New bikes at the China Show

[Deleted member 4366]

There didn't seem to be much that I hadn't seen before. Four crank drives: The Bafang one 250w and 750w; Ananda 250w; one similar to the Ananda; the one thats on Kudos and Woosh (TMC). The Ananda one was a little noisy, but there was nothing to choose between the rest. The 750w Bafang didn't feel very powerful. There was something that looked a bit like a Panasonic clone, but I didn't see it on any bikes.

There was very little special in hub-motors, but there were more motors with cassette fittings, integrated controllers and things like that. There were also a few direct-drive motors aimed at the Euro market that looked like those Swiss-Drive motors or Bionx with the knobbly spoke flanges.

A few interesting bikes, but the more interesting ones were rather expensive. These ones were nice with Keyde motors - ultimate stealth and only 15kg:



2WD Keyde motors. One battery in the frame, the other in the bottle. Controllers in the motors:


Another 2WD. Where have you seen that before? They even had to make it red.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

This one was German. It.a carbon fibre and comes apart for storage/transport. DD motor - not for me.


Here you can see lots of different battery cases- every size and shape, so expect more options in the future.

There were a few nice LCD displays and new LED ones with LED speed dials that looked quite cool, but not stealth.

 

[flecc]

Another 2WD. Where have you seen that before?

You're going to have to start registering your designs Dave!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Maybe great minds think alike. I'll be generous and give them the benefit of the doubt. Mine's nicer anyway.

 

[trex]

d8veh, do you think Annad's idea of dual batteries (one hidden in seat tube, one removeable bottle) would catch on? it seems like an elegant solution to improve the look of the bike.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's not a game-changer. A few people want that sort of thing. It's great while everything works, but if a wire comes off, it's not easy to get the frame battery out. You have to take your forks off, then unstick a foam-backed label off the steerer, then slide the battery out. The charger socket's in the side of the down-tube near the steering head. I do like the idea of two batteries.

If I had a Bosch, I'd fit a second battery on a rack for longer range. It would be easy to to make a harness to connect them in parallel or change between the two.

I'd do the same for bikes like the Kudos Ariba and Tornado. For me 10aH is not enough with those motors. The problem with bottle batteries is that the frame bottle fixings are not strong enough to take a big battery, and I still have some doubts about even 9aH ones. Time will tell whether the clinch-nuts in the frame will start coming loose. They had some big bottle batteries at the show, but they didn't think about the extra weight on a very small fixing in thin aluminium.

 

[flecc]

Mine's nicer anyway.

True, that near clone is very much a plain Jane.

 

[jazper53]

Maybe great minds think alike. I'll be generous and give them the benefit of the doubt. Mine's nicer anyway.

I think you are being too generous, I think they have plagurised your design

 

[geostorm]

minds

Maybe great minds think alike. I'll be generous and give them the benefit of the doubt. Mine's nicer anyway.

Just maybe we are like wires connected to one big controller, hey.?

 

[Kudoscycles]

Dave,one of the problems of the shows is that most of us develop new bikes away from the shows and part of the terms of the deal is not to exhibit any OEM bike until a decent time scale has passed-this is to avoid any new idea or design being copied too quickly-by the time that bike is revealed it is usually last year's design.
For example I am working on new models for release spring 2014,that means that it will be 2015 before my manufacturer will be allowed to exhibit that bike.
So bikes tend to get released earlier at say the Eurobike show in Germany even though the original manufacture may be 6 months earlier in China. The exception is when the chinese have their own innovation,but as you have realised most of the new ideas are European led.
I seldom see anything truly new at Shanghai but need to attend to keep contacts ongoing.
Actually the same is true of the auto shows I attend. Anything new is created in Europe and the designs exported to China,I attend those shows only to meet my suppliers and avoid travelling vast distances inside China.
It's a shame the culture of China seems to become more diluted every trip I make,apart from the neon signs Shanghai and Guangzhou are much like Cologne and Essen-my favourite city is Hangzhou,the favourite of chairman Mao,the West Lake area is still attractive. Shanghai is just too busy now,even by chinese standards,Suzhou by the lakeside is nice.
KudosDave

 

[geostorm]

Dave,one of the problems of the shows is that most of us develop new bikes away from the shows and part of the terms of the deal is not to exhibit any OEM bike until a decent time scale has passed-this is to avoid any new idea or design being copied too quickly-by the time that bike is revealed it is usually last year's design.
For example I am working on new models for release spring 2014,that means that it will be 2015 before my manufacturer will be allowed to exhibit that bike.
So bikes tend to get released earlier at say the Eurobike show in Germany even though the original manufacture may be 6 months earlier in China. The exception is when the chinese have their own innovation,but as you have realised most of the new ideas are European led.
I seldom see anything truly new at Shanghai but need to attend to keep contacts ongoing.
Actually the same is true of the auto shows I attend. Anything new is created in Europe and the designs exported to China,I attend those shows only to meet my suppliers and avoid travelling vast distances inside China.
It's a shame the culture of China seems to become more diluted every trip I make,apart from the neon signs Shanghai and Guangzhou are much like Cologne and Essen-my favourite city is Hangzhou,the favourite of chairman Mao,the West Lake area is still attractive. Shanghai is just too busy now,even by chinese standards,Suzhou by the lakeside is nice.
KudosDave

Dave was that a little red book i saw under your arm....../?