Shimano Decks

"Paul Barbour" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My wife and I have taken up cycling for the first time since we were kids. She's bought a Saracen
Verve and I got a Saracen Rufftrax - nothing too expensive but they seemed OK to get us back into
cycling.

Both bikes have Shimano Tourney 21 speed gears. She's got Revo shifters

and

Quoted message said:

ID decks, I've got EZ Fire controls and no ID decks.

Now the nights are drawing in I'm finding it increasingly difficult to see what gear I'm in. With
her ID decks, she's finding it much easier. I'm therefore interested in adding ID decks or
something similar to my bike.

My

Quoted message said:

Shimano ST-EF29 looks like it's got the same connection as hers for connecting ID decks. It also
boasts that it's CI-Deck Plus compatible.

I've not been able to find much detail on what options I've got for giving myself better
visibility of the gear positions. I haven't been able to confirm absolutely that I can add ID
decks to my Shimano ST-EF29, fine a supplier of them or find any supplier of this CD-Deck
Plus system.

All suggestions and comments welcome

I think you should wait until you are more used to riding. It should be your legs telling you when
to change not your eyes.

My shifters don't have any display it doesn't bother me.

Paul Barbour tried to scribble ...

Quoted message said:

My wife and I have taken up cycling for the first time since we were kids. She's bought a Saracen
Verve and I got a Saracen Rufftrax - nothing too expensive but they seemed OK to get us back into
cycling.

Both bikes have Shimano Tourney 21 speed gears. She's got Revo shifters and ID decks, I've got EZ
Fire controls and no ID decks.

Now the nights are drawing in I'm finding it increasingly difficult to see what gear I'm in. With
her ID decks, she's finding it much easier. I'm therefore interested in adding ID decks or
something similar to my bike. My Shimano ST-EF29 looks like it's got the same connection as hers
for connecting ID decks. It also boasts that it's CI-Deck Plus compatible.

I've not been able to find much detail on what options I've got for giving myself better
visibility of the gear positions. I haven't been able to confirm absolutely that I can add ID
decks to my Shimano ST-EF29, fine a supplier of them or find any supplier of this CD-Deck
Plus system.

All suggestions and comments welcome

I must admit to thinking that you have some priorities wrong here .. Why do you need to see what
'number' gear you're in ? Surely your legs, heart rate and general feeling of speed ought to tell
you what gear is appropriate, not what it's number should be .. 😉

Having said that, and admitting I have little clue what ID decks are, but surmise they're an
electronic 'gear indicator' type of thing, can't you simply unplug your wife's and try them for fit
on yours ?

--
Digweed

In message <[email hidden]>, Paul Barbour
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

My wife and I have taken up cycling for the first time since we were kids. She's bought a
Saracen Verve and I got a Saracen Rufftrax - nothing too expensive but they seemed OK to get us
back into cycling.

Both bikes have Shimano Tourney 21 speed gears. She's got Revo shifters and ID decks, I've got EZ
Fire controls and no ID decks.

Now the nights are drawing in I'm finding it increasingly difficult to see what gear I'm in. With
her ID decks, she's finding it much easier. I'm therefore interested in adding ID decks or
something similar to my bike. My Shimano ST-EF29 looks like it's got the same connection as hers
for connecting ID decks. It also boasts that it's CI-Deck Plus compatible.

I've not been able to find much detail on what options I've got for giving myself better visibility
of the gear positions. I haven't been able to confirm absolutely that I can add ID decks to my
Shimano ST-EF29, fine a supplier of them or find any supplier of this CD-Deck Plus system.

All suggestions and comments welcome

Ask the shop you bought the bikes from. If it's possible to do the job they'll probably supply the
Decks fitted for very little more than the retail price of the components.
--
Michael MacClancy

www.macclancy.demon.co.uk

Digweed .. ;) said:

Paul Barbour tried to scribble ...

Quoted message said:

My wife and I have taken up cycling for the first time since we were kids. She's bought a Saracen
Verve and I got a Saracen Rufftrax - nothing too expensive but they seemed OK to get us back into
cycling.

Both bikes have Shimano Tourney 21 speed gears. She's got Revo shifters and ID decks, I've got EZ
Fire controls and no ID decks.

Now the nights are drawing in I'm finding it increasingly difficult to see what gear I'm in. With
her ID decks, she's finding it much easier. I'm therefore interested in adding ID decks or
something similar to my bike. My Shimano ST-EF29 looks like it's got the same connection as hers
for connecting ID decks. It also boasts that it's CI-Deck Plus compatible.

I've not been able to find much detail on what options I've got for giving myself better
visibility of the gear positions. I haven't been able to confirm absolutely that I can add ID
decks to my Shimano ST-EF29, fine a supplier of them or find any supplier of this CD-Deck
Plus system.

All suggestions and comments welcome

I must admit to thinking that you have some priorities wrong here .. Why do you need to see what
'number' gear you're in ? Surely your legs, heart rate and general feeling of speed ought to tell
you what gear is appropriate, not what it's number should be .. 😉

Having said that, and admitting I have little clue what ID decks are, but surmise they're an
electronic 'gear indicator' type of thing, can't you simply unplug your wife's and try them for
fit on yours ?

I find my flightdeck computer (which integrates into my sti shifters) invaluable. However, this may
be a completely different thing to what the OP was enquiring about. It stops me getting it totally
wrong when changing up/down without realising I'm already on the biggest/smallest and should be
doing stuff with the front chainring. Also helps me avoid crossing the chain, and lets me plan for
hills better (by matching front and rear gearing well in advance but not dropping to far too low a
gear on the granny ring when I do it). If I'm in a given chainring I'm less prone to trying to fall
off the end of the back cogs these days by feel, but it's taking a while to learn.

I use them to avoid getting it horribly wrong and the ensuing chaos that causes (for me and anyone
near me, takes a few moments to get things sorted out with legs/gears). Using sti shifters mean it's
not like bar end shifts where it's (I think this is how they work) done by what position the little
switch thing is in - you move the sti lever to one way to notch up a gear, it returns, move again to
notch up another gear, etc. To drop gears, you push the lever the other way, and how far/how long
(not quite sure yet) you do it determines whether you drop down 1, 2, or 3, gears, therefore things
are a lot less predictable until you've done a lot of miles with them, and can lead to over-shifting
down and having to ramp back up if you're not careful. Having the display helps, cos it shows on
there as you're selecting the gears, which is a moment or two before the rear actually changes.

Regarding the OP's ideas - I don't know if he means a flightdeck computer or if this is some other
sort of indictator. If the former, then be aware that it has no backlight for use in the darker
conditions. Can't tell you at what point it becomes unreadable - not plucked up the courage to go
cycling in dusk/dark yet.

Velvet

In message <[email hidden]>, Velvet <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Digweed .. ;) said:

Paul Barbour tried to scribble ...

Quoted message said:

My wife and I have taken up cycling for the first time since we were kids. She's bought a Saracen
Verve and I got a Saracen Rufftrax - nothing too expensive but they seemed OK to get us back into
cycling.

Both bikes have Shimano Tourney 21 speed gears. She's got Revo shifters and ID decks, I've got EZ
Fire controls and no ID decks.

Now the nights are drawing in I'm finding it increasingly difficult to see what gear I'm in. With
her ID decks, she's finding it much easier. I'm therefore interested in adding ID decks or
something similar to my bike. My Shimano ST-EF29 looks like it's got the same connection as hers
for connecting ID decks. It also boasts that it's CI-Deck Plus compatible.

I've not been able to find much detail on what options I've got for giving myself better
visibility of the gear positions. I haven't been able to confirm absolutely that I can add ID
decks to my Shimano ST-EF29, fine a supplier of them or find any supplier of this CD-Deck Plus
system.

All suggestions and comments welcome

I must admit to thinking that you have some priorities wrong here .. Why do you need to see
what 'number' gear you're in ? Surely your legs, heart rate and general feeling of speed ought
to tell you what gear is appropriate, not what it's number should be .. 😉 Having said that,
and admitting I have little clue what ID decks are, but surmise they're an electronic 'gear
indicator' type of thing, can't you simply unplug your wife's and try them for fit on yours ?

I find my flightdeck computer (which integrates into my sti shifters) invaluable. However, this may
be a completely different thing to what the OP was enquiring about. It stops me getting it totally
wrong when changing up/down without realising I'm already on the biggest/smallest and should be
doing stuff with the front chainring. Also helps me avoid crossing the chain, and lets me plan for
hills better (by matching front and rear gearing well in advance but not dropping to far too low a
gear on the granny ring when I do it). If I'm in a given chainring I'm less prone to trying to fall
off the end of the back cogs these days by feel, but it's taking a while to learn.

I use them to avoid getting it horribly wrong and the ensuing chaos that causes (for me and anyone
near me, takes a few moments to get things sorted out with legs/gears). Using sti shifters mean
it's not like bar end shifts where it's (I think this is how they work) done by what position the
little switch thing is in - you move the sti lever to one way to notch up a gear, it returns, move
again to notch up another gear, etc. To drop gears, you push the lever the other way, and how
far/how long (not quite sure yet) you do it determines whether you drop down 1, 2, or 3, gears,
therefore things are a lot less predictable until you've done a lot of miles with them, and can
lead to over-shifting down and having to ramp back up if you're not careful. Having the display
helps, cos it shows on there as you're selecting the gears, which is a moment or two before the
rear actually changes.

Regarding the OP's ideas - I don't know if he means a flightdeck computer or if this is some other
sort of indictator. If the former, then be aware that it has no backlight for use in the darker
conditions. Can't tell you at what point it becomes unreadable - not plucked up the courage to go
cycling in dusk/dark yet.

Velvet

The OP is talking about something similar to flightdeck but designed for more modest bikes than
flightdeck would be seen on.

These systems undoubtedly have their benefits, even if some people do continue to criticise anyone
who wants to use them. (It was probably the same when STIs were introduced, triple chainrings, 9
speeds, aluminium frames and a whole host of other developments. There's always someone who wants to
criticise improvements.)
--
Michael MacClancy

www.macclancy.demon.co.uk

In message <[email hidden]>, "Digweed .. 😉"
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I must admit to thinking that you have some priorities wrong here .. Why do you need to see what
'number' gear you're in ?

Some people forget what gear they're in and end up crossing the chain, selecting the wrong gear etc.
--
Michael MacClancy

www.macclancy.demon.co.uk

"Michael MacClancy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The OP is talking about something similar to flightdeck but designed for more modest bikes than
flightdeck would be seen on.

These systems undoubtedly have their benefits, even if some people do continue to criticise anyone
who wants to use them. (It was probably the same when STIs were introduced, triple chainrings, 9
speeds, aluminium frames and a whole host of other developments. There's always someone who wants
to criticise improvements.)
--

True enough, but also things that seem to be a problem to a newbie often cease to be a problem when
they become more experienced.

So considering waiting a while to see if this might be the case, seems prudent given that they have
already bought a system.

"Frank X" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I think you should wait until you are more used to riding. It should be

your

Quoted message said:

legs telling you when to change not your eyes.

My shifters don't have any display it doesn't bother me.

My legs don't have a problem telling me when to change gear. It's my brain that struggles to
remember whether my front derailleur is in 1, 2 or 3 ! I'm glad it doesn't bother you to know which
gear you are in but, especially when you are starting out, it's comforting to know where you are in
the gears.

"Digweed .. 😉" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I must admit to thinking that you have some priorities wrong here .. Why

do

Quoted message said:

you need to see what 'number' gear you're in ? Surely your legs, heart

rate

Quoted message said:

and general feeling of speed ought to tell you what gear is appropriate,

not

Quoted message said:

what it's number should be .. 😉

Having said that, and admitting I have little clue what ID decks are, but surmise they're an
electronic 'gear indicator' type of thing, can't you simply unplug your wife's and try them for
fit on yours ?

Sure, I can soon tell whether the gear is appropriate or not. However, I'd rather know that my
problem is that my front derailleur is in 3 and should be in 2. ID Decks / CI-Deck or whatever you
want to call them are analogue dials about an inch in size which show the position of the front and
rear derailleurs.

Michael MacClancy tried to scribble ...

Quoted message said:

In message <[email hidden]>, "Digweed .. 😉"
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I must admit to thinking that you have some priorities wrong here .. Why do you need to see what
'number' gear you're in ?

Some people forget what gear they're in and end up crossing the chain, selecting the wrong
gear etc.

Yeah .. I didn't think of that. But, again .. does it matter which gear you're in ? Surely all you
need to know is do I need to go up or down a gear or two.

--
Digweed

"Velvet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I find my flightdeck computer (which integrates into my sti shifters) invaluable. However, this
may be a completely different thing to what the OP was enquiring about. It stops me getting it
totally wrong when changing up/down without realising I'm already on the biggest/smallest and
should be doing stuff with the front chainring. Also helps me avoid crossing the chain, and lets
me plan for hills better (by matching front and rear gearing well in advance but not dropping to
far too low a gear on the granny ring when I do it). If I'm in a given chainring I'm less prone to
trying to fall off the end of the back cogs these days by feel, but it's taking a while to learn.

I use them to avoid getting it horribly wrong and the ensuing chaos that causes (for me and anyone
near me, takes a few moments to get things sorted out with legs/gears). Using sti shifters mean
it's not like bar end shifts where it's (I think this is how they work) done by what position the
little switch thing is in - you move the sti lever to one way to notch up a gear, it returns, move
again to notch up another gear, etc. To drop gears, you push the lever the other way, and how
far/how long (not quite sure yet) you do it determines whether you drop down 1, 2, or 3, gears,
therefore things are a lot less predictable until you've done a lot of miles with them, and can
lead to over-shifting down and having to ramp back up if you're not careful. Having the display
helps, cos it shows on there as you're selecting the gears, which is a moment or two before the
rear actually changes.

Regarding the OP's ideas - I don't know if he means a flightdeck computer or if this is some other
sort of indictator. If the former, then be aware that it has no backlight for use in the darker
conditions. Can't tell you at what point it becomes unreadable - not plucked up the courage to go
cycling in dusk/dark yet.

Velvet

Thanks - exactly my problem. The CI-Deck just shows the derailleur positions on a couple of analogue
dials. Nothing too hi-tech but it seems to work. They are about an inch in diameter and have a white
face which means they are still visible at dusk.

Paul Barbour wrote:

[snipped...]

Quoted message said:

My legs don't have a problem telling me when to change gear. It's my brain that struggles to
remember whether my front derailleur is in 1, 2 or 3 !

You could always just look between your legs, works for me...

--
bob [at] bobarnott [dot] com bobarnott.combobarnott.comOpen ↗
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