Automatic shifting, on an emtb, who asked for that? I never found an automatic transmission in a car that shifted the way I wanted. Why would this work on an emtb? Check out my video, or keep reading below.
Well, riding no-hands I forgot about shifting. Coming through corners and into steep hills, never needing to touch the bars. I suddenly realized that was pretty cool. And that’s not the only party-trick, this is the first time I’ve ever shifted while pedaling backwards. That’s not required though. It shifts if you pedal the right way too. Thanks to the Free Shift function, you can coast or pedal, it shifts regardless. As long as you’re not standing still. The motor spins the chain ring slightly to perform the shift.
Auto Shift made riding no-hands very comfortable.
See this video for more info on Linkglide, first introduced on a mechanical gear system.
For the Auto Shift to work, you need either the new EP8 motor (EP801) or the EP6. These motors have new hardware needed for the Auto Shift communication. You do of course need the XT Linkglide Di2 derailleur and the Linkglide cassette too. You might not need the shifter for shifting, but it’s very convenient to have for switching between the Auto Shift modes.
Both rider and motor are pushing hard while downshifting.
Shifting isn’t as fast as on the mechanical 12-speed systems, the Linkglide Di2 shifts a bit slower. You don’t notice that when riding in automatic mode. But switch to manual mode and you can notice a slight delay after pressing the shifter lever. The chain will only move off a cassette cog at a certain position, causing the slight delay. This didn't bothered me as I never felt the need to run the manual mode.
There's a new button on the shifter, just below the "XT" letters. This cycles through Manual and Auto modes.
The bike will shift up and down depending on your cadence. But when you’re not pedaling it will calculate which gear you need to be in depending on your speed. This means the bike will shift gears while coasting, and it can be shifting quite a lot as your speed changes while coasting. This ensures you’ve got the right gear when you start pedaling again.
Auto Shift settings in the E-Tube app
A1, the first Auto Shift preset was set to the MTB style and it was set to maintain a cadence of (+/-) 72, which worked well. I also tried setting cadence to 71. It didn’t make a lot of difference of course, but I liked it, it was a bit more eager to shift. A2 was set to Pavement and it was less eager to shift, it’s a bit too sticky for the trails. Another option is setting both presets to MTB and having one mode for chill trails and one for more agressive riding.
Cadence level can be changed on the display. Using the app you can set the riding surface, default gear, cadence and shift sensitivity. We only tried making minor changes to the recommended settings.
The display shows we're riding Auto Mode 1 and we're in 5th gear.
If you race emtbs, this might not be the ideal drivetrain. It can take a bit of time getting in the optimal gear in some situations. Shimano is working to make the system more suited for racing though. They’ve got factory racers riding the Di2 Linkglide and experimenting with different softwares.
Photo: Irmo Keizer
The Linkglide XT Di2 isn’t a cheap option. And we won’t see Deore or SLX Di2 as those groups have been discontinued. But there is the new cheaper Cues group set that includes electronic shifting, the U6050 for 10-speed and 6070 for 11-speed.
Photo: Irmo Keizer
There’s one problem though, it doesn’t come with a clutch, the chain tension mechanism that reduces chain slap. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around that fact. Shimano removed the Deore and SLX group sets, and they’re not replacing them? XT is the new entry level eMTB drivetrain? We need the Cues Di2 Linkglide system with a clutch.
Well, riding no-hands I forgot about shifting. Coming through corners and into steep hills, never needing to touch the bars. I suddenly realized that was pretty cool. And that’s not the only party-trick, this is the first time I’ve ever shifted while pedaling backwards. That’s not required though. It shifts if you pedal the right way too. Thanks to the Free Shift function, you can coast or pedal, it shifts regardless. As long as you’re not standing still. The motor spins the chain ring slightly to perform the shift.
Auto Shift made riding no-hands very comfortable.
Shimano XT Di2 Linkglide
Auto Shift is a feature on the updated 11-speed Shimano XT Di2 Linkglide gear system. Linkglide means it's an ebike specific system that has been optimized for shifting under load. I guess you could ride it on a non-assist bike, but you don’t get the automatic shifting. When the ebike battery is depleted, Auto Shift will disengage. But it shifting will still work. There is a buffer of 150 shifts, so I guess it's handy having the shifter after all.See this video for more info on Linkglide, first introduced on a mechanical gear system.
For the Auto Shift to work, you need either the new EP8 motor (EP801) or the EP6. These motors have new hardware needed for the Auto Shift communication. You do of course need the XT Linkglide Di2 derailleur and the Linkglide cassette too. You might not need the shifter for shifting, but it’s very convenient to have for switching between the Auto Shift modes.
Shifts well
Shifting under load is improved, which is a necessity. This gear system doesn’t care what you’re doing. Pushing hard in turbo mode, that’s as good a time to shift as any. And it shifts well. Sure, you can hear it. But there are no crunching noises, it doesn’t sound like anything is about to snap. It doesn’t trigger my mechanical sympathy making me ease off the pedals.Both rider and motor are pushing hard while downshifting.
Shifting isn’t as fast as on the mechanical 12-speed systems, the Linkglide Di2 shifts a bit slower. You don’t notice that when riding in automatic mode. But switch to manual mode and you can notice a slight delay after pressing the shifter lever. The chain will only move off a cassette cog at a certain position, causing the slight delay. This didn't bothered me as I never felt the need to run the manual mode.
Auto Shift settings
Shimano made two shifting styles, one for pavement and one for trails. A new button on the shifter lets you cycle between A1, A2 and M. The latter is manual shifting mode. You can also set the default gear, my bike was set to 7. This is the gear the bike defaults to when you’re coasting and coming to a stop. I guess I would set it to a lower gear when riding demanding trails. 4th gear could be better when stopping before a climb.There's a new button on the shifter, just below the "XT" letters. This cycles through Manual and Auto modes.
The bike will shift up and down depending on your cadence. But when you’re not pedaling it will calculate which gear you need to be in depending on your speed. This means the bike will shift gears while coasting, and it can be shifting quite a lot as your speed changes while coasting. This ensures you’ve got the right gear when you start pedaling again.
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A1, the first Auto Shift preset was set to the MTB style and it was set to maintain a cadence of (+/-) 72, which worked well. I also tried setting cadence to 71. It didn’t make a lot of difference of course, but I liked it, it was a bit more eager to shift. A2 was set to Pavement and it was less eager to shift, it’s a bit too sticky for the trails. Another option is setting both presets to MTB and having one mode for chill trails and one for more agressive riding.
Cadence level can be changed on the display. Using the app you can set the riding surface, default gear, cadence and shift sensitivity. We only tried making minor changes to the recommended settings.
The display shows we're riding Auto Mode 1 and we're in 5th gear.
Impressions
There were a few occasions where I was waiting for the bike to shift, but I never had to interfere and push the shifter. That could be annoying on a road bike I guess. But it’s not like I’m always in the perfect gear when riding an emtb. When riding mechanical shifting, I can find myself in a steep hill in the wrong gear. Then I’ll avoid shifting and have the motor help me up. With the improved shifting, Auto Shift doesn’t need to worry about drivetrain failure. The shifter can be used to force shifting in automatic mode too.If you race emtbs, this might not be the ideal drivetrain. It can take a bit of time getting in the optimal gear in some situations. Shimano is working to make the system more suited for racing though. They’ve got factory racers riding the Di2 Linkglide and experimenting with different softwares.
Photo: Irmo Keizer
Cheaper Di2?
I'm not sure about the prices as I only received prices in Norwegian. But bike-components.de lists the SW-M8150-R shifter at €165 ex. VAT. The RD-M8150 deraileur is more than double that. Bike-components.de lists the CS-LG700 cassette at €125 and the CS-LG400 at €95 ex. VAT. Both are 11-speed 11-50t. And you need a Linkglide specific chain tooThe Linkglide XT Di2 isn’t a cheap option. And we won’t see Deore or SLX Di2 as those groups have been discontinued. But there is the new cheaper Cues group set that includes electronic shifting, the U6050 for 10-speed and 6070 for 11-speed.
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There’s one problem though, it doesn’t come with a clutch, the chain tension mechanism that reduces chain slap. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around that fact. Shimano removed the Deore and SLX group sets, and they’re not replacing them? XT is the new entry level eMTB drivetrain? We need the Cues Di2 Linkglide system with a clutch.
Conclusion
I didn't really liked automatic transmission in cars, I never had that experience with the Auto Shift. I did an entire ride not wanting to use the shifter. I never missed doing the shifting. Moving your thumb slightly to press a lever is hardly any work, but now it feels a bit pointless. I would happily ride this on my next bike.|
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