A post on Mountain Bike Action’s website is demonstrating electronic, computer controlled shifting on a prototype built up by Fair Wheel in the US.

The shifting is put together with components from Shimano’s old ‘flight deck’ shifters, modified kit from the existing Di2 road group and a few other slapped together bits and bobs. The video and interview show the whole affair working very smoothly and by all accounts from MBA web editor Richard Cunningham, its a dream to ride.

Fair Wheel says they had a fair bit of help from Shimano’s tech department in terms of programming the shifters to work together as they do to allow the shifters to trim themselves autonomously and independently of each other to provide idiot-proof shifting at any time under any load.

It all sounds great, but does this cross the purist line from bicycling into something more robotic? There’s something to be said about the soul of a bike and it’s shifting ability (or lack of) is a big part of Mountain Biking for some people. For others its about getting out and experiencing the ride and the trail.. will electronic shifting crash on the first creek crossing? If it breaks down can you manually adjust it to get into a good gear to make it home on?

With Shimano being instrumental to putting this prototype together, I doubt it will be very long before we all get the chance to find out and we plan on being their to test it!

Check out the complete story here at Mountain Bike Action