Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

TECH NEWS

Bimoz: add electric assistance to any bike + video

New system weighs under 2kg and has a range of up to 150km

The new Bimoz system currently looking for funding on Indiegogo adds electric assistance to almost any bike and provides a range of up to 150km (94 miles).

Bimoz is a direct drive system, an integrated hub-type design that fits to the bottom bracket. It can be fitted retro-fitted to a standard bike in 20 minutes, according to its inventors (check out the video, below, to see how it works).

Bimoz - 4.jpg

Bimoz uses a 250 W motor and the more you press on the pedals, the more electrical assistance you get. The top speed is limited to 25 km/h (16mph).

“The patented drive system receives its power from two battery options,” says Bimoz. “The standard battery rated at 14V/ 80 Watt / h, depending on speed, environment and riding style, gives a range of 40-60km. 

Bimoz - 1.jpg

“The XL battery, depending on the speed, temperature and topography, will possibly support Bimoz for 130-150km (up to 1,000 charging cycles and charging time three hours). The battery can be removed and loaded at home on the charging station.”

Bimoz is said to make no noise and doesn’t add resistance to the drivetrain when it’s not in use.

Bimoz - 3.jpg

“The true values are hidden in the control unit of the Bimoz,” according to team member Roland Eschler. “The electronics measure the torque and speed several times per second and measure the applied and the existing force at different points. It can interpret short, heavy pedal pressure and quickly provide maximum power. The result is a support that is so intuitive, soft and sensitive that you only realise once you sit back on a conventional bicycle". 

If you’re thinking of motor doping, this isn’t the system for you because it’s perfectly visible on your bike. The UCI officials wouldn’t need their iPads to detect this one.

Bimoz is being marketed mostly as a commuting tool but there’s a fitness aspect to it as well. Download the app and you can choose the level of difficulty at which you’d like to ride. You can enter your target heart rate and have the Bimoz add the support or the resistance to keep you exercising at that intensity.

Bimoz - 2.jpg

You need to pledge at least US$899 (£637) on Indiegogo to be in-line for a Bimoz starter kit. This includes the Bimoz itself along with a battery that’ll provide power for up to 60km. 

US$999 (£708) gets you in-line for a Bimoz with a larger battery with enough power for up to 150km. That’s all provided that the campaign reaches its US$165,000 (£117,000) crowd-funding target, of course, and the Bimoz makes it to full production.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bimoz-the-world-s-smartest-pedelec-dr...

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

Add new comment

6 comments

Avatar
frankierae | 8 years ago
0 likes

Hmm, looks ugly and is anyone else wondering about ankle clearance on the motor side?!

As an engineer as well I just wanted to point out that strictly speaking you can't refute their claims with the discussion above. There's no mention of power output (even though you quote Watts in your 1000 vs 240 sentence, which a the unit for power, you really mean WH).

This is a pedelec so a rider is expected to pedal for the motor to give aid. Given that we can ride 150km without any aid at all, their claims are valid providing the power can be turned down low enough last the duration of the ride!

Using your estimate of 240WH capacity and 80% efficiency, if the system could dial down to 20W that's 9h36m of running which would easily cover a 150km ride. 20W isn't much but they wouldn't be lying at least!

Avatar
DofeDome | 8 years ago
0 likes

What are those sudden moves? It just makes me want to fund their recovery from sudden dance moves/sounds

Avatar
multifrag | 8 years ago
1 like

The indiegogo campaings starting to get inspired by the Nigerian email scams...150Km with a battery size of a women wallet, not to mention the Controller and BMS taking up the space... From the video it looks like they are using 30 cells. Some it most probably will be a 36V 6.6A pack which makes it to 240w battery. The hub won't have good efficency so expect the range to be 12-20miles.  Not the 94 miles they are selling it for. Even with Panasonic batteries used by Tesla the range would be 17-25miles, but the price per cell would go +3 times... Just another scam

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to multifrag | 8 years ago
0 likes

multifrag wrote:

"The hub won't have good efficency so expect the range to be 12-20miles"

 

Got a source for that opinion?

Avatar
multifrag replied to KiwiMike | 8 years ago
1 like

KiwiMike wrote:

multifrag wrote:

"The hub won't have good efficency so expect the range to be 12-20miles"

 

Got a source for that opinion?

https://www.electricbike.com/watt-hours/

Experience screams about that range. I can't get 96miles range with my 48V 20Ah battery which is efectively 1000W against 240w... From cycling it's closer to 60 miles at ~20mph with full pedaling.

Best hub motors will have efficency of 80% maybe 85%, while most common one will be at 60%.

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to multifrag | 8 years ago
0 likes

multifrag wrote:

https://www.electricbike.com/watt-hours/

Experience screams about that range. I can't get 96miles range with my 48V 20Ah battery which is efectively 1000W against 240w... From cycling it's closer to 60 miles at ~20mph with full pedaling.

Best hub motors will have efficency of 80% maybe 85%, while most common one will be at 60%.

OK, as a former 'leccy engineer I totally get that. Unless they've invented a new magic battery or motor* their claims are highly odious. Road.CC team, we should be asking for proofi-ness. Otherwise as Multifrag says, it's a scam. Or at the very least, highly fast/loose with the truth.

 

* they haven't. Or they'd be talking to Tesla GM Ford et al, not on Indegogo.

Latest Comments