NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/rec/bicycles/misc/1780

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-29 | 3.2 KB

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From: [e-mail] (Tommy Reingold)
Subject: Re: Automatic transmissions for bikes
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ, USA
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 21:15:04 GMT
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[e-mail] (Ray Downes) writes:

$ I've ridden with a fair amount of what I'll call casual riders,
$ especially during the pre-index days, who wouldn't or couldn't figure
$ out how to use their multi-gear bike. Many riders even today, owning
$ 14-24 speed bikes, don't know how to get the next higher gear ratio,
$ and tend to struggle along with same maybe 3-4 gear ratios (with at
$ least one of those being a "bad" gear). Worse yet, some manufacturers
$ chose very poor gear combinations, some even with 3-4 "good" gear ratio
$ duplicates!

$ For "the masses", who have no interest in swapping gears, instead of a
$ automatic transmission, how about a intellegent shift lever, i.e. one
$ that decides what the next higher (or lower) gear-inch combo is and
$ single or double shifts as required.

$ I'm picturing a single lever, perhaps using a shift drum as in some
$ motorcycle transmissions, where a single shift "up", does a single or
$ double shift as required. The drum could be matched with predetermined
$ chainring and freewheel/cassettes "sets" (manufacturers would love
$ this), dealers could alter the "set" as required to meet the
$ rider/terrain requirements. The drum would also be "programmed" to
$ disallow bad gear combinations.

$ This would retain almost all of the current drivetrain design and
$ components, easing the burden on manufacturers and dealers.

$ I'm all for sharing my current commute route with hundreds more bike
$ commuters - don't think it's going to happen till bikes are much more
$ casual-rider friendly.  Relatively flat commute routes are one thing -
$ the gear-naive might get by. Stick a few hills in the way, or a couple
$ of windy days, and they'll find it either too time consuming and/or too
$ hard and bag it.

$ Just a thought, probably all wrong ...

No, not wrong, it was done!  I saw it about twelve years ago on a cheap
department-store bike.  You push the lever for a higher gear and pull
for lower.  It shifted either or both derailleurs as needed.  There
were two problems.

One was that it was built with the cheapest parts.  Of course, they
could remedy this problem.

The other is that you could only step through the gears one at a time.
If you were in your lowest gear for a long, steep hill and wanted your
highest gear, you would have to hit the lever nine times, waiting for
each shift, some of them double shifts.

Can someone think of a solution to the second problem above?  If so, I
think this is a viable idea worth reviving.

--
Tommy Reingold
AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
[e-mail] or att!boole!tommy