Originally Posted by
Bald Paul
Williams? Ferarri?
F1 was all about innovation, so much so that a lot of the innovations pioneered in F1 have now trickled down to the automobiles in the showrooms for we mere mortals to drive.
I see no reason why the technology for auto shifting bicycles could not be perfected and eventually trickle down to the lower price point bikes being ridden by mere mortals.
I'm not saying that it's needed or even wanted, but I can see it happening. In my 40+ years as a tech, including 28 as a regional factory tech specialist for an import manufacturer, I've seen a lot of automotive "innovations" come and go, either replaced by better technology or abandoned when manufactures discovered people hated it and refused to buy it. Not all innovation is good or useful, but it's still innovation. Remember the six wheeled Tyrrell P34?
Williams, Honda, Jaguar, BAR. Before all that I was in BTCC and WRC for a decade with Prodrive. Left the F1 scene in 2009. I made it all the way to chief engineer level and then blew out! Went skiing in Canada for the next decade and now have a young family back in the UK.
My guess is that auto-shifting will be more of an e-bike thing and never make it to performance road bikes. I just don't see performance riders liking the idea of not being in full control of their gears. I know I wouldn't buy it anyway and I buy into most new tech easier than most around here lol
I do remember the 6-wheeled Tyrrell as a kid. I even had a scale model of it!