Electronic Campagnolo groupsets

[itsnotarace]

Record EPS and Super Record EPS (the latter especially for those powerfully built company directors on here)

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/campagnolo-l...

Nice to see even Record EPS is lighter than Di2. Likely to cost about 10 grand though!

[Parsnip]

Italian electronics, what could go wrong?

[itsnotarace]

[TonyHetherington]

Do the pros even use this stuff?

[Parsnip]

A lot do - but then again, they don't need to pay for it - will be sticking to my mechanical Record Carbon thank you

For TTs it makes a huge amount of sense - you have a set of shifters on the base bar for climbing/sprinting at the start and a set on the extensions for normal riding.

[okgo]

TonyHetherington said:

Do the pros even use this stuff?

A fair number of amateur riders use it too!

[itsnotarace]

Most of the pro's on Campy run Record rather than Super Record, for two reasons:

1) The UCI weight limit of 6.8KG means they often have to put lead inside the bike tubes to bring the bikes weight "up" to meet the limit, so plumping for alloy cockpit parts like stems, bars and lower range groupsets to make up the difference instead

2) Super Record is hella expensive for the sponsors when you consider they may need to buy in excess of 100 groupsets for a season's racing, and the extra carbon parts in the mech are less durable that the cheaper Record alternatives

[Jimbo.]

TonyHetherington said:

Do the pros even use this stuff?

Yup! IIRC the majority of Shimano-sponsored teams have been running Dura Ace Di2 this season. Even the most devout mechanical/cable-shifting pro riders (Mark Cavendish, f'instance) have been switching...

[Hard-Drive]

I so want to like this...and no doubt it's top notch kit. But for some reason it just looks so cheap! Look at the rubber flashing right on top of the lever hood...I'd be so dissapointed. And that piece of carbon on the front mech just looks like Halfords stick on stuff!

Just reminds me of my mate's Alfa cabrio...gorgoeus looking thing but the indicator stalk, something you use a lot, was just so cheap feeling.

The Italians just seem to do metal so well, and don't have a bloody clue about plastic. Mind you, they might be trying to save a few quid here and there at the moment!

[andySC]

Movistar were using/testing EPS in this years Tour. Rui Costa nabbed a stage win using it too.

[anonymous-user]

some of the comments on the bikeradar link are great!... have to agree with some of them, why did the UCI get so het up over Cancellera's supposed hidden motor yet they are still willing to allow electronics on a bike? and why oh why the need to shift 11 sprockets in 1 go?!?!?!

[okgo]

I do agree that 11 in one go would be extreme, but you can see that jumping a big chunk of gears would aid sprinters on varying terrain perhaps?

[TonyHetherington]

Blimey - interesting stuff!

I assume the real advantages are the constant trimming that it will do?

[Jimbo.]

pablo said:

some of the comments on the bikeradar link are great!... have to agree with some of them, why did the UCI get so het up over Cancellera's supposed hidden motor yet they are still willing to allow electronics on a bike? and why oh why the need to shift 11 sprockets in 1 go?!?!?!

'cos the alleged motor was helping drive the bike forward! This is mere shifting: the power still comes from the rider.

[Jimbo.]

TonyHetherington said:

Blimey - interesting stuff!

I assume the real advantages are the constant trimming that it will do?

That, and flawless shifting *every* time.

[anonymous-user]

Jimbo. said:

pablo said:

some of the comments on the bikeradar link are great!... have to agree with some of them, why did the UCI get so het up over Cancellera's supposed hidden motor yet they are still willing to allow electronics on a bike? and why oh why the need to shift 11 sprockets in 1 go?!?!?!

'cos the alleged motor was helping drive the bike forward! This is mere shifting: the power still comes from the rider.

i know that, my point was how easy will it be to adapt an electronic shifting system to provide forward motion, possibly through the rear mech powering the jockey wheels? and do the UCI really believe that no techie geeks will try it.... the UCI are just making a massive problem for themselves in the future.

[Jimbo.]

pablo said:

i know that, my point was how easy will it be to adapt an electronic shifting system to provide forward motion, possibly through the rear mech powering the jockey wheels? and do the UCI really believe that no techie geeks will try it.... the UCI are just making a massive problem for themselves in the future.

Not very would be my guess: you'd still need a sizeable motor (one certainly bigger than any mech) and battery. It'd stand out a mile.

[TonyHetherington]

Jimbo. said:

Not very would be my guess: you'd still need a sizeable motor (one certainly bigger than any mech) and battery. It'd stand out a mile.

For a whole race, yes, but what about just for the 5 second sprint? An extra 10watts might be the difference between 1st and 2nd.

[okgo]

TonyHetherington said:

For a whole race, yes, but what about just for the 5 second sprint? An extra 10watts might be the difference between 1st and 2nd.

10 watts would be insignificant in the case of Cancellara.

[Gizmo!]

Jimbo. said:

pablo said:

i know that, my point was how easy will it be to adapt an electronic shifting system to provide forward motion, possibly through the rear mech powering the jockey wheels? and do the UCI really believe that no techie geeks will try it.... the UCI are just making a massive problem for themselves in the future.

Not very would be my guess: you'd still need a sizeable motor (one certainly bigger than any mech) and battery. It'd stand out a mile.

Wouldn't have to be that big... you're not necessarily trying to power the bike on its own without pedalling. Even putting 10% of the required energy onto the chain would make a difference over a 200km stage, and on one like last year's over the Galibier and then up Alpe d'Huez? The rider could save a lot of energy.