At Eurobike 2024, Bosch Is All About Digital

A Eurobike without new products from Bosch? Unthinkable since 2011. A Eurobike without a single new hardware product from Bosch? Just as unthinkable, but a fact this year. Don’t worry, the world’s leading brand of ebike drives did not appear at the trade show in Frankfurt am Main without any new products. However, the 2024 products are all from the digital world. Or, as Bosch put it at its press conference: from the cosmos of Connected Biking.

1. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – New eShift options
2. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – New Eco+ riding mode
3. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Configurable display for the Purion 200
4. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Planning tours with Range Control
5. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Arrival time and route recommendation
6. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Riding statistics for ABS
7. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – New features for eBike Flow App with Flow+
8. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Appearance of the eBike Flow App
9. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Outlook

1. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – New eShift options

However, the announcement of the latest developments from Bosch does not come without some new hardware. The only difference is that the new hardware features different lettering. The reason for this is that Bosch has found further cooperation partners for its solution for integrated, electric shifting on ebikes. Last summer, eShift was introduced into the ebike systems of the Smart System for the first time. With Enviolo, Rohloff and 3X3, only suppliers of hub gears were on board so far. This one-dimensional approach is not about to continue.

Derailleur gears for sporty ebikes from TRP

The Taiwanese manufacturer Tektro is one of the companies responsible for this. The TRP E.A.S.I. A12 is marketed under its brand Tektro Racing Parts, or TRP for short. This is a derailleur system specially designed for e-mountain bikes and e-gravel bikes. Its concept is based on the combination of a chainring with a 12-speed cassette. Given this rather sporty character, it is easy to see why this derailleur only supports eShift technology in conjunction with the Performance Line CX and Performance Line SX motors from Bosch. A Bosch Active Line or a Bosch Cargo Line are simply not the units that bicycle manufacturers would use on such ebikes.

As usual, eShift will be available for both manual and automatic use on the TRP E.A.S.I. A12. In the first mode, the primary aim is to make shifting as smooth as possible. To achieve this, the motor support is interrupted for fractions of a second and the chain glides smoothly and quietly onto the selected sprocket. Such harmonious gear changes also protect the material. In automatic mode, eShift takes care of the shifting for you and automatically changes to the gear ratio that best matches the cadence you have previously set as your desired cadence.

Smooth transition thanks to “RollShift”

As an added bonus, eShift on the TRP has a feature called “RollShift”. The system recognises the moments when you are coasting along without pedalling for a while. It measures whether your speed is increasing or decreasing during this time and then selects the gear ratio that will allow you to resume pedalling as smoothly as possible. RollShift is designed to work in both modes – manual and automatic.

You can switch between manual and automatic shifting at any time while riding. All you need to do is press a button on the wireless shift lever. The Bosch Kiox 500, Bosch Kiox 300 and Purion 200 displays, as well as the Ride Screen in the Bosch eBike Flow App, show which mode is currently selected. You can also see which gear you are currently in.

A new start for Shimano with a mixed double

Alongside Tektro as a newcomer in the eShift context, Shimano is also making a comeback. The company has already offered joint solutions in the past. Now the giant of the bicycle industry is coming up with a compatible derailleur and a compatible hub gear.

Somewhat surprisingly, Shimano has chosen the Cues Di2 for its derailleur. More prominent groupsets such as Deore XT Di2 or Ultegra Di2 have been left out for the time being. Shimano is entering two rear derailleurs in the race. The RD-U8050-SGS is compatible with 11-speed cassettes with sprockets between eleven and 50 teeth. The RD-U8050-GS, on the other hand, is only suitable for 10-speed cassettes with sprockets between eleven and 43 teeth. In principle, the way it works is the same as the derailleur system from Tektro, but without Rollshift. If you are riding in manual mode, the display on your smartphone will recommend which gear is best suited to the current riding situation.

Shimano has enabled its Nexus Di2 hub gear system to communicate with Bosch ebike systems. The aforementioned gear recommendations also appear in this case. Apart from that, you will encounter the aforementioned duo of manual and fully automatic gear shifting. In everyday use, the fact that even with a hub gear system you can shift while pedalling thanks to eShift should prove to be a particular advantage. The short internal stop for the shifting process that is otherwise characteristic of this type of gearshift is no longer necessary.

Internal gear hubs get auto-downshift
In addition, there are some changes to the existing eShift solutions from 3X3 and Rohloff for the Bosch Smart System. In the future, starting off will be easier for you. When you have come to a standstill, for example at a traffic light, eShift will automatically shift into a lower gear so that you can then start off dynamically. You have previously determined which gear this is in the eBike Flow App. If you don’t like the function, you can also switch off this Auto-Downshift in the app at any time.

2. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – New Eco+ riding mode

In our opinion, one of the cleverest developments that Bosch presented at the press conference is a new option for riding without an e-drive. Admittedly, it sounds strange. But it’s easy to explain. You can already switch off the electric assistance at any time using the Off mode. This may be necessary if you urgently need to save battery power. Or you may feel like experiencing conventional cycling again.

A skilful interplay

If you want to enjoy the electric tailwind again, you have to actively select one of the other riding modes. The new Eco+ makes this change unnecessary. It is specifically designed to seamlessly switch between riding with assistance and riding without. All you have to do is activate the riding mode in the eBike Flow app, install it on the ebike and define an activation threshold. If you fall below the threshold, the motor remains completely disconnected. Your ebike then becomes a regular bike. If you exceed the threshold, the drive engages. It disengages again according to the same principle as soon as your input falls below the respective limit. This means that you can use the support much more individually than before. If you wish, you can have the motor work only when you are facing a headwind, climbing a hill or overtaking. It will be interesting to see how the range develops for those who use the new Eco+ mode intensively.

3. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Configurable display for the Purion 200

The Purion 200 display now offers two personalisation options that you already know from the Kiox 300 and Kiox 500 displays. Firstly, from this month onwards, you can arrange the individual screens in the order that you find most convenient. This means that you can change the setup that was previously specified by the manufacturer. In each screen, you can also assign two tabs with your favourite data fields.

4. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Planning tours with Range Control

Planning tours and navigating them later on has been a major focus at Bosch for some time now. Hardly any of the updates in the last two years have appeared without an innovation in these areas. At Eurobike 2024, it is once again clear that the manufacturer wants to continue to focus on this and is constantly looking for further improvements.

The magic of the present

It has found one and named it Range Control. The feature will appear in the future when you plan a tour in the eBike Flow App. At the end of the planning, the app predicts how much capacity the tour will cost the battery and what percentage of the battery will still be charged when you arrive. Magic? Modern would probably be more accurate. Since Bosch uses artificial intelligence to help with these calculations. An AI takes into account the system weight, the number of planned metres in altitude and your individual riding behaviour.

The last factor in particular sounds exciting. After all, the more riding data the AI has, the better the forecasts should become. It gets to know you a little better with every tour and will deliver noticeably better results than it did with the first calculations.

According to Bosch, you can even determine how much battery power you need to have left when you reach your destination. In the forecast, you can then consider what this means for the support levels at which you are allowed to ride in order to meet this requirement.

Important: You cannot use Range Control in the “Auto Mode” support level.

5. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Arrival time and route recommendation

Officially, the arrival time prediction is not part of the Range Control feature. However, both are closely linked. In addition to the remaining battery capacity, you will also be able to see the likely time of arrival at your destination. The AI uses other parts of its constantly growing knowledge for planning. What surfaces do you often ride on? Do you prefer main or side roads? Do you prefer to avoid a major incline or do you always take the shortest route regardless of the profile? The system is aware of all these characteristics, incorporates them into the route planning and uses them to create personalised recommendations for certain routes.

6. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Riding statistics for ABS

If you ride an ebike with Bosch’s anti-lock braking system, you may occasionally wonder how often the system has actually helped you. The eBike Flow app will soon be able to provide you with this information in a clear and concise way. Braking manoeuvres with ABS use and those without are compared on a proportional basis. On every ride with an ebike equipped with ABS, you will even be shown how often the ABS has intervened during that ride.

7. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – New features for eBike Flow App with Flow+

Bosch’s focus was clearly on innovations such as eShift, the new riding mode and functions such as Range Control. Basically, these are available to anyone who rides an ebike with the Bosch Smart System. At most, the installed motor or a component such as the gearing or the ABS decides whether you personally benefit from it. However, Bosch also presented novelties that will only be available with Flow+. As you know, Flow+ is the subscription service for the Smart System, which is a mandatory requirement for using the Bosch ConnectModule GPS tracker. Please keep the following four functions in mind.

Feature “Current charge level”

The app allows you to remotely monitor the progress of the charging process for ebike batteries. For example, you can check whether it’s worth ordering dessert while you’re in a restaurant or whether the ebikes left at the charging station outside are ready for the next stage.

Feature “Extended navigation”

Since last spring, the navigation screen for the Kiox 300 and Kiox 500 displays has shown not only the planned route but also any junctions and exits. Now, the display of all side streets has been added to this view. This should make it even easier to orientate yourself using the map.

Data field “Riding mode usage”

In response to numerous requests from ebike riders, a key detail in the “Riding mode usage” display has changed. Now, even after you have completed your journey, you will be able to see how much you used the respective support levels. A pie chart clearly shows this in the form of a percentage distribution. Previously, this information was only shown to you during the trip.

“Power share” screen

Bosch has done the same with the “power distribution” screen. There you can now see in detail and at your leisure what proportion of the power was contributed by you and what proportion by the motor while you were cycling. This should provide some interesting insights, especially in conjunction with the new Eco+ riding mode.

As usual, Bosch will be rolling out the new features via a software update. This should be available for download in July 2024. We do not yet know the exact date. Bosch has announced the following timeframe for the implementation of the above-mentioned features.

8. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Appearance of the eBike Flow App

A lot is happening in terms of content within the Bosch eBike Flow App. In addition, its design is changing as well. However, this is only indirectly due to Bosch. With the help of a software development kit, the manufacturer is giving bicycle brands the opportunity to change the user interface in the future. In other words, an ebike with a Bosch Smart System from KTM could have a colour scheme that replaces the Bosch Blue with KTM Orange. Or the corresponding colour of another brand.

In fact, the change can go beyond visual interventions. Using a so-called “content card”, bicycle manufacturers can create their own content and display it directly to you. To do this effectively, they need the right data. The bicycle manufacturers receive this data via API interfaces, either directly from components such as the Bosch ConnectModule or from the Bosch eBike Cloud. Of course, you must have previously agreed to the provision of the data. If you do, the manufacturers will be able to see details of how you use your ebike, such as its location or battery charge level.

9. Bosch Eurobike 2024 – Outlook

Motor supplier and bicycle manufacturer. Ebike system and gearing. Previous tours and future tours. In fact, more and more things are being connected within and around the ebike. That’s why Bosch’s vision of connected biking is close to current trends. Especially since competitors like Sram are heading in exactly the same direction with the Eagle Powertrain.

Bosch is also involved in other areas of new networks. Networks in which traffic lights, cars, bicycles, construction sites and other vehicles and infrastructure involved in traffic communicate with each other. Such V2X communication is intended to make traffic safer in the future.

However, this will not be possible without motors, batteries and displays on the ebike. Therefore, Bosch’s strategy for this year’s Eurobike is quite surprising. Or is the market leader taking a breather and focusing completely on the digital aspect of ebike riding? That would be extraordinary. But today in Frankfurt has shown that you can and must expect a lot from the company. We will definitely keep our eyes peeled for you. And if Bosch should, surprisingly, launch tangible novelties for the coming season, you will find out about them here.

Pictures: Bosch eBike Systems