Game changer?

[Gary]

Revonte's New E-bike Motor with Stepless Gearing Eliminates the Rear Derailleur - Pinkbike

Very interesting indeed.

 

[HikerDave]

Revonte's New E-bike Motor with Stepless Gearing Eliminates the Rear Derailleur - Pinkbike

Very interesting indeed.

After decades of waiting for my flying car, I’m a bit skeptical. I’ll be more excited about this if and when I read their patent applications.

 

[Gary]

Yeah. I'm skeptical too

when hoverboards finally came out

I was like WTF?

THIS...

is a hoverboard!


Especially considering no one has made a properly decent gearbox for regular bikes yet

 

[Mabman]

Looks like it needs a bit more Finnish work.

 

[Kangr]

Continental also have one
Continental Bicycle Systems - 48V Revolution

 

[MattyB]

Looks interesting, but I can’t see a weight anywhere and I hope it is better than the CVTs in cars - I’ve never owned one, but the ones I’ve driven in were all pretty horrible.

 

[Doomanic]

If they get rid of the derailleur, how are they going to compensate for the chain length changes during suspension compression?

 

[highpeakrider]

If they get rid of the derailleur, how are they going to compensate for the chain length changes during suspension compression?

Maybe it’s aimed at road and commuters and hard tails.

 

[Doomanic]

I wondered that, but they say this;

2) One motor can be used in all bikes, no matter the intended use and application.

And this;

No matter if you’re sprinting towards a double with a high gnar factor, pedaling up the hill for the next dose of ascending fun, or riding casually along the local trail,

 

[Kangr]

If they get rid of the derailleur, how are they going to compensate for the chain length changes during suspension compression?

Probably the same as single speeds with a small tensioner

 

[steve_sordy]

Looks interesting, but I can’t see a weight anywhere and I hope it is better than the CVTs in cars - I’ve never owned one, but the ones I’ve driven in were all pretty horrible.

I had a CVT in an Audi A5. They called it their "multitronic" gearbox. It was disguised as a CVT by having 8 speeds that appeared on the cockpit display. But they were chosen by the designers to appear like a "normal" gearbox. I loved the way that I could just floor the accelerator coming out of a corner and the car just smoothly and rapidly pulled away without any jerks or pauses. Their "steptronic" gearbox actually does have 7 gears and I can feel each change - not abrupt, but detectable. The multitronic is steel V belts in cone pullies and I was a bit concerned when I first heard that. But after having driven both types of gearbox I very much prefer the multitronic to the steptronic.

 

[steve_sordy]

One thing Revonte mention is you selecting your cadence. I am a bit puzzled by that. Do you have to choose from a range and stick with it while the motor/CVT gearbox does the rest? Or are you free to change your cadence continuously as now?

".....Our motor has stepless gearing which means that the bike can be ridden with constant, self-selected cadence – everywhere.
No matter if you’re sprinting towards a double with a high gnar factor, pedaling up the hill for the next dose of ascending fun, or riding casually along the local trail, changing between coasting and pedaling modes. No gear or cadence changes are needed, if the rider does not wish so. The motor and software do the work for you in that department – continuously ...."

 

[Kangr]

I think it means that cadence doesn't matter. It might be picking up how much assistance and what gear you need from things like speed, angle of the bike and torque.

 

[Gary]

I assume you'd program in a cadence (range) you're happy turning and combined with torque, anything above that increases the assistance anything below reduces it. Otherwise acceleration/deceleration isn't going to be controllable intuitively.
it also mentions the option of programing in number of gears and gear ratios. Which sounds far more intuitive for an experienced rider to use than an infinite range.

It all sounds a bit far fetched ATM coming from what we're all used to but if they can pull this off and it's intuitive enough, light enough, powerful enough and durable enough the future looks bright.

 

[Tim29]

Motorcyc

If they get rid of the derailleur, how are they going to compensate for the chain length changes during suspension compression?

dirt bikes have had fixed gearing and no problems with chain tension. But a simple idler wheel solves that issue quite easily and affectingly.
It will however make rear suspension geometry center line become important.

 

[Gary]

Motorcyc
dirt bikes have had fixed gearing and no problems with chain tension. But a simple idler wheel solves that issue quite easily and affectingly.
It will however make rear suspension geometry center line become important.

A motorcycle chain or sprockets are not even vaguely comparable to a curent push bike drivetrain components though.
If by idler, you mean tensioner, yes it can and does work very well on a full suspension mountainbike.
I have an old 200mm multipivot (DWlink IH sunday) DH bike I run SS and never lose the chain.
Things need to achieve it are (in no particular order, they are all required)
straight chainline
tall sprocket teeth (ie. not a cassette sprocket designed to shift)
narrow wide chainring
As short a chain as possible
a suitable tensioner with a strong spring
a guide is not actually required but could be added for even more security
This system would work on any suspesnion design.

Here's the set up I'm talking about:

The 1/4 bash guard is not for retention it's only to protect the chain/chainring from rock strikes
There is no chainguide at all (it keeps it cleaner, lighter and less chance of mud causing a retention issue)
the frame has a fair bit of chaingrowth so that is the shortest the chain can be.
chainline is perfect
chainring is a NW, cassette sprocket is a SS one
Sprung SS tensioner is fixed to the frame swingarm as well as the derrailleur hanger for extra stiffness and spring is tensioned tightly

 

[Dirtnvert]

Damn!! Cool stuff and it’s definitely time for it. Doesn’t look that big/heavy either. Curious if that will extend battery life. CVT has given better fuel mileage in cars

 

[outerlimits]

Oh lord, this is going to upset the current crop of SS purists no end.
They puff out their chest and boast “I ride SS” and the ebiker says “so do I “
Could you imagine the uproar....

I’d have to question the durability in such an application, and the feel of the technology.

 

[Slowroller]

A website that promises lots of things, and only has CAD renderings. I'm sure there are people working on the next generation of motors and transmission systems out there, I'll wait until they have bikes to show us.