STORY
Pursuing the Inherent Riding Comfort of Bicycles
Shimano initially developed a system having the motor unit located in the front wheel with a lithium-ion battery plus regenerative braking system. This was because having the motor in the front wheel had the advantage of not needing major changes to frame design, and Shimano attached importance to this. However, Shimano decided not to release this product. This was because as the market for more sporty e-bikes was sharply expanding, the midship type (with the motor unit located near the crank arms), which had an advantage in terms of assist performance, was becoming mainstream. Shimano, which decided to start afresh to work on the midship type, faced the challenge of clearing two factors to maintain the inherent appeal of bicycles. One was the physical relationship between the front and rear wheels and the bottom bracket axle, the most important factor of frame design. The other was the size and weight of the assist unit, which affected pedaling. Development team members performed careful verification and examination of these requirements, devoting themselves to developing an assist unit without compromising the inherent appeal of bicycles.
Further Expanding the World of E-bikes
In 2014, the E6000 series, the first SHIMANO STEPS electric-assist unit, was released. In 2016, when the wave of e-bikes swept to mountain bikes, Shimano introduced the E8000 series as a full-fledged e-bike system for sports bikes. In this series, Shimano pursued the performance required as components for sport bikes, such as lightness and compactness, to the absolute limit while providing the improved resistance to harsh vibrations and mud required in off-road riding. Shimano released the E7000, a more cost-effective series that offered a high ground-covering ability trickled down from the E8000 series, and the E6100 series, a series that offered well-balanced assist performance while producing power equal to that of top-end series, in 2018, and the E5000 series, an even more cost-effective series that was the lightest series in 2019. Also, it has rolled out specifications that meet Japanese legal and regulatory requirements.
While spreading across the world, e-bikes are expanding into road bikes, in addition to city, trekking and mountain bikes. As long as electric power “assists” the inherent enjoyment of riding bicycles, e-bikes will continue offering people health and enjoyment as a tool closest to people. SHIMANO STEPS will continue to evolve as a new step toward the further development of Shimano.
While spreading across the world, e-bikes are expanding into road bikes, in addition to city, trekking and mountain bikes. As long as electric power “assists” the inherent enjoyment of riding bicycles, e-bikes will continue offering people health and enjoyment as a tool closest to people. SHIMANO STEPS will continue to evolve as a new step toward the further development of Shimano.
