I cracked the frame on my bike when I had the accident, so there was an excuse to put a new bike together. This time round, I decided to slap on Di2.

Is Di2 an improvement on the mechanical (cable) gear shift?

I must admit that it feels different to the mechanical – which I did not think needed upgrading… I was quite happy with cable actuation before I was ‘forced’ to try electronic shifting. But even with the improved electric works, I still get the same number of gears and the pedals still need pushing!

When I learnt how to ride a bike, it was on a single speed. Then when I got serious, it was a 10 speed – with downtube friction shifters. Then came STI which migrated to the brake lever. At the same time, the rear cluster went from 5 to 6 to 7 to 8. It hung around 9 for a while before settling into 10. The current standard seems to be 11, with the latest innovation concentrated on electronic shifting.

The question is, with all the developments/evolution in gearing and shifting, has cycling improved – or are we just playing with ourselves?

Are more gears and crisper finger tapping gear changes going to make us go faster or hold our lines better? Just how much real improvement in the final result do all these innovations make?

When mankind fashioned weapons out of stick and stone, and when mansions were holes in a mountain side, human beings lived a full life. In that unsophisticated world, the cave dwellers were yet to experience terrorism, democracy, unemployment, depression, sexual equality, traffic jams and flat batteries…

The early humans would still have lived lives containing the range of emotions and life experiences similar to what we do now. Same but different – Just like I used to race a 10 speed so many years ago. It was just as hard and fast…and deftly nudging the downtube shifter just the right amount to effect that gear change was just as effective in achieving the right cadence. And somehow, the 10 gears were enough to climb the same hills around Sydney as well. Perhaps 22 speed electronic shifting is another sign that us humans like to play the game of refinement – just so that we can see how far the boundaries can be pushed.

Today, we have the approaching NBN, wired and unwired communication, fast cars and slow traffic, GPS and GFC, High Definition and information overload, governments and armies, together with weapons of mass destruction…..But when we are all done, we still leave this world the same way – with a string of earthly experiences.

The games and players have become more sophisticated with each passing year – but they are still just games that we play with ourselves.