In this article, we’ll be discussing a Control Device for a Bicycle by Classified Cycling BV, US publication 20240174318. The publication date is May 30th, 2024 and the filing date is March 23rd, 2022. This is not granted.
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Brief Summary (tl;dr)
Classified are developing a new electronic and wireless dual control lever system that only includes a single lever, rather than the traditional double levers we see on the market today. The lever is configured to include multiple actuation positions when moved inwardly, where each actuation position is associated with a control program, to tell the derailleurs how to act right.
So, the single lever moves inwardly, and depending on how inwardly it moves (or how long it moves inwardly), different gear-shifting actions can take place, such as an upshift, downshift, total gear ratio change, or whatever. Because each lever is electronic and serves as a mechanical action for an electronic controller instruction, the levers can be very customizable.
Background
Classified are a small Belgian company that currently offers a fancy-ass-electronic-hub-shift system called Powershift that replaces the traditional front derailleur.
I won’t go too far into it because they’re not paying me to write this and it’s all over the internet, but it’s a two-gear wireless hub that can toggle the gears with a little button on the handlebar.
The location of the little button is configurable and seems to be placed somewhere near your hands (go figure). You just press this thing and it’ll shift the hub back and forth.
Why
In my opinion, Classified are trying to simplify (my word) and broaden the current electronic shifting situation and likely develop a set of shifters for their own product. This is really a logical-next-step rather than a nuanced solution to a problem we all have. At some point, the double buttons on the dual control levers will be obsolete, this is just an example of the concept.
Using the two traditional control devices for up and downshifting separate transmission systems, such as a front and rear derailleur can be cumbersome, as shifting with the front derailleur typically results in a large change in transmission ratio, which may need to be compensated for by also shifting the rear derailleur to obtain at a desired consecutive change in transmission ratio.…consecutive braking and gear shifting, or consecutive up- and downshifting with conventional control devices, can be inconvenient as it requires repositioning of the hand and/or fingers multiple times… It is therefore an object to provide a control device that facilitates and improves the handling of the control device. It is further an object to facilitate and improve the overall gear-shifting performance of the bicycle.
What
Design
I’m going to start with FIG. 3 because it’s the sexiest image in the document. We’re looking at Classified’s dual control lever, which doesn’t depart too far away from anything the current market offers.
In a likely departure from the norm (I can’t recite every single lever ever made so bear with me), the first thing we’re seeing is the singular lever rather than a dual button system as seen on the AXS or Di2 system. The dual button configuration that both SRAM and Shimano use allows for both front and rear upshifting and downshifting. Good news is, Classified are still doing that but with one lever.
The transmitter and controller 36/37 look pretty similar to the currently available handlebar unit. The transmitter is obviously wireless and sends a signal to the derailleurs or whatever else it’s connected it.
We can see the directional arrows B1 and B2. This is a visual representation defining how the levers move; again very normal.
FIG. 1s shows this new dual control lever, which again isn’t super different other than the single lever system. Direction A is braking, direction B is how one would change the ‘control program’. I’ll get into that next.
Function
Now we’ll get into the abnormality of this new dingle. FIG. 2s show progressive-movement artwork of this new lever from the front. FIG. 2A is a ‘neutral’ position, 2B is a ‘first actuation’ position, 2C is a ‘second actuation’ position. The first actuation position can be defined as an intermediary position between neutral and second. The lever is biased to the neutral position via a spring.
It’s important to note that Classified use these three positions as examples, but they open the door to more positioning.
The [lever] may additionally be movable to a further actuation position, such as to a third actuation position, and/or fourth actuation position, etc.
So, what is the ‘control program’? As abbreviated as possible, a control program is a specific instruction signal output of the controller to a device to perform an action. The control program can be dependent on the position, time, direction, etc. of the lever. So, the control program tells the gear changers what to do.
The controller may be arranged to execute a control program dependent on the position of the manipulation organ…
Use Cases
Now that we know how the lever operates and how it outputs a control program at different actuation positions, what can they actually do with it? The chart below shows an example array of control programs relative to lever position. These do not represent a gear position, rather just different programs based on where you’ll move the lever.
Because these levers are configurable, there’s a shit load of options available to Classified as to how they can function
In one example, they can be set up to allow for the right lever to upshift and the left lever to downshift relative to a ratio, not a gear set. If you’ve ever ridden a 2x or 3x bike, you know there are some gear ratio cross-overs.
For example, if you’ve reached your max RPM in the little front gear, and you go to the big front gear, you’re going to have to manually change the rear gear selection to better match your current speed, right? In Classified’s case, the system would know your gear ratios and adjust them accordingly, so you’d have an ideal 22 (2×11 for example) smooth gear changes regardless of current derailleur position.
These are my shitty Excel images. I’m sure everything here knows wtf I’m talking about, but here’s a visual on the left. If you’re in 34t/11t spinning out your legs and need to go faster, and you jump up to the 50t, you’ll need to downshift the cassette back to 15t or 17t to maintain a similar ratio. With Classified’s system (color scalled right), you’d follow a ratio sequence starting at 34t/30t to 34t/21t, then it would know the next ratio is at 50t/30t, then back to 34t/19t and so on.
The controller 37 may be arranged to control the shift actuators [where] the first shift actuator 51… change[s] its transmission ratio, and also activating the second actuator 52 to change its transmission ratio… The first control device 60A may be dedicated for upshifting, and the second control device 60B may be dedicated for down shifting, or vice versa… The user thus needs to make only one gearshift command, as the controller 37 activates one or more of the shift actuators 51, 52 accordingly.
I can tell you with 100% certainty that this concept has been worked on for millennia by the big-dogs, and is still actively being worked on, and filed on. An automatic ratio sequencing is another logical-next-step in shift development.
In another example, Classified can configure a single shifter to both upshift and downshift. For example, first actuation position can be an upshift and second actuation position can be a downshift.
The way they’d do this is likely determine a control program based on time spent at a certain actuation position. You’ve got to go through the first activation position to reach the second actuation position, right? To solve this, you just assign a minimum time at the first actuation position to initiate a gear change. If skip through the first actuation position too quickly (less than a threshold) then it doesn’t change a gear.
The initiation of a control program may for example be made dependent on an actuation time, i.e. the time duration the sensing device is actuated.
Or, we can skip through the granularity and just assume you can customize the shit out of this, where each actuation position is associated with whatever control program your heart desires.
…each of the control programs is customizable… the user may program the control unit to include a first control program for activating a gearshift, and a second control program for controlling a suspension system… the control device may include a control program for controlling various bicycle actuators, such as a seat-post adjustment actuator, electric propulsion systems, and other electronic devices such as a bicycle computer and lighting devices, direction indicator devices, sound devices, or the like.
Ultimately, what I’d like to convey is because the levers are electronic and a signal is sent from a controller to an actuator, and because the lever has more than 1 actuation position (3+ realistically), you have an incredible amount of freedom to program each actuation position to do whatever you want.
Lastly, I’d like to point out that Classified don’t narrow this to road bikes only, though these images look like they thought about flat bar bikes as they were filing it. These show a similar as prior.
Conclusion
This may be brilliant. Dropping the multiple buttons/levers for a singular lever simplifies design, manufacturing, parts, and complexity. If they can then combine this hardware simplicity into usable and intuitive software, I’d say it’ll be a win.
As far as pricing, I’m going to assume it’ll be expensive. It’s a new product for a young-ish brand with a limited catalog, and they need to pay for the R&D involved; that’s just a reality of situations like this.
While this document states this system can be used for a front and rear derailleur system, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this is going to be implemented with Classified’s current hub shift system. There’s just no doubt in my pudding-brain that it’ll be used on their hub.
Going back to the current lever designs, I imagine SRAM/Shimano’s double-button designs are more of a heritage thing, where it’s easier to sell an electronic system that works exactly the same as the decades-old mechanical system, though electronics may not make it necessary anymore. People don’t like change, you have to dole it out in baby-steps.
It would be a tough sell to offer an electronic system like this with the addition of modified functionality, but that appears to be what Classified are doing here.
When it comes to front derailleurs, because they are binary (0 or 1), the idea of utilizing an electronic upshift and downshift double-switch is old news. Classified (and I’m sure others) have figured this out, as using two buttons to basically perform an inverse control of the same function seems kind of silly.
We can translate this same concept to a dropper, for example. It’s either open or closed; binary. So, we only ever need one switch to modulate between the two options.
I see a lot of new ideas and products doing this. Most of the time, I’m pretty apathetic, especially when it comes to electronic stuff. But, after going through this idea and also checking out the current dangles that Classified make, I would love to own this with their hub. My disposition toward front derailleur supersedes my apathy toward electronic things.
I have graduated from MTB dirtbag to high-class cyclist recently, and this would make me look so good as I ride in my flats and jorts. We all know this – cycling is all about appearance.
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