Automatic Bicycle

Automatic bicycle is different than motorized or electric powered bicycles. The automatic bicycle has an automatic transmission that shifts gears automatically according to your speed and terrain, saving you all of the gear guesswork and thinking.

The “Nuts and Bolts” of Automatic Bicycles

Automatic bikes are complex machines. The front hub is fitted with a gauge to determine the wheel revolution. This information is sent to a computer housed near the pedals.

The computer controls the gears located on the rear tire hub and determines whether to shift up or down, depending on the wheel revolves.

Throughout each bicycle ride, the sensors constantly search for the desired gear that will allow the rider to maintain his or her preferred cadence.

Some bicycles with automatic transmission allow the rider to choose a preferred cadence by pressing up and down buttons. When the desired cadence is chosen, the computer will constantly and automatically shift the bike’s gears to stay in that cadence.

Why Make an Automatic Bicycle?

Industry leaders who worked to develop the automatic transmission felt the biking industry fell into a slump after the 1980s and 90s when mountain biking and road racing became very popular.

Did you know...?

Did you know that bicycles with smartphone-controlled automatic transmissions have been developed?

Shimano, a leading bicycle manufacturer, unveiled a bicycle that could be controlled using an iPhone app. The app detects the rider's cadence using sophisticated wheel sensors and adjusts the gears accordingly by streaming data from the iPhone to the transmission system using Bluetooth technology.

Sales began to fall flat, so bicycle manufacturers began tapping new technologies, which could be applied to biking.

Surveys conducted by Shimano, one of the leading experts in the automatic bicycle industry, showed Americans felt bicycling was becoming too elitist.

Many non-expert bikers felt the sport was too difficult and complex to even attempt, and many riders didn't want to ride for fitness or competition, they just wanted to ride for fun.

This desire led to the bicycle with automatic transmission, so all of the complication and guesswork was taken out of biking, allowing the rider to take up biking again in a carefree, fun way.

Is the Automatic Bicycle For You?

Bicycle automatic shifting is not intended for everyone, nor is intended for all biking situations. They are not high-performance vehicles for road racing and for mountain biking. Besides, they shouldn't be used in inclement weather.

An automatic bicycle transmission is best for people who want casual use out of his or her bicycles for social riding around town and riding just for fun.

If you loved biking as a kid, and you are interested in taking up biking again just for fun, a bicycle with an automatic transmission may be just the thing for you, especially if you want to bike simply for the joy of cycling, and you're not interested in racing, competition or any type of extreme biking.

A bicycle with automatic transmission is a simple, fun way, to reenter the world of cycling if you have been away, or a great bike for leisure rides with the family or friends when you want a break from more competitive, hard-core cycling.