Where can I get a gear sensor for my Woosh Krieger bike

[John_S]

I recently bought a Woosh Krieger bike. It is a chain-drive bike, and I've noticed it has no built-in gear sensing device. Changing gears would be made easier if there was a gear sensor installed. Does anyone know where I could buy or order one from? I've found a company in the Czech Republic that sells gear sensors, but theirs seems expensive and I'm not sure if it is compatible with my bike. Does anyone know of any other suppliers that I might be able to obtain one from?

 

[trex]

If you get a gear sensor from gearsensor.com, you need to connect it to one of the two brake inputs, the ground and signal wires. Woosh had a prototype of their own gear sensor on one of the demo bikes but I don't know if they are going to use it on the bikes they sell. The Woosh gear sensor is a microswitch built into the Shimano gear shifter. Until then, blip the left brake lever just before you change gear to cut power to the motor for a second or two.

 

[John_S]

Thanks for your reply.

I've found it easier just to stop pedalling to cut the motor out rather than blipping the brake. The motor stops very quickly after I stop pedalling, and I can then change gear quickly and start pedalling again before the motor restarts.

A gear sensor would make the whole gear changing manouver easier and simpler though, and I think it would be a very useful thing to have on my bike. It looks like Gearsensor.com is the only place I can get one from. Their UK distributor sells it for £49, which seems a bit expensive for what it is, but it's still worth getting in my opinion.

My main concern is it will be difficult to install for someone like me who has little knowledge of bike mechanics. Would you say the installation will be easy and straightforward?

 

[trex]

relatively straightforward, I imagine. I have not seen the gearsensor.com's device in the flesh, it seems to work like the Kalkhoff's, it's an inline device, the gear cable changes its tension while you change gear. The change is detected by a Hall sensor. To install it, you will have to undo the gear cable, feed it through the sensor and join the sensor wires to the brake sensor lead.
The woosh gear sensor is a simple microswitch that is mounted inside the gear shifter cover, you replace the cover of the shifter with the new one.

 

[acm2000]

i quite enjoy using the brake lever like a clutch personally, only need to pull the lever a couple of mm and it cuts out without using the brakes (and i have my brakes wound up quite tight)

def an option woosh could implement tho on newer models but all adds to the base price of the bikes.

 

[Tomtomato]

Interestingly, Bosch seems to have adopted a different approach from Kalkhoff, when it comes to sensing gear changes.

Apparently, the crank motor itself is able to detect a slight change of torque, given the very small sprocket, as opposed to some device on the gear changing cable, as Kalkhoff have used.

 

[trex]

the shifter on the handlebars would be a more logical place for the sensor. There is no need to interfere with the gear cable. The sensor simply detects the anticlockwise movement of the gear lever. The proximity of the brake sensor is a bonus, both sensors can work on the same connector.

 

[Tomtomato]

I guess Kalkhoff have implemented it that way to remove the dependency on specific gear systems/levers. A device on the gear cable is a more universal solution. I think the Bosch solution is even more elegant, and removes some possible issues with sensors etc.

 

[trex]

the Bafang Maxdrive has the gearsensor on the drive shaft. Very neat but if it goes wrong, expensive to fix.

 

[acm2000]

would be quite interested to know how well this works on the Krieger and how easy it is to fit, is there a double adapter for the brake line cable so you dont have to sacrifice one of the brake sensors?

 

[trex]

the woosh gear sensor sits between the brake sensor and its socket.

edit: the two sensors are paralleled, not daisy chained.

 

[acm2000]

the woosh gear sensor sits between the brake sensor and its socket (daisy chained to the brake sensor).

yeah but its not actually available to buy sadly

 

[John_S]

I bought the gear sensor from gearsensor.com for my Krieger bike. The connector at the end of the gear sensor wire is yellow coloured, while the connector on the brake sensor lead that it is supposed to join to is red colored with a different pin pattern, and the two won't connect. How would I fix this issue? Is there some kind of adapter that I can get to make the wires connect? Thanks for any help with this.

 

[trex]

Not easy to fit your gear sensor to the Krieger.
I am really sorry that I seem to have misled you in previous posts into buying this gear sensor from gearsensor.com. Perhaps you should email Andy @ Woosh for help.
Basically, you need a 3-pin socket (ground, 5V, signal).
The brake sensor input on the Krieger is a 2-pin socket (ground, signal). There is no way you can get a 5V supply on the Krieger without a new wiring harness.
The BBS01 conversion kit on the other hand has 3-pin (ground, 5V, signal) on its brake sensor inputs and should accept your gear sensor. Only the woosh gear sensor works on the Krieger. I don't know if Woosh want to make one for you, as it's still in the development stage but it does not hurt to ask.

 

[RobF]

John,

I was tempted to be flippant and tell you to learn to change gear properly.

But I see you already have.

I can't seen the point of trying to make the bike idiot proof when you are not an idiot.

 

[acm2000]

fairly sure at least one of the plugs on the krieger are yellow

 

[John_S]

Thanks for your responses guys. Don't worry Trex if you feel you may have misled me in your previous posts. I know you had no such intention of doing so. I've been able to return the gear sensor that was not compatible with my bike anyway and will be refunded shortly.

I've been getting used to the way the bike works now and I feel that a gear sensor is not necessary, although I might still see if Woosh can supply me with one. You guys were right that the best way to cut out the motor when gear changing without the sensor installed is to very lightly blip the brake and keep pedalling, rather than to actually stop pedalling momentarily.

In reply to RobF's post, the purpose of a gear sensor is not to make the bike "idiot-proof" as such, but rather just to add a slight extra convenience to the overall riding experience. Not that it matters much, but it is just nice to have that small extra convenience.