Continental’s eBike System will enter production in the fourth quarter of 2014 and will be on display at the Eurobike trade fair from 27-30 August; the company had presented a prototype of the system at the Eurobike trade fair in 2013.

The complete drive system, with a mid-mounted motor, display, remote and battery, powers e-bikes and pedelecs. The company will also present its service concept for manufacturers and dealers, as well as the optimized Conti Drive System.

Continental is positioning the system in the premium segment.

In recent months we have had many conversations with manufacturers and optimized the system for what the market wants. The display now has higher resolution; the design of the motor housing and frame mount were adapted. This now makes the motor look even better on the frame and makes it more stable at the same time. The reworked battery management ensures better operational safety and is more energy efficient.

After successful sampling by the manufacturers, production will start in the fourth quarter of 2014. The first models will be available from specialist dealers starting in spring 2015.

Continental will also be offering comprehensive services for manufacturers and dealers starting at the end of this year. Information from the CAN bus-based system can be accessed with complimentary software. Information on performance data, charging processes and user behavior will support system analysis and maintenance. Technical support is available through a hotline providing information about products and sources of supply. The service is operated at a central service center in Frankfurt.

Training courses specially tailored to the needs of manufacturers and dealers will start in spring 2015.

The service offer also applies to the Conti Drive System, which uses drive technology with timing belts instead of chains for bicycles, pedelecs, and e-bikes. The tooth profile is a differentiator—the size of the teeth ensures increased jump-over protection. In addition, it requires less pre-tensioning than other systems. This reduces wear and tear on bicycle components, such as gear hubs and inner bearings, and makes pedaling considerably easier.

At the start of production, the Conti Drive System will be compatible with the gear hubs Shimano Nexus/Alfine, NuVinci 360, NuVinci Harmony, and SRAM G8, as well as with pinion drives, Bosch G2, freewheel cassettes, and the Conti eBike System. Continental will present the production-ready version of the Conti Drive System with optimized disks at the Eurobike trade fair.

Continental is developing the drive systems and service offers together with the specialist for e-bike drives Benchmark Drives. As of 2014, the company belongs to the drive belt specialist ContiTech Power Transmission Group, a business unit of the Continental division ContiTech.