Electonic Drivetrain shifting setup

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Seph
Posts: 127
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:08 pm

by Seph

Since my ultegra has the option to combine the shifting with both derailleur i want to compare my experience with other users.

- First try: Semi-Syncro
If the front mech is moved to the bigger cog, the rear will move 2 gears upward.
If the front mech is moved to the smallest cog, the rear will move 2 gears downward.

This feels awsome as first impression but after a while the sensation became the opposite.
2 gear shifting is awsome to keep the cadence but sometimes you need a drastic change , slowing or increasing the cadence rate.

- Second try: Semi-Syncro
If the front mech is moved to the bigger cog, the rear will move 1 gears upward.
If the front mech is moved to the smallest cog, the rear will move 1 gears downward.

This feels quite different, is not drastic as the 2x shifting but you still keep the semi-syncro and the cadence different.

The Syncro mode seems also interesting but honestly i never tried because sometime during small climbs i still keep my 52 front with any of 21-24-27 cogs at the rear (i know, that's is wrong but for a small amount of time is not a problem). In those smal climbs a syncro mode will slow a bit since the shifting is not superfast, it is also not very slow but when i swap front chainring i usually have the tendency to increase the cadence speed, otherwise i can feel the trasmission suffering (also somewere i read that type of shifting require high cadence). Basically even is the syncro must be the optimal setup in the paper, during the real riding seems not that effective.

- Possible combination between semi-syncro 1+2
During ride i noticed that: If i move the front mech from high to low i must have a small cadence variation but viceversa from low to high on the front mech i should keep the almos the same cadence but with the difference of the force needed.
So, if the front mech is moving high to low , the rear should move one gear down.
But if the front mech is moving low to high the rear should move 2x gear up.

What you guys thinks?
And if you have any electonic drivetrain, would you please share your setup?
Also sram uses a different names but we still understand :noidea:

Maddie
Posts: 1531
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 5:44 am

by Maddie

I don't use it and prefer to adapt manually. Sometimes one shift at the rear, sometimes two and in rare cases also three.

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joeyb1000
Posts: 488
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:37 pm

by joeyb1000

Same here. I didn't find it useful.

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wheelbuilder
Posts: 1193
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:10 am

by wheelbuilder

I'm a drastic change guy. When needed I simply shift front ring and leave cassette where it is. Has been my method for 30 something years.

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ultimobici
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by ultimobici

When I first switched to Di2 I tried it out. I found it too clumsy in execution, resulting in me being annoyed by the shift. Went back to what I knew. I'm sure it is a benefit to novice riders who have less knowledge of gears and how to use them.

bmCube
Posts: 122
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:37 pm

by bmCube

I also don't use it. In fact I hate syncro/semi-syncro shifting. I adapt manually.

ghostinthemachine
Posts: 780
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 9:18 pm

by ghostinthemachine

I've got mine set to do a single shift at the back with a front shift.
Works well for cadence matching on larger cassettes, pretty much pointless on smaller ones.
ultimobici wrote:
Sun Mar 26, 2023 8:08 am
I'm sure it is a benefit to novice riders who have less knowledge of gears and how to use them.
I've been riding and racing 40+ years and find it a useful convenience feature.

bobones
Posts: 1271
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:19 am

by bobones

When I first got AXS, I tried out what SRAM call compensation and sequential shifting, but quickly dismissed them as gimics. However, over the last year or so, I've grown to like sequential shifting (automatic front shifts) and miss it when it's off. The main drawback is the potential for unexpected jumps to the big ring, for example, if you're climbing in the small ring and drop down the cassette when you get out of the saddle. But I like not having to think about front shifting and have the system do it for me, which also means you rarely cross chain. It's easy to enable and disable on the move too: just click the little axs button on the left shifter to switch off, or on the right shifter to switch on.

Seph
Posts: 127
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:08 pm

by Seph

thanks everyone. seems i'am not the only one who do not find a big improvement.

raggedtrousers
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:29 pm

by raggedtrousers

Syncro shifting was primarily developed for TT bikes - I don't know many people who use it on the road. That said, I've not tried it on the new Di2; if it's totally seamless, then why not? If you could get an audible warning from the Garmin that the system was about to shift chainrings, you could ease off for a half a second, and it wouldn't catch you by surprise.

timmerrr
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:09 pm

by timmerrr

When shifting to the small ring, I always make the rear shifts before i make the front shift. That way as soon as the front shift happens I can continue pedaling hard. Certialy doesn't work with syncro shift.
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pushpush
Posts: 291
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:10 am

by pushpush

I use full syncro on both ultegra and dura ace bikes. Manually editing the setup to ensure there aren't any ratio steps in the wrong direction is always a good idea when configuring. Despite the additional hassle I still find setup from the computer to be easier than from the IOS app.

The Garmin integration DOES provide chainring shift warnings with an audible beep and on-screen alert.

To each their own (yay options!) but I'm not sure why anyone would not use this. Change is bad. Things that are different are bad. I get it. Sometimes they are also better. :)

jih
Posts: 596
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 12:54 pm

by jih

Full synchro works better in di2 12s than on the 11s. The front shifting is so good on the new 12s drivechains that it doesn't matter if the bike decides the shift the front for you. I had it turned on for a while and there were times when I barely noticed a front shift had happened.

glepore
Posts: 1408
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:42 pm
Location: Virginia USA

by glepore

I have one set semi sychro, but have found that you need to shift earlier than you would with a non sychro bike to get it to feel right. We've become used to not changing rings until we really need to, and the auto rear shift throws you off at first.
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StevieB
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:54 pm

by StevieB

Played around with the syncro modes a bit at first (including full syncro), but reverted back to manual pretty quickly. My general style of shifting, even before Di2, has been to hit both levers simultaneously when going from big ring to small and then usually giving the rear a quick second tap. Going from small ring to big I'll do the same if it's not under heavy load, or if it is, I'll delay the rear shift just a bit. Gets all the shifting done quicker than the syncro modes, and you have the option to choose how big a cadence change you want, depending on conditions.

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