All the points you make are good. Trust me, I considered those before forking out a small fortune. As the technology develops some of those concerns will be alleviated. As the technology trickles down, the electric will become much cheaper. The only point I am making is that it certainly makes life easier and riding much more enjoyable, to me at least. The attraction to me is that it is pretty much set and forget, far more so than mechanical, and on a longer term basis. If that means I have to plug it into a socket every couple of months, that is fine with me. And the relatively easy customise-ability on top of that. Looking at the future, I can easily see a world in 5 years time where most mid to top range bikes will come standard with electric. In 7 or so years time I doubt you will be able to buy any new bike with mechanical groupset. Add to that the fact that the system already integrates with shocks, and if the rumours are correct, soon with dropper posts. Now think of a system where your shocks and dropper post anticipate the terrain according to your gear selection. All of this requires little more than a software upgrade. One step further and your gears shift automatically depending on your heart rate to keep you at an ideal level. This is only the start, and from that perspective, it is revolutionary. I can't see it going backwards from here, only forwards. As for a crash affecting the display unit, only time and experience will tell. However, I have often seen countless crashes that damage current mechanical systems, rendering the victims to single speed for the rest of the ride.
