Hello all. I will be building a gravel bike up next year when I get my frame at the beginning of the year. It will be a steel Jamis Renegade frameset. Wondering if I should go with electronic or mechanical group? I know I will go 2x just because of the terrain in my area. Thank you.
MB wrote:I know I will go 2x just because of the terrain in my area.
Not to derail the thread, but maybe to give you more to think about: 2X GRX with a 48/31 and a 11-34 actually has less gear on both sides than a 1X 40T with a 9-46 cassette.
MB wrote:Hello all. I will be building a gravel bike up next year when I get my frame at the beginning of the year. It will be a steel Jamis Renegade frameset. Wondering if I should go with electronic or mechanical group? I know I will go 2x just because of the terrain in my area. Thank you.
clarksonxc wrote:Electronic is pretty awesome, but I like mechanical better just because I am better at fixing and mixing/matching components with it
Electronic since you will be setting your bike up with the 2X drivetrain. it shines when you have FD. For the 1X drivetrain, I think mechanical makes more sense unless you like to to connect your bike with Garmin or Wahoo. I have 7 bikes, and every single one of them are electronic.
Not to derail the thread, but maybe to give you more to think about: 2X GRX with a 48/31 and a 11-34 actually has less gear on both sides than a 1X 40T with a 9-46 cassette.
Bigger range, but if cadence matters 2x is still the way to go.
Not to derail the thread, but maybe to give you more to think about: 2X GRX with a 48/31 and a 11-34 actually has less gear on both sides than a 1X 40T with a 9-46 cassette.
The 1x setup gives you wider range, but with large gaps between gears.
OP, electronic drivetrains are, if anything, more reliable than mechanical. They also allow some neat tricks, such as a gear readout on your computer - I find that pretty useful when I am on a steep, sloppy climb and wondering whether I still have a bailout gear on the cassette.
I have Ultegra Di2 on mine, but I wouldn't go with electronic shifting again for multiple reasons.
It's more expensive to buy. The only reason I have it is that I bought a used bike at a great price.
It's more expensive to replace when you inevitably damage it.
If you know how to shift a bike, there's no advantage to electronic shifting. In fact, it's sluggish compared to mechanical in some situations, such as when shifting the front and rear derailleurs simultaneously.
Multiple shifts are less precise, as you have to guess how long to hold the button to shift a specific number of cogs in the rear.
Exposed wiring is more easily damaged than exposed cables.
Exposed wiring is more easily damaged than exposed cables.
That's the one thing I worry about the most is exposed wiring. I would have figured by now someone would have come up with some sort of protective covering for external Di2 wiring.
The rear derailleur wiring is the most vulnerable. I've had mine get snagged twice and if there hadn't been considerable slack wire stuffed inside the chainstay, it would have probably been damaged to the point of needing replacement.
I've also had two derailleur hangers break due to sticks getting into the chain/cassette area. The second time, it twisted the crap out of the rear derailleur. I spent about an hour carefully tweaking it back into shape and it actually worked, but I ended up replacing it eventually.
As I said above, damage is inevitable and with electronic systems, it's expensive.
You can avoid wiring issues by going wireless, but you've still got the expense.
I hate the idea of electronic shifting, but after using 2x GRX Di2 all season, I'd never go back to mechanical - unless I was regularly riding through really rough singletrack or backcountry type of stuff where knocking off a derailleur or cable had a good chance of happening.
GRX Di2 is so good and low maintainance, my builder built up my gravel bike with it in early April, and after about 3k gravel miles and 2k road miles, I have yet to touch either derailleur, either wire, or brifter. And, while I don't mind working on bikes, that low maintenance feature isn't what sold me on it. The best part of Di2 is that it works so much better in wet, muddy, sandy conditions than mechanical does. There's no external cables getting packed in with mud, no sand getting into the cable housing and having to replace that after long rides on wet gravel roads.
Also, while I've never had problems with mechanical front derailleurs, the GRX Di2 front derailleur has been flawless thus far, too.
Although I'm obviously not a big fan of electronic shifting, I have to say that charging really hasn't been a significant issue. I charge mine every 3-4 months when I'm using it regularly, every 6 months if I'm using my other bikes more.
bnystrom wrote:Although I'm obviously not a big fan of electronic shifting, I have to say that charging really hasn't been a significant issue. I charge mine every 3-4 months when I'm using it regularly, every 6 months if I'm using my other bikes more.
Battery life is not an issue with Di2, unless you are unbelievably forgetful and/or lazy.
Pretty much. Basically, if I happen to think of charging it and I can't remember when I last did so, I charge it. You can easily check the charge level if you're concerned.
bnystrom wrote:Pretty much. Basically, if I happen to think of charging it and I can't remember when I last did so, I charge it. You can easily check the charge level if you're concerned.
Yep. And a charge lasts so long that you may very well forget when it was last charged.
I leave the charger on my workbench. Takes five seconds to plug it in, and very little time to hit full charge.
breadfreak wrote:I'll be all over electronic shifting when I don't have to charge the batteries. Where's my piezoelectric trickle charger?
Solar charging! or Dyno hub
(I do get tired of having more and more devices to charge, but I guess its where technology is going). Dyno hubs should be more pervasive in the US - they are sweet.
bnystrom wrote:
I've also had two derailleur hangers break due to sticks getting into the chain/cassette area. The second time, it twisted the crap out of the rear derailleur. I spent about an hour carefully tweaking it back into shape and it actually worked, but I ended up replacing it eventually.
As I said above, damage is inevitable and with electronic systems, it's expensive.
Good point. I hate it when that happens. I've learned to lock the rear wheel when that happens, but it still snaps the darn derailer into pieces. :-(
edraven wrote: Not to derail the thread, but maybe to give you more to think about: 2X GRX with a 48/31 and a 11-34 actually has less gear on both sides than a 1X 40T with a 9-46 cassette.
Am I the only one that cringes at the idea of a 9t cog? For casual gravel riding, maybe it isn't an issue. But if I'm sprinting at 30+ mph and 1000+ watts, I want at least 14t. Below that for any normal duration, its gonna have very high chain and cassette wear. I guess its OK for occasional use and moderate power, but I'd be replacing the chain/cassette a lot more often with a 1x. I really hate it when I'm out of the saddle and my chain skips.
I have no use for a 9, 10 or 11 tooth cog with the 46/30 chainrings I use. I have little interest in 1x systems for gravel riding, as having closer gear spacing is important to me. It's not a big deal on singletrack, but it definitely makes a difference on dirt/gravel roads.
