Shimano had full-auto hub gear shifting before. The current Dura-Ace Di2, which is electronically assisted manual shifting, is a cut down version of the earlier full-auto Cyber Nexus Di2.
I have the Shimano full-auto Cyber Nexus Di2 system on my Trek Navigator 700. It was, as a far as I know, only available to OEM (Royal Dutch Gazelle and Kalkhoff in Germany both took it up in a big way; the boss of Koga-Miyata announced that it was the wave of the future...), and it failed in the market. It was a superb system but nobody wanted it. It works but most people don't see the benefit: hub gears shift easily enough. Shimano then approached the problem from the bottom end, and made a three speeder Di2 full auto for shopping bikes, also only available in the OEM market. I don't know how well that sold.
My full-auto Shimano Cyber Nexus Di2 system is described in a photo essay here:
http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLINGsmover.html There is no good reason in the world for Rohloff to make an electrically shifting hub gearbox. The number of Rohloff customers who will pay for it can be counted in handsful. Furthermore, if the mighty Shimano couldn't make a go of it at the top end of the Dutch commuter market with the Cyber Nexus full-auto, what hope is there with the brawnier, hairier, tougher class of customer that Rohloff attracts?
I looked into the Edsan system and had some correspondence with the designer. It's competently designed and made, but it is only assisted shifting, and it still uses wires. I just don't see the advantage. For me even to consider an electronic Rohloff, it would have to have full-auto shifting, like the Cyber Nexus, and it must operate wirelessly, to simplify the cabling of the bike. Then I would pay a premium price for a premium product, simply to have it, not because I need it. Doubt there will be too many who can persuade themselves they need it, but there is always a small market for expensive technofreak one-upmanship. (Not us, of course, never us!) Maybe there could be a small real need and market too alongside splitable or folding bike fittings.
Sorry not to be more enthusiastic, but I've been there. Unless any new system offers everything that Shimano already had in the Cyber Nexus Di2 of nearly a decade ago, including the superb adaptive suspension, it will be a step backwards. I don't see where Rohloff will get the money from to develop adaptive suspension or even the sensor system Shimano had.
Andre Jute
http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLING.html
