That's true, and it is my work in the system as well.

That works and it can be the first step for development.

I'm imagining that the system would have to be set for an optimal cadence. If you pedal faster, is it because you're trying to go faster, or because you *need* higher cadence for more power input? Don't want to upshift when you're trying to generate more power for a climb. And conversely, don't want to downshift if the object is to accelerate from 20 mph to 25 mph. Besides, everyone has their own preferred cadence; which as I said, varies by load. This is where all previous schemes have failed - they automatically shift to the WRONG gear. If you computerize it to deal with more complicated real-world scenarios, you're potentially spending hundreds or thousands of $$$ to do something that can be accomplished almost without thought: click the lever on your brifter in one direction or the other. Sure many new or occasional cyclists think it's a good idea, but they're not the ones that spend $$$ on bikes - and the ones that do don't want automatic shifting. Heck, even the ones who say they want it, don't like the current cheap systems. So commercially, it's a dead product before it's even off the drawing board.

Thanks for your opinion, the systems which are in the market are very expensive for sure. The idea is to develop something preselectable (user setup to define the best matches), well sensored to ensure the correct combinations and the price, a good price because as you said, the people who likes it won't spend too much money to buy it.

I don't WANT a bike to automatically shift. I prefer to control when I shift, and how many gears I shift.

I haven't read every answer in this thread, so excuse me if I'm repeating something.

I've though for years that a marketable system would not be totally automatic, but use existing electronic shifting technology, but have a single control for front and back derailleurs. So a rider could have the broad range of a dual-derailleur system (as opposed to a 1X system) but not have to mess with front and back shifting, when to shift front vs. back, and when to double shift, etc. The central "brain" would know which combination of gears are the next step either up or down.

"Real" riders tend to disparage this saying that shifting really isn't that big of a deal and only non-riders think it is.

But in my experience riding derailleur bikes since the early 70s, there's a huge number of riders - yea, mostly casual, but that's most riders - who really have little concept of when to shift the front vs. the back. I've seen riders who have ridden for many years who are either ignorant of the front shifter, or are afraid to shift it and just grind away. It sounds silly, but it's true.

As a corollary, they should sell many, many more 1X7 or 1X8 "mountain" or "hybrid" bikes for the masses. Most don't need the broad range of gears that a double or triple crank brings, and a single rear shifter is much more intuitive than two. When my kids "graduated" to real bikes at about 6 or 7 years old, I managed to find a 1X7 kid sized mountain bike that really served them well.

Either way, just shift "up" or "down" and don't think of it.

Any modern electronic shifter could do this with no problem. In fact some already do this to an extent. When you shift the front derailleur on many of those setups, it automatically shifts the rear derailleur to compensate. It'd be very easy to just modify the program to use simpy two buttons instead of four.

Guy asks for help with an IA Student Project and gets jumped on like he's trying to change the entire cycling industry.

Sad to see so many users talking down to him and calling his school project "useless".

Im with you Grey. What allot of people fail to realize is thar many many people fail to grasp the priciples and concepts of gearing on the bike. I have known people to quit because they never could understand it. Sometimes from being to lazy to try, sometimes they just dont get it. Doesnt mean they dont deserve to be able to ride a bike suitable to their physical ability and their terrain and desire otherwise. For those that cant understand how it could be so difficult, need to think about the things they have so much difficulty with..... like understanding others or not being full of themselves.

@quicktrigger: Case in point, my parents have never owned bikes with derailleurs. They believe that they don't need that many gears, and assume that the derailleur systems are too complicated and unreliable -- perhaps not such a bad guess when they see what condition most bikes are in. And they're too cheap to buy a bike with a chance of having high quality gears. My dad loves his new Shimano 3-speed IGH. They're not inexperienced cyclists, since they've always ridden their bikes around town for transportation.

I kinked a rear derailleur cable housing last year. I don't know why I couldn't spot it myself.... But I didn't... And fiddled with trying to adjust the darn thing for nearly a month.

Meanwhile.. The bike would phantom or ghost shift on me. Finally I decided to take the bike to my LBS.... Before I knocked my teeth out on the handlebars. How on Earth,... Would "auto-shifting" be different?

Thank you [MENTION=111159]Grey[/MENTION] and [MENTION=392445]quicktrigger[/MENTION]! I really don't want to change the whole cycling industry, and the idea can change its way to be usefull for people that simply doesn't know how gears work or have problems to do that, as you said. I completely understand and know that pro riders really know how to use the gears and they have their own setup for that, respecting their own characteristics, and I'm not thinking about disappear with the manual shifting. I'm thinking to facilitade the shifting and not substitute the manual shifting. It can also have an automatic and manual mode.

One thing about a car, is that the automatic transmission controls the torque applied to the gearbox, in addition to changing the gears. Also, if a car shifts abruptly, or at an unexpected time, the driver doesn't usually lose control of the car. So those are things to think about.

Sram makes an automatic 2-speed. Something simple like that, with maybe 3 speeds and no batteries, might be appropriate in many regions of the world, where cities are pretty flat. Or, the system should recharge its own batteries.

Back in the 1980s, I worked on neural networks that "learned" based on pretty simple rules. I would like to see a system that "rides along" with me for a few weeks. Once it has learned my behavior based on heart rate, power, incline, shift patterns, and range of acceptable rpms, I'd want it to embody my decision processes and take over the controls. Subject to manual override, of course, like cruise control on a car.

Anyway, I wouldn't think this would be too difficult...

True. And it needn't be set up custom to be perfect for each person, but to be acceptable to the majority - just like auto transmissions in cars... my Grand Caravan, even when my foot was to the floor, would shift 2500 rpm before redline, but I would have preferred it to wait... it wasn't perfect for me but it was acceptable. And like high-end modern automobiles there can be user selectable 'modes' - my great grandmother probably doesn't want her legs spinning up to 200 rpm before her bike shifts, but some people might. I could ride an automatic shifting bike, but I wouldn't like it if t kept my cadence at 40 rpm. The user could select an 'optimal cadence' that the system shifts to maintain.

No "selecting", but having the system learn based on your already ingrained habits...

The problem I see with that is that automatic bikes would be aimed at people who don't know when or how to shift, or just never shift. Selecting 'recreational program A' that shifts up when your legs get above 70 rpm and shifts down when your legs are below 45 rpm (or whatever) would be far superior to recreational cyclists who seldom or never shift.

The Shimano Coasting system works well, and even has an adjustment knob to tailor the shift points to the riders preference. (it can also be locked in second gear) Perfect system for those who can't, or don't want to learn how to shift. Even though it works fine, sales were weak. Weak enough that I found a new one on closeout for $199 and bought it just for the novelty factor. The market for auto shift bikes is mighty low it seems.

I have a couple of questions for the OP.

Do you presently ride a bike?

If so, how do you change gears? What is so difficult about changing gears that would make you think an automatic system would be better?

[MENTION=432016]RenatoLacerda[/MENTION] I believe the NuVinci Harmony products do something like you want

I saw someone riding the Landrider and it appeared his bicycle was broken! The man was traveling so slowly because the he was using the small chain-ring!! Furthermore, the transmission was so noisy because the flywheel was constantly trying to move the derailleur up and down the cassette all the time. It sounded like he was riding a cheap department store bike.

That's the problem with automatic transmissions. They are constantly moving up to a higher gear with the intention of getting you to a faster speed. There are many riders like myself who don't want to accelerate with each pedal stroke every time they get on a bicycle.

I test rode those automatic 3 speed bikes from Trek. Here's what I found.

The transmission was constantly thinking about shifting but couldn't execute perfectly all the time. The Nexus 3 speed internal hub was not meant to be shifted under load because you will hear a loud crack when the drive get stuck between gears!! While this is fairly easy to avoid when you have control, it's not the case when the bike is doing the shifting for you!

I would constantly cause the transmission to "Crack" as the transmission struggled between gears. I'm sure Trek had a lot of the bikes coming back for warranty. Even Shimano stopped making the group set.

Auto shift bikes are only marketing hype for the inexperienced. Sometimes I spin, sometimes I mash. My legs don't have a fixed torque curve. An auto shift bike would seldom select the gear I wish to ride in.

As an owner of a Schwinn 'Sid' with the 3 speed Shimano Coasting system, the above has not been my experience at all. Shifting was always smooth, positive and quiet. Something that could not be said of the 6 speed Auto Bike I owned (garbage picked in near mint condition) which would clatter between gears, and throw your feet off the pedals on upshifts under load.

I thought all the Coasting bikes had the same system, but maybe that's not the case.

I've have a buddy who does not have a bike, who goes out for rides with me a few times a times a year, using one of my "spare" bikes. He has little idea how to shift, so I always have to advise him when to do so. He doesn't go out often enough to "get it". The Sid worked out well for him and he liked it.

At the risk of inciting those dedicated to semantics allow me to say this;
A bicycle has two wheels and two pedals. It is powered solely by the human who is riding it.
It typically has brakes, powered solely by the human.
It may or may not have gears, also powered solely by the human.
The key phrase that makes a bicycle a bicycle is "powered solely by a human"
Any attempt at altering this vintage and quite satisfactory arrangement is NOT an improvement.
It is creating a different vehicle.
I know there are members of BF who consider their "e bikes" to be bicycles.
Wrong.
They are no more a bicycle than a Harley Davidson.