As a casual bike rider, if you have ever tried to shift gears on 12+ gear bicycle you know the frustration and gear jamming difficulties that can ensue. But researchers are looking to change that experience by designing a bicycle computer that tells you when to change gears to optimize power and efficiency.
Few people know how to adjust the gears on their bicycle to get the most power out of their pedaling without becoming uncomfortable either through having to pedal too fast in a low gear on level roads or straining when going up hill or to maintain a high speed researchers at the National Defense University, Tashi, Taiwan said in a release.
In particular, the researchers said they have an algorithm that gives any cyclist a gear shift strategy to cope with almost any cycling conditions and maintain this optimal state without reducing comfort, researchers said. The scientists point out that bicycles are a nineteenth century invention but there has been little fundamental change in the bicycle’s components in the last 75 years. Indeed, good derailleur gearing systems let riders move proficiently and feel comfortable but not necessarily in the best way for an untrained cyclist.
One of the authors, Ty Lin said in a paper that sensors and actuators are mounted on smart-bikes, which can change gears automatically according to the riding speed, pedaling rate, pedaling torque, etc. In such systems, there is a computer collecting input signals from sensors, and then using them to decide appropriate gear positions. A processor then commands the actuators to change to the optimal gears. The paper notes a method to get smooth gear-ratio changes by using front and rear derailleur system together.
Efforts to improve bicycles have tended to focus on modifying components and ignored the fact that seated in every saddle is a human who may or may not be in cycling shape. Lin and National Defense University colleagues have factored in the human element of cycling and considered that a fit and healthy non-athlete should be able to ride a bicycle for several hours generating 75 Watts of power without suffering fatigue and at a comfortable cadence of between 60 and 100 revolutions per minute.
There has been other talk, research and development of automatic bicycle technology. In fact a developer of advanced transmissions for bicycles and other modes of transportation, Fallbrook Technologies today said it closed it first round of investment, getting $25.4 million from Robeco, the investment arm of Rabobank of The Netherlands, and Windstone Capital Partners of Scottsdale, Ariz.
No word on when most of this technology will finds its way onto the streets nor what it will cost.
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