EEb Technology, or lack of it

[Sherman]

I'm not asking much, a proper (12v) light output near the handlebar, thank you. External batteries for lights are always a hassle and uncharged when you need them for riding around town. For trail riding add helmet light.

I would not mind getting rid of the derailleur either.

 

[Pigin]

For me who generally rides his mountain bike all year round in the UK, my wish lost would be.
I can only see this being very draggy

they have all the money in the world to throw at it.

My car disengages the drivetrain when I coast in eco mode. Very, very little drag. This would/should be possible for us Eeb lovers.

QED. they have all the money in the world to throw at it.

 

[Mteam]

My car disengages the drivetrain when I coast in eco mode. Very, very little drag. This would/should be possible for us Eeb lovers.

QED. they have all the money in the world to throw at it.

dont think he was referring to drag when coasting - bikes already disconnect the rear wheel from the drive train when coasting (freehub).

He was talking about additional drag when pedalling using a gearbox versus the drag that a chain,cassette and derailluer causes.

 

[Olof Bike Adventures]

Does anyone know anything more about Shimano and their patent for an integrated gearbox?

 

[steve_sordy]

I love tech, I love choice but mostly I hate the fact that we have not got out of the 19th century and still use a chain!
..........................

There is nothing wrong with chains. Modern chains are exactly that, modern. Just because the concept has been around a long time does not make them obsolete. What would we do without wheels, or levers, or gears? They have been around even longer.

Darwin's Law applies to mechanical things as well. If there was anything better than a chain, then it would be widely used already.

 

[Sidepod]

For me who generally rides his mountain bike all year round in the UK, my wish lost would be.
1. Yes the current transmission systems are a weak point on EMTBs and need a re think. I would love a gearbox system, but with current technology I can only see this being very draggy especially when over the speed limiter, but in my opinion this is the direction we should head in.
2. Lighter more efficient batteries, I know these are coming with the up take of electric vehicles, watch this space ?
3. Bearings that can last a whole winter, all the chassis bearing are just regular tat on £10000 ebikes.
As for a chain drive, I still think it's the best solution, it's light robust and reliable.
You only have to look at the pinnacle of 2 wheeled race machines I.e moto gp bikes and everyone is using a chain, and they have all the money in the world to throw at it.

Good points. Moto GP heavily regulated so no option for fancy trannies.

 

[Pigin]

dont think he was referring to drag when coasting - bikes already disconnect the rear wheel from the drive train when coasting (freehub).

He was talking about additional drag when pedalling using a gearbox versus the drag that a chain,cassette and derailluer causes.

Sorry I phrased it very badly. I was referring to how an electric motor should be able to fully disengage at any given point. Perhaps its a space saving thing, I dont know the inner workings of what it would take but given it seems a common talking point it would make for yet another unique selling point and fit into the realms of the OPs thread perhaps.

 

[stiv674]

Prices will never come down if manufacturers keep throwing new tech on emtbs, I'd much rather they concentrated on making the current tech more reliable, hopefully lighter and also cheaper if possible.

The derailleur system maybe old tech but it's still the best option at the moment, I don't want another electronic item on my bike that could potentially leave me stranded 20 miles from home.

It would be nice to have a more basic 10 speed 11-42/46 cassette option rather than these monstrous 10-51 cassettes.

I think Shimano have the display size about right, gives you all the necessary information without being intrusive.

 

[R120]

KISS is my moto with EMTB's, the more crap you put on them the more to go wrong - I like any bike to be as paired down as possible, motor or no motor.

Having said that I think the market is far more varied with far more innovations than people realise, and if you look outside of the usually suspects then there are some great options out there for all tastes.

Take the Riese and Muller bikes, dual battery, built in lights, charger ports, Rolhoff transmission etc etc, but built with a touring rather than shredding slant.

One thing I do think that is brands need to design EMTB's with no compromises, and embrace what they are - at the moment they are too focused on designing emtb's that look like regular MTB's, and trying to slot components in and around that aesthetic - out the box thinking with frame designs that are focused on best weight placement and maximising putting the extra weight to good use from a handling perspective, whilst also putting it in areas that minimise the weight downsides.

 

[Part timer]

I think the idea of an electric mountain bike is to keep it as close as possible to a traditional mountain bike apart from the obvious.

This.

The more I can share between bikes the better: lights, garmin, etc.
I don't want to buy a satnav or lights when I buy a bike as I already have those.
I can swap a mech/pedals/anything from one bike to another if I break one.
I can have the same contact points on all my bikes.
I don't want to be tied to a particular brand for a part.

And from looking at this forum, the ability to change out bits is a massive part of the EMTB experience for a lot of riders. Buying the perfect bike from the outset kills the buzz of buying more stuff