Classified Cycling is getting decisively closer to its plans to enter the ebike segment. The reason for this is the finalisation of another round of investments. Within this framework, the company has been able to collect finances amounting to 22 million euros. Mathias Plouvier, co-founder and CEO of Classified, has announced that he wants to use the money to enter the ebike market, among other things.
The British investment firm Active Partners from London was in charge of the aforementioned investment round. It is a well-known player in the bicycle industry and has in the past invested in companies such as the sports outfitter Rapha and the bicycle brand Evans Cycles. The backers also included investor Bridford Group, which had participated in previous rounds.
The front derailleur of the future isn’t a front derailleur at all
Since its founding in 2019, Classified has gained a foothold primarily in the road cycling sector with its patented Powershift hub. According to the company, it now collaborates with more than 40 bicycle brands. Powershift is a gear hub that replaces the conventional front derailleur of a derailleur. It ensures that, for example, with a cassette with eleven sprockets, you still have 22 different gears at your disposal. By eliminating the front derailleur, you save weight and gain some aerodynamic advantages. Most importantly, you eliminate the risk of a technical mishap such as the chain getting caught or thrown off during shifting. “We are convinced these features will be the shifting systems of the future.,” Classified says of his system.
Through Tyrol on a road bike – thanks to the Classified Powershift Hub, you can do it without a second chainring.
Potential of the ebike market beckons
The decisive factor for the application on the ebike is the fact that shifting is possible even under full load with forces of up to 1,500 watts. The value is above what many hubs currently installed on bicycles with e-drives can withstand. In a recent interview with the bicycle magazine “Velobiz”, Roëll van Druten, inventor of the Powershift Hub, stated that the “current hubs on the market have a problem with durability” and “do not shift smoothly” due to the power of the ebike motors. However, Classified did not disclose what solution it would offer for ebikes, exactly how it would approach bike brands and OEMs, or when this might happen.
Classified does not reveal anything concrete in its own press release either. “We will be a great partner to e-bike manufacturers as we have a significant technological upgrade in the works for this rapidly growing group of riders,” it simply states. The fresh capital is intended to strengthen innovation and help expand business development and service worldwide. Besides Europe, the focus is particularly on the USA.
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- Former sprint star Tom Boonen is one of the first private investors in Classified.
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- Along with him, former road cyclist Marcel Kittel is also a brand ambassador for the manufacturer.
Plans for conventional bicycles apparently further advanced
Before an ebike with a Classified shifting system is launched on the market, other types of bicycles without electric assistance will probably be on show. After all, after the road bike sector, the company has long since also made inroads into the gravel bike sector. If you want proof of this, just search the internet for the Grifn of the traditional Belgian brand Ridley, which has just been presented. Presumably, the next step will be the wish expressed several times in the community for an excursion into the world of mountain bikes. And urban bikes are probably on the to-do list as well.
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- The shifting system has already proven itself on gravel bikes like the Ridley Grifn.
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- The gear hub measures 142 millimetres in width.
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- It requires a thru axle with a diameter of twelve millimetres.
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- You can shift using a control unit at the end of the drop bars.
In that case, the range of products in Classified’s online shop could also expand. At the moment, you can find there the set consisting of a Classified wheelset, the hub, the thru axle and the control units for the road bike handlebar. The conversion kit is also available separately, as well as wheel sets and cassettes suitable for road bikes and gravel bikes. The actual sales take place via selected dealers. At the moment, direct sales to customers dominate. Should the system find favour with even more bicycle manufacturers and catch on in the more promising ebike market, things are likely to turn in the direction of the OEM.
Pictures: Classified Cycling BV; Belgian Cycling Factory nv
