The Reality of Automatic Bicycle Shifting

You ever see a guy on a bike, legs spinning like a hamster on meth, just trying to keep up with the gears? That guy’s me. Or maybe you. Or maybe both of us at some point.

And you ever think, “Why the hell don’t bikes just shift automatically by now?”

I did. Then I did some digging. And let me tell you, the answer is uglier than a $10 motel room.

Let’s break it down. Seven harsh, cold truths about automatic bicycle shifting.

1. It’s Been Done – And It’s Been Terrible

Automatic shifting isn’t some revolutionary idea waiting to be discovered. It’s been around for decades, lurking in the shadows, failing quietly.

There were mechanical versions that relied on centrifugal weights, electronic versions that tried to predict your needs, and even e-bike integrations.

And guess what? Almost everyone who’s used them has hated them. They shift at the wrong time, they’re unpredictable, and they take the joy out of the ride.

Like dating someone who texts your mom before you’ve even defined the relationship.

2. Cadence Is Not King

The idea sounds simple: measure your cadence and shift accordingly. Except that’s like saying all meals should be cooked at 350°F. It doesn’t work like that.

Sprinting? You want control.
Climbing? You want control.
Coasting? You want control.

Automatic shifting can’t read your mind. It can’t tell when you’re about to stand up and hammer it. It doesn’t know when you’re bracing for a hill or setting up for a sprint. So it shifts at the worst possible moment, like a toddler pressing random buttons on your TV remote.

3. More Complexity, More Problems

Remember when bikes were just two wheels, a chain, and some gears? Those were good times. Now, we’ve got electronic shifting, power meters, Bluetooth apps, firmware updates—yeah, firmware updates for your damn bicycle.

Automatic shifting? That’s just another thing to break. Another expensive component to fail at the worst time.

Imagine bombing down a hill at 40 mph and your bike decides, “You know what? Let’s go down a gear.”

Suddenly, you’re pedaling air and praying.

4. Shifting Is Not That Hard, Stop Complaining

Look, I get it. Sometimes you just want to ride without thinking. But shifting is not that hard. It’s literally pressing a button or flicking a lever. If that’s too much work, you might as well put training wheels back on.

It’s not a CVT transmission in a car. It’s not some complex engineering puzzle. You feel the resistance, you shift accordingly. Your legs tell you what’s up. It’s instinctive, like swatting a mosquito or lying to your dentist about flossing.

5. Automatic Shifting Wears Out Your Drivetrain Faster

Shifting under power is a bad idea. You know it, I know it, and your chain sure as hell knows it. That’s why good riders ease up when they shift.

An automatic system doesn’t do that. It just shifts. Whether you’re grinding up a hill or pushing 1,000 watts in a sprint. That means more wear, more grinding, more snapped chains, more money spent on parts.

And you know what bike mechanics love? People who burn through drivetrains like an F1 team burns through tires. Keep that wallet open, my friend.

6. People Who Care About Performance Hate It

There’s a reason pro riders don’t use automatic shifting. They need control. They need to anticipate, react, and fine-tune their ride.

Race cars have paddle shifters, not CVTs. Motorcycles are mostly manual. Why? Because shifting is part of the sport. It’s an art.

Even casual riders feel it. You get in tune with your bike. You start knowing when to shift without thinking. It’s part of the experience, like the smell of fresh chain lube or the existential despair of a brutal headwind.

7. The Market Has Spoken – And It Said “No Thanks”

Shimano tried it. SRAM tried it. Hell, even some random 90s brands tried it. And where are those systems now? Collecting dust in the cycling industry’s graveyard, next to elliptical chainrings and suspension stems.

Because cyclists don’t want it. Some things don’t need to be automated. Shifting is one of them.

Summary Table:

#	Hard Truth	Why It Sucks
1	It’s been done before	And it sucked every time
2	Cadence isn’t everything	You need control, not a robot guessing your needs
3	More tech, more problems	It’ll fail at the worst time
4	Shifting is easy	If you can breathe, you can shift
5	Kills your drivetrain	More stress, more wear, more broken parts
6	Serious riders don’t want it	Shifting is part of the sport
7	The market rejected it	If it was good, we’d all be using it by now

Automatic shifting is the cycling industry’s answer to a problem that doesn’t exist.

It’s like those automatic soap dispensers in public bathrooms—they sound convenient, but half the time they don’t work, and you end up smacking the damn thing like it owes you money.

You want a simple ride? Ride a single-speed.
You want an easy ride? Get an e-bike.
You want a good ride? Learn to shift.

Because if automatic shifting was the future, we’d all be using it by now. And we’re not. Because it sucks.