Shimanothe historic company based in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture (Japan) and historically known for manufacturing bicycle components, as well as equipment for fishing and sports such as canoeing, rowing, winter sports and golf, has just patented a novel and interesting wireless electronic brake system for bicycles that is also creating a lot of buzz in the industry.
By the way, this technology is based on the existing DI2 wireless shifting from Shimano and it means we could say goodbye to brake cables and hydraulic hoses on motorcycles. But, be careful. Not in a short period of time.
Now we have a nightmare. The worst scenario we can think of is a dead battery in the rear derailleur on the bike. That means not being able to shift gears, and there could be much more serious consequences if the brake battery fails or dies. Don’t tell us you haven’t thought about that.
This is how amazing Shimano’s patent for its wireless brakes is
Despite this, Shimano is determined to implement this technology. The company has presented three potential designs: an electric-hydraulic hybrid system, a mechanical-electric hybrid system and a fully electric system.
The first two systems feature fail-safes, so that if the battery runs out, the rider still has a mechanical connection between the brake lever and the bike’s brakes. These systems could be used, for example, on motorcycles to provide intelligent braking functions such as ABS and downhill control.
Shimano’s all-electric braking system is also wireless, requiring no physical connection, not even an electrical cable, between the handlebar levers and the wheel calipers and discs. This technology could be useful in complex cargo e-bikes and perhaps in some configurations with very long wheelbases.
However, for mountain bikes, road bikes, or commuter bikes, it might seem excessive. This leads us to ask: do we really need this level of technology on bikes? Bikes were designed to be a simple, cheap, eco-friendly means of transportation, and now they seem to be getting unnecessarily complex (and expensive).
It’s evident, all factories seem obsessed with digitalizing everything, from throttle-by-wire systems to this new electronic brake system of ShimanoBut what if this technology comes to motorcycles? Would you install these sophisticated wireless brakes on your bike?
More importantly, would you feel safe driving on long journeys, across all types of terrain and weather, knowing that your ability to stop is entirely dependent on a working set of sensors and batteries? Well, why not. After all, airplanes use “somewhat” similar technology. What, how are you?
