electronic.
What does “stress-free” mean?
People say electronic is stress-free.
I hear it everywhere, but
Were you really that stressed with mechanical?
“Stress” is an exaggeration to begin with.
There’s nothing to complain about.
Current Shimano STI is super comfortable at any grade.
Not quite a button, but definitely a light touch to move the lever.
It shifts reliably.
I bet you never felt it was stressful.
The sunk cost effect kicks in, and you convince yourself electronic is dramatically better.
Sure,
Back when shift levers were on the downtube.
The jump from there to STI and Ergopower was huge.
I was impressed.
Stress was greatly reduced.
If something this amazing happened, the price difference would be worth it.
Anyway, it’s expensive
Electronic is just expensive.
For example, upgrading to Ultegra Di2 costs about $550.
$550!
Only people really deep into cycling would buy that… Bike frame
But surprisingly, it’s not rare to see people with electronic shifting AND power meters.
Reasons for buying
- Everyone has one
- Saw attractive advertising
- Pros use it
Actually, it’s easier to decide when going with the flow.
Thinking about whether you really need it is harder and more troublesome.
Pros are people who make a living from it.
You don’t need the same equipment.
The beauty of cycling is that better equipment doesn’t make you faster.
Subtraction Creates Beauty
It’s really well made.
And it doesn’t break.
Even though it’s a part you use so much.
What more needs to be done?
When you remove various attached parts, it becomes cooler.
The simple beauty we’d forgotten.
We’ve gotten used to the shape of carbon bikes.
Don’t you find the simplicity of steel bikes refreshing and beautiful at times like that?
Look for “waste” on your own bike.
The first step to beauty.
Actually, a single chainring is enough
Road racing is different.
Races you can enter with a single are limited.
But for weekend rides, a front single is absolutely fine.
When riding alone leisurely, you don’t need a close ratio (narrow spacing between gear teeth).
Because your speed adjusts to match the gear.
Close ratios are needed when matching someone else’s pace.
For example, when rotating in a paceline.
With a wide ratio, there will be times when your cadence doesn’t match.
If you don’t ride in those situations, you should reconsider your gear ratios.
Gear ratios where you clearly feel the change are easier to ride.
Which means you can go with a front single.
It came with the complete bike, so I’m riding it without question. What about it?
That’s just mental autopilot.
You should position a complete bike as merely a temporary state.
This is how to enjoy a sport bike.
Change parts to make it easier for you to ride.
Then you’ll realize you don’t need a front double.
Fewer unnecessary parts looks cooler
The reason SRAM pushed front singles.
It’s because they recognized the problem of overlapping gear ratios with front doubles.
For example,
- Front 50T × Rear 18T = 2.78
- Front 36T × Rear 13T = 2.77
Almost no difference.
It feels like the inner 36T is lighter somehow, but the load was the same.
Once you realize this, you don’t need the front derailleur or left dual control lever.
(You still need the brake lever though)
Actually, rim brakes are enough
Rim brakes won’t improve any more than they are now.
So the current models are the strongest.
Those strongest rim brakes have nowhere left to improve.
They’re a mature part.
There’s no reason not to use them.
You won’t be cutting edge.
But you don’t have to be.
You can keep a simple look.
Best of all, maintenance is incredibly easy.
More than disc brakes.
When loading onto a car, you don’t have to worry about the calipers hitting anything.
Related article >>> Don’t be fooled. Equipment differences in cycling in Japanese
Where Did It Go? The Aesthetic of Simplicity
Is that a decorated bike?
When I first saw a road bike, Road bike shoes
- No front basket
- No fenders
- No kickstand
- No carrier
- No lock attached
It looked cool because it was so simple, made only for riding.
But the latest road bikes have all sorts of things attached.
Plus, information comes in from monitors.
That connects to your phone, and blah blah blah… Bike frame
It’s exhausting.
Parts should be minimal
Hill climbers desperately trying to reduce weight makes perfect sense—lighter is better.
Regardless of how effective it is.
Regardless of whether you can feel it.
Do what you can do.
But the current mainstream is
going in the direction of attaching more stuff
Like a hybrid car that adds 100kg+ to the weight and says “Look, good fuel economy!”—something doesn’t feel right.
A minimal parts configuration has an inherent coolness.
You don’t need excess.
Related article >>> The Case Against Carbon Frames… The Trap of Preconceptions in Japanese
まとめ
The Function Doesn’t Change
When you think about it, electronic shifting doesn’t bring dramatic change
Subtraction Creates Beauty
You should be satisfied with what you have, but beware of being consumed by materialism
Where Did It Go? The Aesthetic of Simplicity
Remember the road bike that was supposed to be cool because of its simplicity