Internally geared transmissions are clearly the next big thing in the e-bike world. We’re seeing more and more performance-oriented electric bicycles ditching the good old derailleur system in favor of cleaner, lower maintenance, and quieter internal gearing systems. From Pinion’s MGU to Rohloff’s high-end internal gearbox systems, new players keep emerging looking to make this technology the norm.
One of these companies is French firm Valeo, who also has an interesting e-bike motor and gearbox unit called the Cyclee. Now, the Cyclee’s been around for some time now, and has been used as standard equipment in a number of e-cargo bikes. This time around, Valeo has refined its technology to make the Cyclee quieter and more connected, and is showcasing the new system at CES 2024.
In its previous iteration, the Cyclee made quite a lot of power and torque: 750 watts and 130 Nm. Furthermore, it incorporated a seven-speed automatic transmission into the mix, allowing riders to focus solely on pedaling and not worry about needing to change gears. While all this was cool and all, Valeo noted that the previous Cyclee was rather noisy. Naturally, e-bike riders want a quiet ride, free from the hum and clunks of a motor and gearbox. This is why Valeo has worked hard to quiet the system down, so much so that its newest version is reportedly quieter by up to seven decibels.
Seven decibels may not sound like much, but when multiplied by tens, if not hundreds of miles covered in the span of a week, will certainly add up to a quieter ride overall. According to Valeo, they reworked the innards of the motor, giving it gear geometry adjustments, better vibration absorption, and stator enhancements for smoother operation.
Apart from improving the performance of the motor itself, Valeo has also developed a new control unit to tie in all of the systems features. The new two-inch touchscreen display certainly looks minimalist, and should prove easy to use when it comes to toggling and adjusting settings on the fly. Best of all, users can remove the display when not in use – a handy layer of security, especially for e-bikers who commute with their bikes and leave them in public parking spaces.
Rounding up the enhancements to the Cyclee, Valeo has also introduced new security features such as a smartphone integration. Here, riders can make use of their smartphone as a virtual key for unlocking and starting the e-bike. It’s similar to what we’ve seen in Bosch’s most recent update to its Kiox system. Needless to say, we can expect new cargo and utility e-bikes to rock Valeo’s updated system in the near future.
