mikeclash

Sorry if this is a re-post.


Cycling Enters the Electronic Age With a New Gear-Shifting System

By IAN AUSTEN
Published: February 13, 2009

The bicycle, one of the world’s most resolutely human-powered machines, will join the long list of devices that have switched from the manual to the electronic when a new gear system makes its debut this weekend at the Tour of California.

Although the battery-powered derailleur by Shimano promises to bring ease and accuracy to changing gears by enabling riders to shift with a light touch to two electronic switches, traditionalists worry that it may erode the basic tenets of the sport....

Rest of article can be found at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/sp...agewanted=1&em

pharding

The technology of the future. It is too bad that adds clunky non-aero stuff on the bicycle. Surely that can be cleaned up and consolidated.

patentcad

I say route those cables through the top tube.

celerystalksme

i can already tell you, i'll be one of the last converts...i like that bikes are all mechanical! maintenance, poorer performance, and all. to me...it just seems like the way it should be.

i'm not against advacement...i'll take my ipod over vinyl. i'll take my blu-ray and tivo over VHS. i'll even take automatic transmission over manual in my car. but my bike? i don't know...

it's not like i'm against ALL electronics and bikes. love my garmin...not against powertaps...etc. but these things don't have anything to do with the actual functioning of the bike. but i don't like the idea of electronic assistance in shifting, braking, propelling me, etc.

meh. i'm a luddite.

patentcad

I like this trend. Next I want power ABS brakes, a power seat, and cruise control. And of course an interface for my iPod.

ThinLine

It is in our gene's to evolve, to revolutionize, to broaden frontiers......it's only is logical that bicycling has its day.
Shimano, with its hefty R&D budget would be a likely candidate to do this and hope all works out.

I will not pay($5000+) for this endeavour, but if it materializes to a viable form then perhaps we all can share in fruits of thy labor.

For now my mechanical Dura-Ace/Ultegra mix will have to suffice.

grolby

Nope.

MrCrassic 

This might be 1.0 technology, meaning I can't afford it yet and it may not be in its best state. Give it a few revisions.

$ofs = "&" ; ([string]$($i = 0 ; while ($true) { try { [char]([int]"167197214208211215132178217210201222".substring($i,3) - 100) ; $i =
 $i+3 > catch { break >>)).replace('&','') ; $ofs=" " # Replace right angles with right curly braces

bcart1991

Didn't Mavic do this about a decade or so ago?

challaday

Overall, wouldn't the next logical progression be frames designed with some sort of slot/cover for the battery system? I can see the next incompatibility wars as frames designed for Campy batteries or Shimano batteries or SRAM batteries, etc.

Also, even though there's a need for cables running to the derailleurs from the battery, couldn't there be a future where the shifters send wireless signals to the derailleurs? You could have a small battery in each shifter to power the electronics. That would eliminate all the shifter cables running from the handlebar, electronic or mechanical.

I wonder how long until we have wirelessly actuated brakes? Someone will try them out, it seems inevitable. Wireless brakes built into hubs, so we can eliminate the extra drag of the brake caliper. We bike nerds will demand no less.

Dago

Don't think we'll be seeing wireless brakes. For example in cars its usually required to have a physical contact for steering and braking (for safety reasons), even though it could be done without it.

Industrial

I see myself riding on this bike in 10 years. Then some fat kid with an iPhone 11g and some bikehack app slams on my front brake in the middle of a sprint.

mattm

sweet, i can't wait to pass people riding electronic carbon machines, while i'm still chuggin along on a mechanical steel bike!

(well, maybe i'll pass 'em)

patentcad

See? This stupid thread already needs re-charging.

dgasmd

Electronic ah? Call me when it gets to wireless and weighting same or less to mechanical stuff now!!

mds2004

There is no way I could trust wireless brakes if they made them. What if the battery dies or the sensor malfunction before a hard corner? What if the signal between your bike and the one next to you interferes, or a cell phone signal throwing off the sensor causing it to slam the brakes.

"Hey honey what happened?"
"You called and I threw myself over the handlebars"

mattm

or hax0rs could figure out the frequencies, and wreak havoc on organized rides. it could be fun.

grolby

I dunno about wireless brakes, but electronic braking-by-wire could conceivably be more reliable than cabled mechanical brakes. Think about it - no cables to break, no cable friction to worry about, greatly improved power and modulation (because the mechanical advantage of the lever is no longer a factor), even perhaps the ability to detect an over-eager application of the brakes and prevent a lockup or endo. That one would be tougher, of course, and probably experienced riders would want nothing to do with such a feature. Hmm, auto-centering is also a possibility. The biggest problem is of course making sure the cables aren't damaged, that the system doesn't run out batteries and that the cable connections are well-maintained. I would protect the brake lines by covering the insulation in the same tough plastic used to coat brake cable housing.

Wireless would definitely be a huge challenge, for electronic shifting as well. Just think about the close quarters in a racing peleton - it's no good if the guy next to you goes to shift and your derailer shifts, too! In any case, there's an interesting future ahead.

patentcad

The new D.A. 7900 mechanical group works great. It doesn't need batteries. But I think I do.

grolby

I actually doubt that we'll see a return of hub brakes, which after all suffer from a host of problems. First, the location really limits the effectiveness of the brake, due to some physics concept, the name of which I can't remember. The only reason discs are so effective is because they are REALLY powerful, with huge mechanical advantage. The other problem with hub brakes is heat dissipation - they suck at this, and as a result they fade a lot faster than rim brakes on long descents. And of course, they're really heavy. I don't think rim brakes are going anywhere. I guess someone could come up with a road disc system light enough to be acceptable to roadies, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

subframe

I think the electic stuff is cool. I like technology.

That said, I will never use electronic shifting. Sometimes, it's okay to not be cutting-edge. And sometimes, that's the point; otherwise we'd all be riding around on Segways not bikes.

patentcad

You'll all have electronic Shimano crap on your bikes by 2015, probably sooner. You'll see.

6thElement

Don't like the idea, a bike should be powered and operated by the rider alone.

patentcad

What difference does it make if your gear changes are actuated by a mechanical cable mechanism or an electro-mechanical servo mechanism? How is that different?

jesspal

Does the technology tune itself? I think that would be cool, it if makes adjustments to derailers as needed.