Maintaining your e-bike is about to get much, much easier

Date:
Fri, 03 Sep 2021 09:14:52 +0000

Description:
Next-gen e-bikes will be a breeze to maintain thanks to new tech demonstrated at the 2021 Eurobike show.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Soon, you wont have to worry about maintaining your e-bike s belt or chain
or visiting a service center for software updates. New tech demonstrated at this years Eurobike show in Germany should make owning and running an
electric bike even easier than a conventional one.

Some electric bikes (including our current top-rated model, the Cowboy 4 )
use a carbon fiber belt rather than a conventional chain, eliminating the
need for tensioning and oiling, but what if you could eliminate the external drive system entirely? Nine things you may not know about e-bikes Why your e-bike really needs insurance The best bike locks available today

At the show, Germany company Schaeffler unveiled a new system that eliminates the need for a chain or belt to transfer power from the pedals to the wheel hub. As Electrek explains, the Free Drive converts energy from your pedalling efforts into electricity, which is transferred to a front or rear hub through cables, which can be routed neatly inside the frame.

It not only opens up more possibilities for frame design, with different length wheelbases suddenly much more feasible, it also means a lot less maintenance for the rider, who wont have to worry about keeping a belt or chain clean between rides. Do it yourself

The next generation of e-bikes wont just be easier to maintain mechanically youll also be able to update their firmware yourself as easily as installing an update on your phone.

Bosch makes motors and complete drive systems for many of the worlds biggest bike brands, including Cannondale, Canyon, Kona, Peugeot, Raleigh and Trek to name just a handful. At Eurobike, it unveiled a new smart system including a battery, remote control, and drive unit all connected by a mobile phone app that riders can use to customize their bikes ride settings and install firmware updates over the air. The new Bosch drive system will allow riders
to perform firmware updates over the air, without taking their bike to a service center (Image credit: Bosch)

Thats great news for e-bike owners, who currently have to visit a workshop or service center for firmware updates. "They ensure that any bugs in the system that [the developers] have found are taken out, that all the components speak effectively together, and sometimes there can be little upgrades, Julian Thrasher, Head of Training at Shimano, explained in a recent interview with TechRadar .

"Basically therell be features that come out that the new firmware accommodates. So its a really good virtual upgrade."

Its not just a matter of adding new features, though firmware updates can also deliver important safety patches. Back in April, Brompton discovered a problem with some of its folding e-bikes that could cause the motor to keep running when the rider had stopped pedalling.

The problem only arose in very specific conditions, and only one instance was reported, but owners of affected bikes had to take them to an approved workshop for a firmware update.

Brompton offered owners a voucher to compensate for the inconvenience, but with the new Bosch system, youll be able to install updates to patch bugs and add new features at home yourself, as soon as theyre available.

We all use smartphones and computers, Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems, told TechRadar, and we get software updates frequently for all our devices. So it's a logical next step to have all the software updates for the whole system.

The new Bosch smart system will launch in 2022, and may well be tucked away inside the frame of your next e-bike. We've tested and rated the best fitness trackers



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/maintaining-your-e-bike-is-about-to-get-much-mu ch-easier/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)