Electronic Shifting and Ultegra DI2

            From the beginning of the invention of the wheel, to the intention of a bare body bicycle, to present day the transformation of the bicycle has been very large. Some of these large transformations that have occurred include different production of frame materials, wheel size, and along with one that just recently come to the consumers fingertips.

            This new recently new technology is electronic shifting. After many years of prototype testing and research Shimano came out with its first electronic shifting system about 3 years ago. With the outburst of activity and urge for new technology from the professional cycling world, the production of the Shimano Ultegra DI2 became available to the public. The cost of the new electronic shifting doesn’t come with a cheap price tag, therefore only making in a stock feature on the most advanced road and triathlon bikes. The electronic shifting allows for faster, smoother, and more reliable shifting than ever before. This new kind of shifting has started to wipe out the previously top performance type of cable shifting, therefore marking yet another biking milestone in the history of the bike.

            Now some people have become very skeptical of this new kind of shifting and believe that many problems may occur, due to the fact that it is all electronic. And in a way of critical thinking this person might have some visionary thoughts that could point out some problems, with the longevity and rigor of the electronic DI2 shifting set up. Some of these skeptical ideas include the accusations that electronic shifting may malfunction under wet conditions like rain. This type of conflict has been put to rest by the Shimano team of researches after devolving a weather proof casing around the derailleur. Another problem that some people might jump to conclusions of, could also be the durability and ability to function under large amounts of stress caused by more rugged terrain, like a brick road. Again after Shimano’s many years of research and testing they put aside all worries of negative feedback including the durability.

            After researching this type of shifting I have become increasingly interested in this new technology and have planned on actually purchasing a bike that obtains this radically new idea of shifting. So based on the studies and reviews that have been done about the Shimano Ultegra DI2 shifting, I would say that it is a no brainer to buy this type of shifting if you are willing to pay the price of a very high performance road/tri bike.

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