General Cycling Discussion - Anyone have or familiar with bikes that shift automatically.

Got my wife to go out ride last Sunday...She is new to cycling and learning to shift and all....She asked a question...What about bikes that shift automatically...
Apparently she has seen them advertised on television..
Are these marketed at bike shops..? I am cynical...Shifting is not a big deal..Does anyone have one or know about them...? Are they real bikes..?
How is the ride...Might have some advantages for newbie cyclists...thanks.

Got my wife to go out ride last Sunday...She is new to cycling and learning to shift and all....She asked a question...What about bikes that shift automatically...
Apparently she has seen them advertised on television..
Are these marketed at bike shops..? I am cynical...Shifting is not a big deal..Does anyone have one or know about them...? Are they real bikes..?
How is the ride...Might have some advantages for newbie cyclists...thanks.

I have seen people riding the LandRider Autobikes but they look clunky and of low quality. The only automatic shifting bikes I've had any experience with first hand are the ones equipped with the Shimano Nexus Auto-D (http://bike.shimano.com/comfort/NexusAuto-D/index.asp) (Bianchi Auto-Milano (http://www.bianchiusa.com/auto-milano.html)) and the ones using the Browning SmartShift (http://www.browningcomponent.com/products.php) (Rodriguez City Navigator (http://www.rodcycle.com/navicity.html)). These are real bikes made by reputable frame/bike manufacturers. Of the two, I liked the Browning system better. The manual mode seemed to work better too. It offerred more gears and doesn't use an internally geared hub (not that an internal hub is necessarily bad). The Browning system is also more mature and has been around twice as long as Shimano's system. The Shimano system looks slicker though and offers a cleaner looking installation. The Shimano Nexus Auto-D equipped bikes are also cheaper.

And in case you're wondering... Yes, this is the same Browning that produces heavy machine guns. :)

Khuon..Any idea which manufacturer builds bikes using this Browning Smart Shift? Never heard them advertised other than on TV with this Land Rider bike.

Khuon..Any idea which manufacturer builds bikes using this Browning Smart Shift? Never heard them advertised other than on TV with this Land Rider bike.

Browning has links to Grisley and Rodriguez on their webpage (http://www.browningcomponent.com/bikemodels.php). There might be others. I'm only really familiar with Rodriguez. They're a local frame builder and quite popular here in the Seattle area. You can get directly to Rodriguez's webpage for their automatic shifting bike by using this URL:

http://www.rodcycle.com/navicity.html

Got my wife to go out ride last Sunday...She is new to cycling and learning to shift and all....She asked a question...What about bikes that shift automatically...
Apparently she has seen them advertised on television..
Are these marketed at bike shops..? I am cynical...Shifting is not a big deal..Does anyone have one or know about them...? Are they real bikes..?
How is the ride...Might have some advantages for newbie cyclists...thanks.

Stay away. Stay far away. If your wife has shifting anxiety, try introducing her to one of the internal shifting hubs. Although you still have to twist a shifter, there are no cogs and derailler and she can shift while stopped. Very user friendly and generally found on quality bikes.

[QUOTE=khuon]I have seen people riding the LandRider Autobikes but they look clunky and of low quality. [QUOTE=KHUON]


OH NO! Is this going to be another LandRider thread that will last for TWO YEARS!

WOW for the price of that Browning 12 you can have your choice of sweet bikes. The pricing on these "auto bikes" is typical. For about $300 you can get a gas pipe frame and super low end components on another manufacturer, then you can spend $500 and get nearly identical frames maybe even straight gauge alu. with the same unreliable components. Although the Browning 12 at apperance looks like it may be nice, for $1000 you can do alot better.

WOW for the price of that Browning 12 you can have your choice of sweet bikes. The pricing on these "auto bikes" is typical. For about $300 you can get a gas pipe frame and super low end components on another manufacturer, then you can spend $500 and get nearly identical frames maybe even straight gauge alu. with the same unreliable components. Although the Browning 12 at apperance looks like it may be nice, for $1000 you can do alot better.

While I wouldn't drop the cash on any of those auto-bikes, the Browning bike's frame is not low quality. It's made by a very reputable frame manufacturer. It's a rebadged Rodriguez. The Browning system is very reliable for what it's intended to do. I agree with you that for the normal cyclist, the features don't justify the pricetag. The Rodriguez Navigator lists for close to $2100. Take that same amount of cash, give me $1100 as a fee for "bike-consultation" and spend the rest on a regular bike. I'll help you choose one and teach you shifting and bike basics. :)

Auto-shifting: no please dont go there.
The auto shifter does not know when you like to change gear, it doesnt know when you are tired, or when you want to work hard or when you have a heavy load.
If you want an easy no-brainer gearshift, then modern hub-gears are good. Shimano Nexus are up to 8 speeds at the moment, which is enough.

Hush...... we don't talk about those kinds of bicycles on this forum......

I like the Tiso system that you can retrofit to any bike.

This is the Bartol system which uses no front derailleur to shift.

http://www.tisobike.it/triathlon/bartol_system.html

Got my wife to go out ride last Sunday...She is new to cycling and learning to shift and all....She asked a question...What about bikes that shift automatically...
Apparently she has seen them advertised on television..
Are these marketed at bike shops..? I am cynical...Shifting is not a big deal..Does anyone have one or know about them...? Are they real bikes..?
How is the ride...Might have some advantages for newbie cyclists...thanks.

Teach her to shift properly at the right times and she'll actually learn to appreciate the control she gets.

The opinions about automatic shifting bikes are mine also..It is just she asked and I am not that familiar with them..
I buy standard transmission cars..Why would I change for bikes.
That kind of money..Can think of a lot of bikes I would rather have..Appreciate some advice here..Can relay them to my wife, next time she feel 'gear fatique.'
Now, I know how my Dad felt when he taught me to get on a bike...My wife never really rode much as a kid and it was a three speed , I think.

in one word...junk

Got my wife to go out ride last Sunday...She is new to cycling and learning to shift and all....She asked a question...What about bikes that shift automatically...
Apparently she has seen them advertised on television..
Are these marketed at bike shops..? I am cynical...Shifting is not a big deal..Does anyone have one or know about them...? Are they real bikes..?
How is the ride...Might have some advantages for newbie cyclists...thanks.

I've worked on a few. I've never really ridden one.

To tell the truth, I don't understand the allure. The bikes in that price range from virtually any of the major manufacturers shift so crisply and perfectly that I really don't see what they are supposed to be saving you. Mechanically, the ones that I've worked on use a sliding weight on the rear spokes to activate the shifting mechanism. After flat tires, broken spokes and other rear wheel problems are the most common mechanical problem. I'd think those sliding weights are just going to make that problem worse.

I like the Bianchi. Shimano's Nexus hubs are as easy as it gets. I have lots of experience with auto shift bikes from the 80's. They were the ones with weights on the spokes. Centrifugal force moved the weights resulting in automatic shifting. They work resonably well with Shimanos front freewheel system. As your cadence picked up the bike would shift into a higher gear. It would shift when you coasted as well due the constant movement of the drivetrain. That allowed the bike to be in a lower gear as your speed decreased. The main drawback was it took longer to downshift than up shift. In other words, it shifted into higher gears OK but took longer to shift into lower because the centrifugal force was holding the weights out. OK for a casual very infrequent cyclist. 1-2 rides a month for short distances with no hills.. Anything more frequent than that buy a Shmano Nexus bike. The Bianchi is cool. Available in a NON-auto version.

hey look im posting here. noone's been here for a year.lol but neway, the landrider changes gears depending on your cadence. so basically, if you want a good workout, dont get the landrider, once your cadence gets around 60, the gears will change, and you're stuck with a low cadence again. also, when going up hills, if it doesnt change gears fast enough, and you stand up on the pedals, if it changes then, your gears will get messed up. for more info go here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=17002&highlight=landrider)

hey look im posting here. noone's been here for a year.lol Now you're just being a jerk.
neway, That's not a word. You saved yourself from typing a single letter and made yourself look illiterate in the process. Good Job Sparky
http://img217.echo.cx/img217/1002/textspeak7oe.jpg
for more info go here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=17002&highlight=landrider)
Which is where everyone else was going in the first place you frakking genius