Yes, I'm scribbling because I don't want to work after lunch, so I hope you won't take this too seriously.
I started my introduction to electronic drivetrain with SRAM.
The left lever button raises the rear gear and the right lever button lowers the rear gear,
and the front gear is controlled by pressing both sides together - I really liked this intuitive operation method.
Because even if I'm not fully paying attention, I didn't make any shifting mistakes.
App connection felt a bit cumbersome, but it displays information well, and firmware updates were cumbersome but worked without failure.
The fact that the front and rear derailleurs and batteries exist separately was very annoying, and the lever battery's method of closing the battery cover was very cumbersome. (D1 lever)
Of course, the DUB bottom bracket standard was also an issue, and when replacing consumables, you have to close your eyes at the enormous price. Chainring compatibility and Shimano Smart Lo compatibility issues gave me huge headaches.
But I didn't know then. That all of this was such a blessing compared to Di2.
After doing self-assembly for a while, the 105 Di2 came out and showed very reasonably priced complete bikes. Of course, I was able to purchase complete bikes with electronic drivetrain at an even more reasonable price by buying those used.
But for someone like me who used SRAM with my brain off, Di2 is not easy to adapt to. Left is front derailleur and right is rear derailleur.
Even now, when shifting the front derailleur, I frequently press both sides together.
Well, at this level it's just a matter of adaptation, so naturally I didn't write an article condemning Di2.
Yes, that's right. It's because of E-TUBE and the lever battery, the root of all evil, that I'm writing this article.
It was July 4, 2026, 8 PM. Before then, there was a warning on the speedometer that said 'Di2 battery low!'
It was when I tried to charge the battery. You can't see which parts have low battery in E-TUBE.
The lever wasn't being monitored in E-TUBE from the start.
SRAM, if you just connect it to the rear derailleur, you can monitor the lever, front and rear derailleurs, and even the power meter battery if you connected one.
When I opened E-TUBE and looked at the battery, it showed 3/4 remaining. Thinking maybe I misread the warning, I saw there was a firmware update so I proceeded with that first.
Yes, the full firmware update takes over 2 hours. I threw my phone under the bike and came back after watching TV and drinking 2 bottles of soju, but
it wasn't finished yet. During the download and update process, there's another hitch. Yes, I suddenly sobered up.
The rear derailleur wasn't working so I thought it was bricked. But it turns out the lever battery died during the update.
I found out that the part giving the low battery warning was the lever.
Anyway, somehow I finished the firmware update for the front and rear derailleurs and battery, and connected the charger.
And the next day
Even though I charged it for over 8 hours, the battery level is the same as yesterday. It doesn't show as fully charged.
From here, I'm feeling a very big frustration.
And the lever battery. This isn't a size you can normally get, is it?
I think the advantage of being lightweight compared to the drivetrain price and the advantage of inexpensive major consumables are very good.
But when pedaling suddenly stops, the chain sways, and I feel a very big frustration with the software controlling it.
I heard there's some kind of damper on SRAM's rear derailleur that prevents the swaying, but when I was using it, I wondered if that function was necessary, and after experiencing it, that function seems
to be necessary. When the chain sways like that and you turn the pedal, the power transfer doesn't work properly.
SRAM's almost only weakness, the incompatibility with Shimano smart trainers, also seems to have become meaningless with the release of Zwift Cog.
If I had money, I would have tried the adventure of changing the drivetrain... but it seems I have no choice but to adapt well and ride.
I'm saying it again, but this was just biased rambling because I didn't want to work.
