What did you do TO / WITH / FOR your bike today!

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
As someone who has bikes with Di2 (road and mtb), standard cable derailleur gear, a Rohloff hub bike and a Pinion equipped Nicolai I think I can answer some of these questions.

1. The weight penalty is noticeable towards the end of a longer ride. Changing tyres to something with less rolling resistance could make enough of a difference to offset this somewhat. On the plus side it does make you a stronger rider.

2. I can only go by feel here. The Rohloff definitely has the greatest internal resistance. Between my singlespeed, derailleur euqipped mtbs and the Pinion I can't feel any difference in efficiency. The Pinion gains some over a derailleur set up if the chainline is straight.

3. It's juts like soft pedalling when you change gears with a derailleur but a bit more pronounced. You are the clutch, so letting a bit of load off the pedals lets you shift to an easier gear. You don't have to soft pedal to change to an easier gear. With the Rohloff you have to release the pedalling load for changes in both directions.

4. I don't have any issues going between all three systems. I still know how to use a front derailleur though. :p
That's really great feedback, thanks. How on earth did you get a GPI before superfan @Zaf?

If anyone (hint hint) is willing to let me touch their gearbox bike I'm happy to be converted. Although I think I will hold out for a couple of generations of weight loss and a Di2 or more elegant trigger shifting system.

@Zaf, a 10s XT cassette is only going to add 200g tops to the inertia of the rear wheel. That inertia is stored energy, so it's not quite the same as energy loss through friction etc.

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Z

Zaf

Guest
@Zaf, a 10s XT cassette is only going to add 200g tops to the inertia of the rear wheel. That inertia is stored energy, so it's not quite the same as energy loss through friction etc.
Yeah, twice as much energy to accelerate.

There are too many variables in mtb'ing to get a clear figure. For me, I got to a point where I accepted I was not limited by my power output on the mtb (that's more of a road thing) and what I wanted was stability and suspension performance that inspires confidence.
Low central weight and removing unsprung mass is gonna be pretty unrivalled in achieving that.

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Binaural

Eats Squid
As someone who has bikes with Di2 (road and mtb), standard cable derailleur gear, a Rohloff hub bike and a Pinion equipped Nicolai I think I can answer some of these questions.
You are the very definition of early adopter for innovative drivetrain technologies, salute! I hope you are planning a shaft drive commuter sometime soon :)
 

slider_phil

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Have spent the last 4 days in Bright on holidays. Two days in the snow and two days mountain biking on mystic mountain. Those jumps on the Hero trail are bigger than they look! Top section is pretty blown out at the moment but the last 2/3rds are really fast and flowy. Props to the trail builders for putting in a decent climb up there too so I didn't have to ride a fireroad up each time
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
You are the very definition of early adopter for innovative drivetrain technologies, salute! I hope you are planning a shaft drive commuter sometime soon :)
That's what I use the Rohloff equipped Cotic Solaris for. I couldn't live with the Rohloff for mtb duties, but it seems perfect for commuting.

I've had Di2 since 7970 Dura Ace, then 9070, but I didn't like the look of the new 9170 so haven't fitted it to the roadie. I've had a lot of trouble with the XT Di2 though. Mostly sorted now.
 

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Have spent the last 4 days in Bright on holidays. Two days in the snow and two days mountain biking on mystic mountain. Those jumps on the Hero trail are bigger than they look! Top section is pretty blown out at the moment but the last 2/3rds are really fast and flowy. Props to the trail builders for putting in a decent climb up there too so I didn't have to ride a fireroad up each time
I love Bright and it's among my favourite of locations. How slippery is it now though? I'd have thought in winter it would be greasier than a butcher's shop floor...
 

slider_phil

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I love Bright and it's among my favourite of locations. How slippery is it now though? I'd have thought in winter it would be greasier than a butcher's shop floor...
Every time I've come to Bright it's always been slippery. Should really come back in summer .

Tuesday was pretty slippery on the lower trails but today was nice and tacky in most sections, unless there was a bit of standing water. The less used trails were covered in pine leaves too which added an extra layer of difficulty.

I have to say, "Up DJ" is a fine example of how to build a fun climb. There's always a roller into a bermed uphill corner to keep momentum up. Always detoured down "Down DJ" and then back up the climb on the way to Hero.
 

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Do you mind if I ask what?
Mainly with it losing charge. It seems the front derailleur had to be set absolutely perfectly or it will keep trying to self adjust overnight. Other than that the initial set up by DefCon Cycles was not well done at all. Front and rear derailleur not set properly, cables run badly, Di2 stem not tightened correctly, firmware update not done.
 
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