Road cyclists have been able to do the electronic shifting thing for a while now. Shimano, which introduced the first successful (key word is successful) electronic shifters with its Dura Ace line that the pros seem to love, brought Di2 to its step down (but still very high-end) Ultegra line last year, and this season will see rival Campagnolo also going electronic. Meanwhile there have been efforts to develop electronic shifting for off-road, but only in the aftermarket world… until now.
BikeRadar.com reported that a Shimano XTR Di2 drivetrain was spotted. Canadian cross-country racer Geoff Kabush posted an image on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that indicates that Shimano is indeed bringing Di2 to mountain bikes. Meanwhile Shimano has no official comment.
So the obvious question, is this going to go mainstream? In a word… maybe. While it is possible the pros will use it, where money is no object – and where the electronic drivetrian is waterproof and could ease the routing of shifter cables on full-suspension bikes – but for the average rider electronic shifting could be cost prohibitive. Anyone whose crashed a mountain bike and bent a derailleur knows that parts can add up quickly, and electronic drivetrains aren’t anywhere near “cheap” at present.
Finally, even BikeRadar questions whether this is real, a prank or a prototype. Time will tell.
[Via BikeRadar.com: Shimano XTR Di2 Electronic Mtb Drivetrain Spotted?]