bkaapcke

You would think shifting was difficult, but it isn't. So what's the point? bk

BarracksSi

Oh, you'd be surprised...

I also think that it's marketing's job to tell people that there's this new solution to a problem that somebody, somewhere, once had. Then, there are people who always look for the labels "New!" and "Easier!", so they'll buy into whatever product is being touted as such (whether it's actually an effective product or not).

Personally, I don't like the idea of automatic shifting because, to put it simply, I'm the engine. Pay attention to what a car engine does with an automatic transmission -- it jumps to higher revs, drops to low revs, ad nauseum, which is like a cyclist suddenly having to change cadence against their will.

jack002

Wow, how cool is that? CV for bikes! Yeah, adapting this to auto would be easy. The position is just a function of speed. I'd love to try one of these.

Jack

Allen

It is not so much the placement of the cup holder as the proper adjustment of the chauffeur.

PlatyPius

Shimano Coasting (I KNEW someone would post a link to a Trek, since Trek is obviously the only bike brand on the planet... ) was designed for non-riders. It is their clever marketing ploy to get more people cycling and therefore addicted to spending copious amounts of money on bikes and cycling gear.

Nice that you mentioned "mentally handicapped" people, since those people would also be within the target group, I assume.

caloso

How would the bike know what my optimum cadence is?

rekall

^ flawless victory.

but a variable transmission (like suburu invented for their 1990 Justy) on a bike would be awesome.

ProFail

That was like in the 1400s, grampa.

Today's autos usually get better milage then most people can manage with a stick.

PlatyPius

Beat me to it.

Once automatic transmissions became completely computer-controlled, they became MORE efficient than manual transmissions.

I still think automatics suck, but I have one due to there not being a manual version of my truck available at the time.

hotbike

I shot more pictures, in different light. Hope you can see how it works.

The weights on the spokes slide out, (centrifugal force), a lever moves a plastic disk (looks like a spoke protector, but it's black), the chain gets pushed to a higher (smaller) gear. There are three weights and three levers. Hope you canm see the parts in these photos.

My first photo was suffering from low light conditions.

Velo Dog

This comes up here and on other boards three or four times a year, and i always have the same question: Why would anybody want THAT? I can't imagine a situation, not in the 40 years I've been cycling or into the future, where I'd ever say, "Jeez, this would be a perfect ride if only the bike had an automatic trans."

dbg

I also think it's a dumb idea. The one's I've tried are cumbersome and awkward. I think it "fights" against you in many situations (standing up to sprint, freely choosing a different cadence-speed profile, choosing a different time to downshift, ...ten other subtle nuances of how I want my bicycle to respond). Ride a single speed and you'll realize there are infinite subtlties of how you want that perfect effort-vs-response to manifest. auto-shift? Dumb idea on a bike!

jagsfanrick

I always preferred manual transmission in a car so no reason would ever want an automatic bike.

tatfiend 

Shimano is now offering a full automatic version of their 8 speed Nexus IGH in Europe called the Cyber Nexus. Actually a full groupo is available. Check the Shimano Europe site for info on it. It allows full auto shifting in either normal or sport modes or manual shifting at the press of a button, up or down. The only bike I am aware of offering it here is the Ferrari CX-70. Shimano has done auto shifting versions of their 3, 4 and 8 speed IGH hubs.

I have the Nuvinci hub on one bike. A different riding experience but not truly an automatic transmission. It is heavy so definitely not for the bike weight concious.

BarracksSi

Cyber Nexus:
https://cycle.shimano-eu.com/publish/...ber_nexus.html

(allow me to rant that Shimano needs to fire their webmasters... examples: https://cycle.shimano-eu.com/publish/...0C.-type-.html https://cycle.shimano-eu.com/publish/...56.-type-.html )

kenkayak

Thay have been available for some time; at least 10years be my guess./Kenneth

DataJunkie

I don't even like automatic cars...

Powerarranger

I'm actually looking for a Lime for my sister, who is special needs. Physically, she can ride a DF bike, but shifting is a problem for her. An automatic 3-spd would be perfect.

I checked out that link. It appears they're not offering the Lime anymore. Guess I'll have to find one used. Any idea what I'd expect to pay for one of these things?

hotbike

I've had that Autobike for about twenty years. But I took pictures last week, to show how the moving parts operate. No, I never ride the thing- the tires still have fuzz (sprue?) on them.

The one thing I may eventually cannibalize the Autobike for is the crankset. The crankset on the Autobike has a ratchet mechanism, the chain always moves. If I was to build a bike with an Electric Assist motor, this would allow me to use a "Mid-Drive", without having the pedals moving when the motor is running.

Another topic for another day.

PlatyPius

I just checked my catalog.... Raleigh has killed theirs too (Raleigh Coasting). My guess is that there just weren't enough sales. I know we only sold 2 the entire time I worked for a Raleigh dealer.

Someone else made a coasting bike too.... Just checked. It was Giant (Suede DX). It's now a normal 3 speed.

If no one is carrying the bikes, Shimano will probably kill it, if it hasn't already. Ergo, no parts after a while. You should be able to pick up a Lime/Coasting/Suede for half of retail or so. Also check with local dealers and see if Trek/Raleigh/Giant have any '09 Coasting bikes on closeout.

Garfield Cat

I'll call it a flaw to compare biking with automobile driving. The main difference is not whether a manufacturer can make it automatic. The biggest issue is the power output of the rider.

When car designers make automatic transmissions, they design it for the entire drive train and weight, etc. But with a bike, the engine is yourself and that power output varies. It varies on the type of ride and it varies on the ebb and flow of your own energy levels during that ride. It varies again as a rider gains more conditioning and again with a rider loses some of that conditioning. It varies among the different riders.

Try putting yourself in the position of a designer. That designer has to make that automatic transmission work for the group riders in the A, B, C group. It has to work practically all the time, not just some of the time, depending on circumstances. Any decrease in performance of the automatic tranny would not be acceptable for the consumer who is going to shell out bucks for this new feature.

Of course, this automatic tranny could be targeted to a narrow group of riders. Then it might work, provided that there's enough market demand for it.

PlatyPius

The Shimano Coasting group was targeted at the 'couch-potato, non-rider', and only at them.

Garfield Cat

And how is the Shimano Coasting group doing?

PlatyPius

Not so well, I'm thinking.


Meanwhile, the LandRider automatic bikes are selling like crazy on HSN to idiots who can't figure out how to shift a bike. At the shop, they'd (LandRider) pay us large amounts of money to fix the bikes when they broke.
https://www.landriderbikes.com/

Chris L

And more to the point, how would the bike adjust your "optimum cadence" to how your body feels after 250km in the saddle? Or three mountain passes? Or Several hours into a headwind? You get the idea.

Automatic shifters have been around on various bikes for a while, and as others have pointed out, they'll hold a slice of the lower end of the market for a while with people who ride occasionally but aren't that interested in it. Those of us who ride regularly will stick with our manual shifters.