I have had to adjust my electronic systems plenty of times….
Interesting. I’ve had my Di2 on for 4 years and only had one instance of bad shifting which was due to a bent hanger, replaced and silky smooth again. Only a year with Eagle AXS, same experience, crashed and bent hanger, replaced and good as new.
the only dropped chain I can remember over the last 5 years - when the new bike’s Force AXS eTap front derailleur needed adjustment.
Shimano have also said they are going to keep making mechanical 11 speed haven’t they.
Keep the modernization and high end stuff coming. That tech always trickles down eventually in one way or another.
I’m just hoping DI2 XT 12 speed isn’t too far behind. I struggle with the idea of having such an expensive item dangling so close to the trail features, but I guess once you have the DI2 system the Der isn’t so much by itself as long as you’re careful
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This is a bunch of baloney.
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Wow you’re right, thank you for the compelling argument.
The RD is really the biggest expense in the system so I don’t expect that to be a cheap replacement. Even for AXS, GX mech is ~$400, X01/XX1 are $700. Good thing they are robust, I’ve definitely gotten over that new derailleur fear and just hammer now, whatever happens happens. It’s only money
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You’re right of course. I guess one benefit of the current mechanical set up is that if someone damages their XTR derailleur, they can nab an SLX or XT derailleur for significantly less to get them up and running.
If you’re invested into the electronic system you’re committed to only replacing with Ultegra or DA at the moment. (Less of an issue on road)
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Sorry, this is what I am referring to.
This just doesn’t happen. There’s a bit adjustment when new to account for stretch but my rides do not go out of adjustment after that.
What drives me nuts is all the electronic holier than thou’s. Like before Di2,we were all constantly jiggering around with our drivetrains, cursing our lack of reliable shifting. Up until recently I’ve been riding a 20 year old 9 speed DA drivetrain that still shifts perfectly. In 20 years that electronic drivetrain will be 10 years in the bin.
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This is a bunch of mortadella.
They sell the covers separately ya know, in different colors too. I replace mine every 2 years because they’re cheap enough
Mortadella is disgusting. Who wants olives in their baloney.
Pssst….that isn’t mortadella. 
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Probably the CaMpAgNoLo guys 
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Check out eBay it would depend on what size shape shifters you have
I would think they are going to keep mechanical versions of both current top tier 11s groups available, they are both very good and fill the gap between 105 being modestly and the new group sets being extravagantly priced
Deli meats aside, I don’t think the new 12s offers enough to justify the price jump or an upgrade from either of the last 2 generations of Di2. Ultegra 12s Di2 literally costs $1,000 more than I paid for my entire Ultegra 11s Di2. Even if it was fully wireless I still don’t think it would be worth it.
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The club saying they are going to be providing 11s spare wheels for the next X years would actually put a lid on the arms race.
I think I read that Shimano intend producing R8000 mechanical for the next 12 months at least.
Mechanical drive trains also wear out. My XT drive train on my mountain bike is 9 years old. The front shifter is perfect, my brakes are in good nick, the crank works fine, but everything else is really worn, rear derailleur and front shifter in particular. And all consumables need to be replaced soon, too. Damper and fork need would need a service, too. Instead, I will just get a new bike. After 9 years and >20k km I think that’s alright.
Overall, I expect electronic drivetrains to last the lifetime of a bike, which is 8–10 years for road bikes, I reckon, and 6–8 for mountain bikes.
This is a problem with sanctioned races. I live in Shimano land, and the neutral support vehicle only has Shimano wheels. In 2019, I think they nary had a disc wheel, too. I’m not sure if that has changed (since Covid I have only participated in a single, non-sanctioned race, so I don’t know). If you are on SRAM 12-speed, you are screwed.
Shimano has already said, mech. DA is dead, they will continue Ultegra for the next year.
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Do we have any info if we can upgrade just the hoods (ofc with shifters and brake levers)? Bit more space for fingers under the hood and better aero grip sounds lovely.
I don’t know. For the price I expect road components to last longer than that if well maintained. Mtn is another story. That 9 speed Dura Ace is coming off today after 20 years to be replaced with new mechanical Dura Ace 11 speed. The old 9 speed is ending up on my commuter and I expect it to keep on chugging. There’s no way an electronic system can last that long.
Afaik, there is a clean break between this new di2 12 speed stuff and existing 11 speed di2 (save for some tri/tt bits with a new wiring adapter). So no on just upgrading the brifters.
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