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There are actually quite a few people who ride bikes for transport, at least in London, noticeably more than there were twenty years ago. And yes electronic shifting is very much for public consumption - although not many commuter bikes have it. It’s expensive and tend to be used for sport bikes, both road and mountain. It is technology that is being foisted upon us. And is working its way down the line to the less expensive bikes and group sets.

It just goes to show you that everything is so specialized these days. I'm assuming that the electric shift bicycles are not for general public consumption--or maybe they are, because nobody rides a bicycle anymore for actual transportation. Not even kids. It's kind of sad, actually. Over in Vietnam, it's a different story. There are a tiny, tiny segment of the population who have "modern" bicycles, and those are the rich folks. Everybody else rides super heavy old school single speed bicycles. You don't go very fast on these things, but you could throw them off a cliff, leave them in the ocean for a year, and they'd still get you from Point A to Point B when you dug them out.

I buy new cars for myself and used cars for my kids. My daughter just bought a new car herself. I commute to work over a mountain, we call it a hill because it's only a little over 3000 ft) and I ski (8000+ ft). I need a good 4x4 that gets good mileage. Mine in now 7 years old with 92k. I have it maintained because I need that reliable SUV. I have old school bikes, a double butted Reynolds road bike and a 1970ish Schwinn 10 speed for riding on beach paths. And my "long boats" at 9 foot kayaks.😃