I stopped in the lbs to pick up my new tires yesterday, and was put on a Specialized Tarmac with electronic Dura Ace for a fun test ride. The shifting was pretty amazing. The shifters are in the same place, and work the same as standard Shimano, but the levers are smaller and with just a light touch, you get perfect shifting every time.

I didn't have a lot of time to play, so I spent the whole ride going through all the gears, especially spending time shifting up front while in the lowest gear. No gear combination is impossible. You can ride in the small chain ring and the highest gear, and shift to the large chain ring, and nothing rubs and you won't drop your chain. Since the front derailleur self adjusts, there are no cross-chain issues. It's pretty awesome. I didn't have time to test it climbing, but I suspect the precision of the shifting is the same. No more worries about getting in the right gear at the right time. The battery is really small, and a charge supposedly lasts for 2,000 miles.

This is the wave of the future. Probably soon, it will be standard on all new bikes. As a person who is not into gadgets (my cell phone doesn't even take pics), I know those who do like them will HAVE to have this. Will you put it on your vintage Raleigh Gande Prix? Probably not. But, your carbon bike will be like my cell phone without it. Old school.