Newer $20 auction bike that confused me.

[HEMI426]

They announced this bike as a Schwinn but it's not. The seat made them think it was. When I got it home I noticed it was a 6 speed but no way to shift the derailer. The more I looked at it I figured the 3 black things on the rear spokes centrifickly move the derailer out to change gears. The faster ya go the further it changes gears,, It says automatic trans on the seat tube with a US patient no. I never seen this before. The free wheel mechanism is in the bottom bracket not in the rear wheel. Learned something new today.

 

[Mercian]

Interesting, @HEMI426

It seems they were $800 back in 2013.

Autobike Builds First Continuously Variable, Automatic Shifting Bike

Who remembers the Trek Lime? Or for that matter the original Autobike (not sure if they’re related)? It seems that the holy grail for bike…

bikerumor.com

If you put up the Patent number, we can pull the patent and see what it's about, and the date of publication etc.

Best Regards,

Adrian

 

[HEMI426]

Thank You Adrian for posting that article, I guess I won't steal the tires off it. Best leave it as found. I bet they didn't sell many of them. Thanks again.

 

[SirMike1983]

I think these were one of those "seen on TV" type items. I vaguely remember ads with people riding around and the thing shifting by itself. It's one of those things that might be mildly collectible one day as an oddity, or it could just not be collectible at all. It was sort of a solution in search of a problem.

 

[piercer_99]

Interesting, @HEMI426

It seems they were $800 back in 2013.

Autobike Builds First Continuously Variable, Automatic Shifting Bike

Who remembers the Trek Lime? Or for that matter the original Autobike (not sure if they’re related)? It seems that the holy grail for bike…

bikerumor.com

If you put up the Patent number, we can pull the patent and see what it's about, and the date of publication etc.

Best Regards,

Adrian

that is a different auto bike, that had electronic shifting, released in 2013.
this is the autobike classic from 1998-99

 

[piercer_99]

 

[New Mexico Brant]

Pretty noisy ride! It would be fun to give that a go. It seems like another gimmick that offers no real advantage. Kind of like the NOS early bolt on version I have for sale only yours also shifts.

 

[SirMike1983]

Sheldon Brown's definition:

Autobike ® A crudely built bike, with a rudimentary automatic transmission. This is marketed for people who think they are too stupid to be able to learn to operate a normal bicycle.
It uses a standard derailer operated by a system of weights and springs in the rear wheel.


As the speed increases, the weights move outward due to "centrifugal force", pushing a ring that rubs on the derailer outward, causing the derailer to shift to a higher gear.


There is no provision for the rider to have any control over the gear shifting.

 

[J-wagon]

this is the autobike classic from 1998-99

Interesting. Centrifugal like a torpedo automatic 2-speed hub. I called the phone number but it's non-working.

 

[kreika]

I say swoop those tires off and swap on some 80’s 90’s era cheapo ones. What a strange contraption!