We spoke to Shimano and SRAM to find out whether running the chain at extreme angles is a genuine performance concern
I remember a couple years ago on reddit, there was a photo of one of the top Tour de France riders riding up a short incline on the big ring and a large sprocket.
And everyone in the comments was like “LMAO cross-chaining!!!”
Buncha keyboard racersReddit is famous for confidently incorrect takes.
One of the nice things about switching to electronic shifting is that I only use 1 button now, since the system automatically moves between the two chainrings as I move up and down the rear gears. It’s also nice that I can just hold it to rapidly move through the gears for times when I come up on a very steep section.
Seems like a Rohloff hub would be even more efficient, and also give you a perfectly even step between gear ratios. …At the cost of a few thousand dollars and about a pound of weight.
Do you have to calibrate the derailleur?
Just initial setup. You can decide on which gears it will switch front chainrings, but I just left it on default. During setup, you can also set trim positions for the front derailleur for each gear, and it will remember those positions and automatically trim so the chain doesn’t rub, which is another nice feature.
How often does it need charged?
I have the Shimano system with the battery in the seat tube, so once every few months. I have a friend with the fully wireless SRAM system, and it’s every few weeks for her.
