Shimano, makers of high-end bike gear I can’t afford, is making a push for its Di2 battery-powered gear shifter. Why make the time-tested bicycle design more complicated and harder to service? Aerodynamics.
Gear and derailleur mechanisms in high-end bikes are among the more impressive feats of engineering around, which makes bike madman Eric Hagerman’s report in Wired on Shimano’s new ultra high-end all-electric gear shifters pretty interesting. While other companies have dabbled in replacing rickety lever and cable shifters with all-electric mechanisms, Shimano has taken the tech much further than most. And while it may sound like bike-dude geekery at best, hearing the pros talk about the difference makes it sound like an amazing rig to try.
