I was pleasantly surprised by the bike-by-wire concept. That looks like it really has the potential to simplify the architecture, do away with a lot of maintenance and increase rider comfort. No more chain, belt or shaft is really a radical simplification.
guess it depends on your definition of simple. I think a chain is pretty simple, and low maintenance to boot if you make it sturdier (as you would on an ebike) and enclose it.
For exactly the reasons you bring forward, I own a Flevobike Greenmachine [0] recumbent. It has a fully enclosed chain and a Rohloff 14 speed hub. A marvel of mechanical engineering and almost zero maintenance. The perfect muscle power long distance bike. I love it.
The Schaeffler/Heinzmann design is one for ebikes though. How do you simplify a hybrid muscle power/electric drivetrain and make it more durable? Converting muscle power into electricity first makes a lot of sense in that case:
- does away with so many moving parts, including the chain
- can recycle so much more effort from automotive.
I was pleasantly surprised by the bike-by-wire concept. That looks like it really has the potential to simplify the architecture, do away with a lot of maintenance and increase rider comfort. No more chain, belt or shaft is really a radical simplification.