GOBAO ECVT EMTB Mid-Drive Motor

[Trek-Rail-eBike]

Getting a bit much if you ask me. Cog belts are less efficient then chains, they are less durable then a chain. The CVT will also make the battery drain more do to the internal parts, and the maintenance will be alot higher. I bet that bike also has a throttle option. To each their own.

At higher power outputs, cog belts are more efficient than metal chains because they lack the joint friction and metal-on-metal wear that rob power over time. Belts are also clean, silent and require zero lubrication.

This Gobao system also supports a chain should you wish to run one.

As for maintenance: I can only see a sealed unit containing all of the drive and gearing requiring less maintenance, over an exposed system, with a RD hanging off the back of the bike.

 

[nickf]

I enjoy riding my SL not for its lack of power, but because of its relative nimbleness and ease of lifting over fences and other trail obstacles etc.

Just an observation.

I enjoy riding my SL because of its lack of power!

Just an outlier I guess

 

[nickf]

For a full power MGU/ECVT with ~4kg of motor, the bike isn't going to ride dramatically different whether you put a 4kg or 3kg battery.

But then you get people who've removed their bottle mount screws from the downtube and claim the weight saving "high up" transforms their heavy tank into an agile gazelle!

 

[caper11]

At higher power outputs, cog belts are more efficient than metal chains because they lack the joint friction and metal-on-metal wear that rob power over time. Belts are also clean, silent and require zero lubrication.

This Gobao system also supports a chain should you wish to run one.

As for maintenance: I can only see a sealed unit containing all of the drive and gearing requiring less maintenance, over an exposed system, with a RD hanging off the back of the bike.

That is incorrect, I have been down this road before, I am very experienced in drive systems, I experimented with cog belts replacing chains. In that application, cog belts do not do well with debris. A road bike where it will be on pavement will be fine.
They are very susceptible to temp changes, the colder they are the stiffer they get, and the resistance increases until the belt warms up.
Depending on the CVT design, A CVT requires oil changes and maintenance like clutch and belt maintenance, none of this is new technology, it been widely used for decades on other platforms.

 

[Trek-Rail-eBike]

That is incorrect, I have been down this road before, I am very experienced in drive systems, I experimented with cog belts replacing chains. In that application, cog belts do not do well with debris. A road bike where it will be on pavement will be fine.
They are very susceptible to temp changes, the colder they are the stiffer they get, and the resistance increases until the belt warms up.
Depending on the CVT design, A CVT requires oil changes and maintenance like clutch and belt maintenance, none of this is new technology, it been widely used for decades on other platforms.

The system supports both a chain and a belt, so just choose whichever option you prefer
Time to move on

 

[Cell4soul]

This motor system has me very interested. I have been very close to pulling the trigger on a new Wild LT to replace my 2024 Wild. This drive system has me thinking I’ll hang on a little longer and see what bikes this motor system and the Avinox MG will be available on. This is the future.

 

[Suns_PSD]

Belts have a pretty poor reputation in the mountain bike space, and overall, usually don't end up being 'lower maintenance' just because they clog with the slightest mud, have a lot of drag, and when they fail in the field, and they do, they often require complete bike disassembly to reinstall as they are continuous and don't use a master link.

I've ridden them, and the silence is golden and belt drive bikes don't even require any chainstay protection, and with a motor I'm not writing them off completely. I would just say that they are not the Panacea that they might first appear to be.

 

[Trek-Rail-eBike]

Belts have a pretty poor reputation in the mountain bike space, and overall, usually don't end up being 'lower maintenance' just because they clog with the slightest mud, have a lot of drag, and when they fail in the field, and they do, they often require complete bike disassembly to reinstall as they are continuous and don't use a master link.

I've ridden them, and the silence is golden and belt drive bikes don't even require any chainstay protection, and with a motor I'm not writing them off completely. I would just say that they are not the Panacea that they might first appear to be.

Sure I get it, belts are not for everyone.
I watched this video from expedition bike rider Tristan Ridley a few months ago which is a good overview of Belt Drive vs Chains

 

[Powerslider]

That is incorrect, I have been down this road before, I am very experienced in drive systems, I experimented with cog belts replacing chains. In that application, cog belts do not do well with debris. A road bike where it will be on pavement will be fine.
They are very susceptible to temp changes, the colder they are the stiffer they get, and the resistance increases until the belt warms up.
Depending on the CVT design, A CVT requires oil changes and maintenance like clutch and belt maintenance, none of this is new technology, it been widely used for decades on other platforms.

Mud ain’t a thing here in the desert, but I can see how a belt could easily get packed up when things get sloppy.

 

[Fangs2k]

I enjoy riding my SL because of its lack of power!

Just an outlier I guess

Yeah, even my 35Nm is plenty for what I need when I need it, but the low weight for an e-bike (mine is just over 17kg) is what I notice the most.

 

[jeanjean]

This motor system has me very interested. I have been very close to pulling the trigger on a new Wild LT to replace my 2024 Wild. This drive system has me thinking I’ll hang on a little longer and see what bikes this motor system and the Avinox MG will be available on. This is the future.

Same for me, excepted that my current bike is a 2021 Orbea Wild FS.
I was waiting for the Owuru, but seems that we will be able to choose between a few nice alternatives!

 

[Plummet]

All of a sudden the mgu's are in the house... i figured it wouldn't be pinion.

I love the battery energy density!.

I have the same question with this unit. Can you ride it with a flat battery?
how much more battery does it burn in comparison to traditional system?

Looking fucken exciting!

 

[irie]

All of a sudden the mgu's are in the house... i figured it wouldn't be pinion.

I love the battery energy density!.

I have the same question with this unit. Can you ride it with a flat battery?
how much more battery does it burn in comparison to traditional system?

Looking fucken exciting!

Wouldn't be surprised if when the batteries are flat they'll initially be like riding through treacle.

Note that I said "initially".

 

[Zimmerframe]

Wouldn't be surprised if when the batteries are flat they'll initially be like riding through treacle.

Note that I said "initially".

I want to know how many people have actually ridden through treacle ? What are the odds of coming across a truck with a spilled leak ? Or a massive factory disaster where 200sq Kms were covered in treacle? Just how much treacle is there in the world ?

Anyway, I think this and the Avinox both have different setups but both incorporate secondary motors.

This one the second motor adds to assistance and operates the "ratio" ? What do we call it ? The Avinox secondary motor only operates the ratio mechanism.

Presumably as we have now with low battery for lights/shifting etc, a degree will be kept in reserve so you have access to ratio adjust to some degree.

If avinox manage to incorporate regen and their system only operates the ratio shift then in theory you'd get more range, but regen on a relatively small mass isnt going to be huge I theory, but every bit helps.

 

[irie]

I want to know how many people have actually ridden through treacle ? What are the odds of coming across a truck with a spilled leak ? Or a massive factory disaster where 200sq Kms were covered in treacle? Just how much treacle is there in the world ?

Anyway, I think this and the Avinox both have different setups but both incorporate secondary motors.

This one the second motor adds to assistance and operates the "ratio" ? What do we call it ? The Avinox secondary motor only operates the ratio mechanism.

Presumably as we have now with low battery for lights/shifting etc, a degree will be kept in reserve so you have access to ratio adjust to some degree.

If avinox manage to incorporate regen and their system only operates the ratio shift then in theory you'd get more range, but regen on a relatively small mass isnt going to be huge I theory, but every bit helps.

Loving the ifs and buts.

 

[TorAtle]

I'm unsure if the bike will move at all when the battery is dead. The motor that is responsible for the rider getting a sensible cadence will spin freely, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Loving the ifs and buts.

Surely if we can conjecture one way, we can also conjecture with a degree of common sense too ??

 

[Zimmerframe]

I'm unsure if the bike will move at all when the battery is dead. The motor that is responsible for the rider getting a sensible cadence will spin freely, if I'm not mistaken.

You think it will be permanently locked in space time and become a trail feature until someone nukes it ?

 

[Zimmerframe]

To simplify what I'm saying (which really shouldn't be necessary)

Several of you seem to have the view that the groups intelligent enough to make these systems work, don't have the intelligence to set it up with redundancy to get you home or have a no power lockout to get you home.

Yup, they're all clearly very dumb.

Ok, yes, there will be situations when you have total failure/broken/fecks up but that's the same as we have now with a catastrophic component failure.

Ok, no, you're right. They'll do the basics,.get something sort of up and running and then they'll all be head hunted by Bosch to develop variable speed eject, energy recovering toaster's before they've had any chance to actually think about real world scenarios for the MGs.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Back on track . The X1 is 120nm the x1p 150nm.

Seemingly no weight difference so presumably a software option. This fits well with Spesh ?? That demo frame front triangle looks very Spesh gen4 ? (If you blink)

The Owuru is the other option, and whilst there's suggestions the mg options might be pricey, D4 (decathlon) are releasing an EMTB later this year with that, so theoretically won't be stupid expensive.

 

[TorAtle]

I was commenting on what will happen when the battery is dead or disconnected, however unlikely. You think moving the pedals will force the bike forward in this scenario?

 

[DylanJM]

Back on track . The X1 is 120nm the x1p 150nm.

Seemingly no weight difference so presumably a software option. This fits well with Spesh ?? That demo frame front triangle looks very Spesh gen4 ? (If you blink)

The Owuru is the other option, and whilst there's suggestions the mg options might be pricey, D4 (decathlon) are releasing an EMTB later this year with that, so theoretically won't be stupid expensive.

The website paints it as X1 for urban/trekking and X1P for emtb/cargo.

x-series-new - GOBAO E-Bike Drive Unit

Complexity disappear Motor and transmission are combined into a single unit. 
An automatic, continuously variable transmission takes care 
of shifting, with an option for manual control. Precisely tuned. 
Natural in the way it rides. Connectivity that makes sense Connected to your smartphone and...

gobao-ebike.com

 

[Suns_PSD]

I can hardly believe that it appears that this tech is actually here, like really here. Just amazing...

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Gobao’s Wild New eCVT Motor Explained

Lots of questions still after I made this regarding when it’s off, when battery dies, total bike weights etc. These are kinda hard “in the moment” interviews in 35 degree hot AF Concrete jungles and everything is hard to coordinate, but managed to get a ride.

 

[Bozzma]

I'm unsure if the bike will move at all when the battery is dead. The motor that is responsible for the rider getting a sensible cadence will spin freely, if I'm not mistaken.

What if the motor is blocked in one rotational direction? That way it can amplify the ratio, but if it is dead, it will be stuck at its lowest ratio. And there won’t be pedal assistance. But it could work.

 

[Brawwp]

Gobao’s Wild New eCVT Motor Explained

Lots of questions still after I made this regarding when it’s off, when battery dies, total bike weights etc. These are kinda hard “in the moment” interviews in 35 degree hot AF Concrete jungles and everything is hard to coordinate, but managed to get a ride.

Looks so sick! I now look at my derailleur with pure hatred lol. I cannot wait for these to be available. Thanks Rob for crushing these review videos so fast!

 

[Flo7]

Gobao’s Wild New eCVT Motor Explained

Lots of questions still after I made this regarding when it’s off, when battery dies, total bike weights etc. These are kinda hard “in the moment” interviews in 35 degree hot AF Concrete jungles and everything is hard to coordinate, but managed to get a ride.

Is that the new Levo G5?

 

[DylanJM]

Is that the new Levo G5?

Just a demonstrator bike built by a Swiss company I think. Specialized could do worse than throwing money at Gobao to get this into the Levo 5 though. I think Gobao would be more open to accommodating Specialized's Turbo branding, app, interface needs than Avinox for example.

 

[Flo7]

The rumours are that the Levo G5 will come with a gobao system.

 

[DylanJM]

The rumours are that the Levo G5 will come with a gobao system.

Where are you hearing that? I did think I saw someone mention a possible link between to two brands a couple of months back.

Rob thumbs uped your comment so...