Launching today
Avenue Shifters by Avenue Cruisers Co.
The bike that shifts itself — on Kickstarter Nov 12
2 followers
The bike that shifts itself — on Kickstarter Nov 12
2 followers
Predictive automatic shifting for bikes and trikes. Avenue Shifters reads your cadence and wheel speed and shifts a standard chain and derailleur for you — no phone required. Link the app and it adds GPS grade (it sees the hill first) and live wind. It holds your gear while you coast, and the trikes drive both rear wheels through a true differential. Designed in Des Moines for returning riders, and riders whose hands don't work a gear lever like they used to. Launches Nov 12 on Kickstarter.
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Promoted
Hi PH — I'm Bill Morton, 70, founder of Avenue Cruisers Co. in Des Moines. I built Avenue Shifters because I kept meeting riders who weren't done riding — their hands were done shifting. The system reads cadence and wheel speed and shifts a regular derailleur ahead of the hill; stop pedaling and it holds your gear. We also license the system to other bike makers — the license tier is on the campaign page next to the bikes, which is a structure I haven't seen tried before and I'm glad to defend or discuss. Bench-proof films are on our YouTube channel. Ask me anything — the tech, the licensing, or what a 70-year-old is doing launching hardware. — Bill
A bit more on how it works, since that's the question I get most: the system reads your pedaling cadence and wheel speed and moves a standard derailleur before the hill costs you momentum — no proprietary cassette, no special wheel. It holds a cadence band you set yourself. Stop pedaling and it holds your gear instead of leaving you in the wrong one at the lights. Link the phone app and it adds GPS grade and live wind into the decision. There are bench films of the system shifting under load on our YouTube channel — the tech is real, and it's been the easiest part of this to prove.
About us: Avenue Cruisers Co. is a small family company in Des Moines, Iowa. I'm Bill Morton, 70. I had open-heart surgery in 2003 and came back to riding through rehab; the bike that shifts itself grew out of wanting the same effort regardless of terrain — better than a treadmill, and more scenic. We sell complete bikes with the system fitted, and we also license the system to other bike makers — that licensing tier sits on the campaign page next to the bikes. The Kickstarter opens Thursday, November 12 at 6 AM Central and runs to December 27.
The campaign itself is on @kickstarter — Avenue Shifters, live Thursday, November 12 at 6 AM Central through December 27. Complete bikes with the system fitted, from the Servo up through the Servo-ER XL and the Reverse, plus the licensing tier for other makers right beside the bikes. If you ride with hands that don't work like they used to — or you build bikes for people who do — it's built for you.
The lineup, Servo to Servo-ER XL: Servo $2,049.95 (predictive shifting on pedal power) · Servo-E $2,999.95 · Servo-E XL $3,549.95 · Servo-R $2,749.95 · Servo-ER $3,649.95 · Servo-ER XL $4,249.95 — plus the Servo-ER Reverse, a direct-drive hub model that backs up at about 3 mph on a hold control. Every bike senses cadence and wheel speed and shifts a standard derailleur for you; the safety set is standard. Pledges run about 47% of the total price — the rest is due before your bike ships. Launching on @kickstarter November 12.
Not shopping for a bike? The predictive-shifting system itself is licensable. Builders and manufacturers can license the system — servo drive, sensing, and firmware — for their own frames, at a blended $16,250 / $33,750 pair depending on volume. Licensing runs beside the bikes in the same @kickstarter campaign, November 12 to December 27.