New BionX motor+hub gear

[Miles]

Bike Europe - News: BionX Launches Hub Motor with Integrated 3-speed

I doubt this is any more "integrated" than the SRAM product, though....

Miles

 

[flecc]

Yes, it looks the same again as the Sparc, though more interesting with the superior BionX motor, but that offset by the restrictive 3 speed hub. The price will make one shudder though, that standard one is bad enough.
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[CDinFrance]

Yes, it looks the same again as the Sparc, though more interesting with the superior BionX motor, but that offset by the restrictive 3 speed hub. The price will make one shudder though, that standard one is bad enough.
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I actually think this is a very smart move. I have the Villiger BionX with an 8 speed freewheel (single front crankset) and find I never use more than 4 of the rear gears. This would correspond fairly closely to range of the 3-speed hub. The ability to adjust the power settings on the BionX effectively extends the gearing range for all but the most demanding terrain. Clearly this is not a mountain bike option, but for city riding and commuting I see the advantage of being able to shift while stopped at the traffic lights, even if a little efficiency is lost to the internal hub.

Now if we can get rid of the 25kph speed limit, that would be awesome...

 

[flecc]

Now if we can get rid of the 25kph speed limit, that would be awesome...

Nice idea and widely wanted, but I can never see it happening. As with any EU regulation, it needs all countries to agree, and some will never agree to it. Britain in particular where all the pressure is for more restrictions on all forms of traffic, particularly with regard to speed where we may even see the nationwide speed limit reduced from 60 mph (96 kph) to 50 mph (80 kph) soon and some large town areas restricted to 20 mph (32 kph) everywhere.
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[Straylight]

The problem being one of enforcement, particularly in rural areas. The only way I can see speed limits having any effect on peoples' behavior is to physicaly limit the top speed their vehicles can achieve. In the case of cars & motorbikes, which are generaly way overpowered for their purpose, the sooner the legislators are brave enough to do this the better, IMO. In any case, the slower one moves through a place, the more one can appreciate it, so less of a fixation on the destination, so less stress.