Electronic Shifting Systems

For vehicles like ebikes, belt drives offer a smoother, zero-maintenance alternative to chain drives. The Shift Drive system takes the technology further, by allowing riders to shift between two gears – plus it works on unmodified bicycle frames.

New York's Priority Bicycles is claiming a US first with the launch of the 600HXT hardtail trail bike. Not only does it ride out with a carbon belt and Pinion gearbox, but it features Pinion's electronic Smart.Shift technology.

The elimination of the front derailleur on many bikes has made cycling simpler, but reduced the number of gear ratios. That's where the Powershift hub comes in, as it replaces the front derailleur, allowing for more gears on 1x drivetrains.

In cars with automatic transmissions, the point at which the vehicle shifts gears shouldn't just be about its current speed. With that in mind, Hyundai and Kia have developed a system that preemptively shifts gears based on the road ahead.

Electronically-shiftable bicycle drivetrains such as Di2 and eTap are becoming increasingly popular, but they're definitely pricey. Archer Components' D1x Trail offers a cheaper alternative, by adding electronic shifting to existing rear derailleurs.

What happens if you have a perfectly-good mechanical shifting setup that you don't want to replace, yet you still like the idea of crisp, precise electronic shifts? Well, you may soon be able to simply add the XShifter system to your bike.

​Electronic gear-shifting systems for bikes already make life easier for cyclists. Baron Controls, however, is out to make things even easier. Its new ProShift device works with existing electronic shifting systems, automatically taking care of the shifting for the rider.

​Like many emerging technologies, electronic gear-shifting systems for bikes are currently at the point where they exist, but they're still quite expensive. That could be about to change, though, with the upcoming introduction of MicroSHIFT's simplified eXCD system for mountain bikes.​

Campagnolo has just released its EPS electronic gear-shifting system, which was almost 20 years in development.

Shimano has aunched electronic gear shifting, which is faster than mechanical systems, promising to save road racers crucial seconds