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The one I find particularly interesting is electronic shifting. Isn't this just something more to go wrong and be difficult to fix?
The other thought is about solid tyres. There are some that are apparently pretty good. Might these be worth considering in a few years when issues with them have been ironed out?
cliveo-
Main benefit IMHO is giving you multiple shifting positions: I had STIs, aerobar ends and one on my bar top by the stem (for the right side only). But it also saves you from stiff front shifts which can become a pain over time.
Main issue is that it needs regular charging, but you can do it on the go (from AA batteries if need be, or battery pack, dynamo, etc) or overnight, so not a big issue.
Total failure is pretty rare. Of course if it stops working you've got to HTFU, select your preferred gear and make the best of it! I had to singlespeed for an hour in France on a cold morning while I waited for it to warm up so I could set mine up to recharge.
I know nothing about solid tyres (other than that they don't sound very comfortable). But most people don't get many punctures as, on the whole, the roads are pretty good. It's only when people end up on off-road adventures that the puncture counts increase.
I got 3 punctures and considered myself unlucky. I think @hippy didn't get any, despite going exploring a few rough trails.
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The other thought is about solid tyres. There are some that are apparently pretty good. Might these be worth considering in a few years when issues with them have been ironed out?
They've been ironing out the issues with solid tyres since John Boyd Dunlop was a child.
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Di2 is solid. It's Shimano. I will probably never go back to cabled bikes.
Solid tyres have been around years and never been any good - heavy and slow.
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solid tyres
Rapsac recently tested Tannus tyres. At Spin London in 2015 he was still quite convinced by them, but he has since concluded that they become unsafe quite quickly (I'm pretty sure he tested them over less than 4,000k), as their profile becomes square-ish. Apparently, they're reasonably comfortable.
I can imagine that at some point they may find a wonder material that does the job better than air, but I doubt it.
frank9755
andyp
hippy
Oliver Schick
@eone @kjlem I'm not sure entirely, lots of ibuprofen from day 1 and gallons of voltarol. Also I think experience in these things counts for a lot.
Inspired by Frank I thought I'd do some things that went well and not so well:
Good:
-Dynamo is the way forward I had no worries at all about charging my things. I also had a Supernova front light which meant cycling at night was not a problem at all.
-Frame bag over a saddle bag - I could get everything out whilst cycling pretty much with not much difficulty repacking.
-Carried more water - went from 1.5 liters to 2.7 liters which was adequate for this year however it wasn't a particularly hot year
-No sleeping equipment - saved weight and there are enough hotels on the route
-Mobile phone data - last year I had to use wi-fi so it meant I spent a lot of time in restaurants/cafes
Things I’d do differently If I did it again:
-Consistent daily sleep - this year I did 4 all nighters and on the second day you end up cycling pretty slowly and you keep stopping. I figured out on average I slept for 4 hours so it would probably be best to get into a rhythm and try to sleep at a similar time everyday.
-Take a Presta valve converter
-Have a pump that can actually bring your tyres to pressure
-Foil blanket - there were a couple of times this year I was shaking uncontrollably after a cold descent
-Get rid of the down jacket - I only actually used it once and given mine wasn't water resistant I was reluctant to use it when it was raining
-Proper waterproof coat not just a windstopper.
-Small helment light - I had to try and hold my iPhone in my mouth when doing fiddly things at night
-Discs - this years climbing/descending destroyed my brakepads
-Electronic shifting
-Tubeless
-More caffeine pills - I only had enough for the first few days and I assumed I’d be able to buy them on the way so had to drink red bull which is foul.
-Proper route planning i.e. knowing how long each climb will take, what kind of hotels are in the next town etc.
-Waterproof electronics and have shorter cables
-Have an idea of where some decent bike shops are along the route.