Bafang unveils 3-speed internally geared e-bike hub with automatic shifting

Chinese producer Bafang is a titan of the electrical bicycle motor sector, and consequently information swirling all-around the business normally trends towards new motor announcements. But the most recent headline-grabbing merchandise unveiling from Bafang is not a motor at all, but fairly an internally geared hub made to provide computerized shifting on both of those electric and non-electric bikes.

The new Bafang hub offers 3 gear ratios and is in a position to shift in between the gears quickly centered on the bike’s speed.

The hub is made to match a vast assortment of wheel diameters and thus can have its cadence-centered shifting factors modified to satisfy altering wheel sizes and bicycle necessities.

Not like some internally geared hubs that weren’t initially intended for the significant torque of electric motors, Bafang’s supplying is meant to stand up to strong motors pulling up to 80 Nm of torque.

Though that will not be adequate for some of Bafang’s most extreme motors that can output torque figures at two times that level, it will include most of the company’s motor lineup as properly as virtually all European mid-push motors like people made by Bosch and Brose.

The automated shifting mother nature of the hub gets rid of the will need for a shifter cable or handlebar controls, simplifying the consumer interface and lowering cable litter on a bike and its bars.

Bafang states that the hub is made for compatibility with a wide vary of electric powered bikes from city and utility e-bikes to cargo electric powered bikes. Curiously, the organization is also positioning the hub for use in non-electric bikes as effectively, which would place it in opposition with other big bicycle component brands these as Shimano.

The new internally geared hub is made to operate with either normal chain drives or alternate belt drives. Belts such as all those made by Gates Carbon Generate are turning out to be an increasingly well-liked solution for mid- to high-tier electrical bikes.

We had the prospect to tour Bafang’s manufacturing facility in 2019 and watch how the organization assembles its motors on its generation line. You can see that system in our online video tour of the Bafang manufacturing unit below.

https://www.youtube.com/view?v=nLutGVgpbms

Electrek’s Take

We’ve in fact suspected for some time now that Bafang would get into the transmission recreation. It will make feeling thinking about that a lot of of the company’s far more powerful motors have pushed the limitations of present bicycle drivetrains manufactured by OEMs these as Shimano.

This is not even Bafang’s first transmission in a hub, though it may the company’s 1st standalone product. Bafang has beforehand manufactured hub motors with designed-in automatic two-speed gearboxes, and some of that advancement do the job possible served lead the design of this new three-speed hub.

I’m a bit surprised we haven’t seen Bafang innovate on the higher energy stop of the transmission array, considering its greatest power motors are normally known to be significantly severe on primary bike factors these types of as chains and sprockets that are not built to cope with these kinds of significant ability and torque stages.

Possibly this kind of a transmission is continue to below development however, with this 80 Nm offering staying an early release ahead of its huge brother hits the market.

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