| 09/27/2001 | Multi-brand Premium Comfort Bicycle ProjectMost people would enjoy riding a quality bike, but often the complexity of a good bicycle still intimidates many potential cyclists. These include the confusion shifting gears, complaints of a rough and uncomfortable ride, and more.
Shimano has tried to address this problem by developing the automatic Nexave C910 component system for this category of cyclists and has partnered with six other bike industry brands to enhance the development of the premium comfort bike. These are all very well known manufacturers that are able to bring the latest technologies and human engineering ideas to this project. These six brands are Ambrosio, FIR, Herrmans, ITM, Selle Italia and Shimano. Ever heard about them?
The premium comfort bicycle will deliver performance, safety, comfort and cutting edge design. A bicycle that makes minimal demands on the rider and a bike that delivers the pure fun of cycling. Suspension, transmission, and inboard instruments are all managed by a computer control panel located on the handlebar. Aimed to be used on high end comfort bicycles, Nexave C910 will try to write a new page of bicycle history. The C910 make a bike as easy to ride as using a single speed rigid bike, with the comfort and possibilities of a 18 gear full suspension bicycles.
The Di2 (Digital Integrated Intelligence) transmission shifts automatically. A sensor measures the speed, defines the acceleration through the computer to set the optimum gear ratio. In order to comply with riders preferences, three shifting modes are easily selectable from the Di2 FlightDeck. Each driving mode has been programmed to provide the best shifting sequence for a particular riding style.
The same data acquisition is also helping the Di2 system to define the optimum suspension settings, what is crucial to provide the cyclist the comfort he or she desires. At low speed, for a hill or after a stop, the suspensions will get firm allowing a maximum power transmission. When a certain speed is reached, the suspension gets automatically softer in order to absorb road roughness.
From the handlebar, the rider can check his speed, the current gear standing, the suspension setup, the distance ridden and even time elapsed. At any time, the overall system can be switched from Automatic to Manual mode by simply pressing a button. This technology has never been developed for a bicycle. We can consider this as stepping towards a new type of mobility concept and an environment friendly alternative to motorized vehicles.
www.shimanocycling.com
|
|
|
