rualexander
Legendary Member
The Enviolo (formerly Nuvinci) Automatiq has been on the market for a few years now and looks a better system.
https://enviolo.com/products/
https://enviolo.com/products/
Automatic Gears
- Thread starter Tenkaykev
- Start date
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fritz katzenjammer
Der Ubergrosserbudgie
I can’t wait till someone gets caught in the rain on a dirty road or trail with that sucker and it all grinds to a glorious halt, forever plugged with grit.
I know what I’ll say when it darkens the door of my shop!
I know what I’ll say when it darkens the door of my shop!
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
In these days of electronic shifting then it would seem perfectly possible to link a torque meter to it so that a ride could ride up a hill using constant torque through the transmission with the gears shifting electronically as required
Add a simple lever on the handle-bars and the rider could easily select to increase the power they are prepared to input
Given the lightness of electronics - this would seem to be possible
How hard can it be???
Add a simple lever on the handle-bars and the rider could easily select to increase the power they are prepared to input
Given the lightness of electronics - this would seem to be possible
How hard can it be???
Ian H
Ancient randonneur
I was thinking that. The Deal version had the interesting trait that, if you knocked a pedal at standstill, the chainset would suddenly expand, kick back and smack your shin.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
that is always fun in summer wearing shorts and having spikey MTB pedals!
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Go fixed or single speed, automatic gears. Simple!
Ian H
Ancient randonneur
Riding fixed has, on two occasions, had me resorting to turning the wheel round. Once for a lower gear, feeling knackered towards the end of a lumpy 600. The other time, to a higher gear, despite just starting on a nasty long hill - the reason is this case being that I'd stripped the thread on the hub, thus losing drive.
Suppose the problem is the advise is to ease off/ pedal lightly when changing gear and not to have the chain under significant tension. Not sure how that could be achieved.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Good point
Clearly could be done on an ebike but on a normal bike I suppose you would need a clutch like thing
which adds to the complexity and weight going against the whole point
ren531
Über Member
- Location
- Lancaster uk
I went nuts at the weekend and bought a single speed conversion kit for my winter bike so now s/s winter commuting.
I'm having bets with myself as to how long before I take it off
.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
I have been thinking on this well before this thread popped up.
But the 'change gear' catalyst is mainly either post or pre a drop in cadence.
The Enviolo system (as referenced above) uses cadence as the independent variable which the rider sets.
I envisage electronic shifting with a protocol which shifts to an easier (or harder) gear when the rider's cadence drops/exceeds a range (specified and input by the rider) say 75-90rpm.
Increased or decreased torque (not power) would 'merely' mean the speed goes up/down.
Maybe there are systems (adaptions of eTap or Di2 assumed) that do this - please point/link to any.
A manual (bars) overide would seem advantageous so the rider can, for example increase cadence while maintaining torque in anticipation in the immediate approach to a hill, and vice versa. Not sure how freewheeling would be dealt with: perhaps if the rider freewheels, the default is no gear change till x seconds after resumption of pedalling.
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Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
I went nuts at the weekend and bought a single speed conversion kit for my winter bike so now s/s winter commuting.
I'm having bets with myself as to how long before I take it off
I cycled to school , did a paper round, cycled to Buxton etc all the time on a single speed as a kid. I didn’t call it single speed, it was just my bike.
D
Deleted member 121159
Guest
As 'serious cyclists' we may never need automatic gears, but when you think about it, so many 'everyday'/'commuter' cyclists haven't got a clue about how to use gears. Also so many bikes come ridiculously overgeared - no one who cycles 3 miles to work needs gear combinations of 46-11, 46-13, etc. These bikes need to come with 22-34, 22-36, etc. instead! Then it's another thing to actually help people realise that these gears exist on their bikes. Some people don't realise there are two chainrings at the front - and have you tried explaining what cross chaining is to someone who really doesn't get it? So maybe automatic gears are a good idea after all!
T4tomo
Legendary Member
or a good old sturmey archer hub gear - perfect for commuters. alfine 8 /11 for a more advanced version bigger range
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
I have bad memories of the old SA hub gears
3 of us grew up together and got our first "proper" bikes at about the same time - i.e. bikes that we were allowed to ride on the road
John had "racer" - i.e. dropped handlebars and 5 speed derailleur
I had a Raleigh elite with SA huibs gears - worst bike I have ever ridden (except - see later and anything similar) - basically a normal bike but with the crossbar curved downwards for the last 6-9 inchea so you could have a frame for a full grown teenager when you were smaller than that as you were still growing
Hence heavy as **** and I had to get off and walk at least twice - sometimes 3 times - when riding to the houses of the other 2 (i lived 3-4 miles away!). After a few years my Dad took pity and we did a deal involving selling the old bike and combining Christmas and Birthday presents and getting a new bike
Which was a 10 speed Peugeot - steel frame and still heavy - but I could get to my friends' house in half the time and the hills just seemed to have disappeared!
Shaun had a wonderful Chopper wannabe - called a Dragster - he loved it - wouldn;t hear a word said against it. Gears were the old SA hib gears again and they only ever worked for a week or so at a time
Main problem was that the gear change - rather than being on a 3-4 inch changer on the "crossbar" - was on a 2-3 foot rod that started up by the handlebars and finished at the bottom bracket - where it linked to a normal gear change cable leading to the hub
any idiot that thing putting that sort of mechanical advantage in the hands of a teenage boy wants their head examining!!!
it just broke random bits of the gear change mechanism after a short time of working.
Seemed to be designed to operate using very gentle subtle movements of the gear lever on every change - Have you met teenage boys???
anyway - so - at the start - 3 of us got bikes
2 had SA hub gears and both bike were carp - honestly mine weighed the same as a main battle tank and the dragster had all the bad point of a Chopper but took them to a whole new level and added a few more
but in my mind 2/3 bikes were carp and they were the ones with SA hub gears
i.e. I am biased against them
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