The Chainlink

Shimano Auto Transmission

I didn't even know such a thing existed but I guess they have been around for a while and are now starting to get put on production bikes such as Nirve Cruisers.

 

While a NEAT concept in theory, having a big ugly electronic box and battery strapped to the wheelstay doesn't appeal to me.  Call me a purist but anything that isn't mechanically-operated that is on a bicycle is just aesthetically wrong if it isn't a light for safety or perhaps an odometer or GPS.  I kind of understand why the Amish dislike being forced to have an "English" safety LED light on their buggies to keep the po-po from hassling them on the public roads.  I'm not a complete Luddite -but I like my worlds separated.   I don't even like a watch that isn't run on spring power unless it is  solar-powered calculator watch or cell-phone watch.  But it is no longer a "watch" in my mind but something else.    Quartz movement watches are an abomination in my mind. 

 

That's what I love about bicycles.  Human power and mechanical leverage -just you, your muscles, and gears/chains/wheels.  Mechanical power.   I'm of the opinion that there isn't such thing as  electric bicycles -although having an electric motorcycle that is super-ultra-lightweight would be cool. It just wouldn't BE a bicycle in my mind.  It's something else altogether.  Perhaps that my issue with this battery-powered space-age IG  hub shifting mechanism.  It's mixing my worlds that I'd like to keep separate. 

 

But still, it's a pretty darn cool bit of modern engineering even if it takes a battery and uses electricity.  It looks like the velocipede and its riders are going to be dragged into the 21st century kicking and screaming if the manufacturers have their way.  I guess if that is what it takes to get joe six-pack to ride I can't blame them for trying to increase market share.   Too bad they couldn't do it with a fancy bit of clockwork that doesn't take a battery instead of battery-powered technomancy. 

 

.pdf manual from Shimano on their Auto-trans system.

 

 

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Davo on January 7, 2011 at 9:45am

What if the power the shifter needed came from the bike?

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 7, 2011 at 9:53am

That would be cool.

 

But I was thinking something like spinning weights inside the hub itself that could be adjusted to different shift-points and change the gears but that might just be far too complicated to last -and would have to be adjusted differently for different wheel diameters.  It would also be effected by temperature and differning lubrication viscosity and wear/age.  I know they use similar mechanical shifting mechanisms in some modern ATV's to replace the older Constant-Velocity transmissions inherited from snowmobile technology using belts and spindles.

 

Perhaps I'm a techno-grouch and would rather see things done with gears and pulleys instead of electro-mechanical servos and actuators in a human-powered vehicle.

 

How about instead of generating electricity to power an electric gear-changer it would compress air and use air-power...

 

Maybe I'm a steam-punk at heart -but not the silly fake steam-punk LOOK -but actual steam-punk functionality. 

 

Davo said:

What if the power the shifter needed came from the bike?

 

Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on January 7, 2011 at 12:39pm
The Fitchel & Sachs Duomatic 2 speed hub comes to mind as a governor shifted hub. If the few surviving brain cell I have are correct, it was a very nice set up.

And I know I have info on a governor shifted derailleur system from the seventies somewhere in my large stash bicycle repair manuals. Two things I recall about the derailleur system. One, it was an abomination that worked well on paper, and Two, it MAY have come from Shimano. Need to verify that one.

Shimano did give us 'Positron Front Freewheel System' in the eighties, though.
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 7, 2011 at 12:56pm

The Fichtel & Sachs was shifted by pedaling backwards just a tad.  Pedaling backwards more would also engage the brake (as well as shifting the gear).   So if you were in high gear when you hit the brakes you'd then be in low gear -you'd also shift from low to high if you applied the brakes in low :(

 

The governor shifted deraileur system sounds neat.  Something Shimano would do...

 

FFS stands for "For F's Sake" as well as Front Freewheel System :-D

 

 

Permalink Reply by Bailey Gene Newbrey on January 7, 2011 at 4:06pm
I completely understand your general dislike for them and the idea of them, but they are quite fun. I was given one as debt repayment by an old roommate and love the novelty of it. Being a bit of a purist myself I would certainly never purchase one, but enjoy having the option of jumping on a silly bike and taking it easy.
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 7, 2011 at 5:01pm

I need a bigger garage. I wouldn't refuse one if given to me either!  I wish I could get away with selling my car but Madison is pretty darn far away until they build that darn high-speed train (probably never).

Bailey Gene Newbrey said:

I completely understand your general dislike for them and the idea of them, but they are quite fun. I was given one as debt repayment by an old roommate and love the novelty of it. Being a bit of a purist myself I would certainly never purchase one, but enjoy having the option of jumping on a silly bike and taking it easy.
Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on January 7, 2011 at 6:12pm

See, I said I had few functioning brain cells. I meant the F&S Automatic, not the sweet little Duomatic, which was the Teutonic version of the Bendix kickback 2 speed hub.

Info on the F&S Automatic here http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/fs-torpedo-automatic/



James Baum said:

The Fichtel & Sachs was shifted by pedaling backwards just a tad.  Pedaling backwards more would also engage the brake (as well as shifting the gear).   So if you were in high gear when you hit the brakes you'd then be in low gear -you'd also shift from low to high if you applied the brakes in low :(

 

The governor shifted deraileur system sounds neat.  Something Shimano would do...

 

FFS stands for "For F's Sake" as well as Front Freewheel System :-D

 

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 7, 2011 at 6:48pm

Oh, great.

 

Now I WANT ONE -needs blue hub badly!!!!

 

thanks...

 

Great link BTW.  I'm going to put this on my next Xmas list.

 

Mike Bullis said:

See, I said I had few functioning brain cells. I meant the F&S Automatic, not the sweet little Duomatic, which was the Teutonic version of the Bendix kickback 2 speed hub.

Info on the F&S Automatic here http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/fs-torpedo-automatic/


Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 8, 2011 at 8:07am

Speaking of WTF technology on bikes, a friend sent me a link to this...

 

They see me ridin' -they hatin'

Permalink Reply by Allen Wrench on January 9, 2011 at 7:27pm

Here is another great article about this kind of transmission, made by Browning (the arms manufacturer):

http://www2.bsn.de/Cycling/articles/browning.html

 

There's also some talk on the NuVinci site about using their hub in an automatic transmission:

 

http://www.fallbrooktech.com/08_developerkit.asp

Permalink Reply by Alan Lloyd on January 10, 2011 at 3:57pm
Is that the "autoshift" system fitted on Landrider bicycles? It has a governor and it is driven by a rubber belt running on a cog or pulley just beyong the lowest (IE: largest) cog.

Mike Bullis said:
The Fitchel & Sachs Duomatic 2 speed hub comes to mind as a governor shifted hub. If the few surviving brain cell I have are correct, it was a very nice set up.

And I know I have info on a governor shifted derailleur system from the seventies somewhere in my large stash bicycle repair manuals. Two things I recall about the derailleur system. One, it was an abomination that worked well on paper, and Two, it MAY have come from Shimano. Need to verify that one.

Shimano did give us 'Positron Front Freewheel System' in the eighties, though.
Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on January 10, 2011 at 4:09pm
I've ridden an Autobike of the '90s and found the centrifugal automatic derailleur system quite sluggish and unresponsive.  Shimano's Coasting System probably responds better.  For the ultimate in shifting response, nothing beats Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic shifting.

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