gauges to create 3-D models of your gearing.
(Photos courtesy OTTO DesignWorks)
The rising tide of products that combine physical objects with mobile apps has come to do-it-yourself bike maintenance.
OTTO DesignWorks, a startup based a few miles south of Portland in Wilsonville, says its first product will offer “perfect shifting in under five minutes” for people with Shimano and SRAM 9-, 10- and 11-speed gear cassettes.
As the video below shows, the company sells gauges that can be attached to a cassette and derailleur. Its free mobile app then uses a smartphone camera and photogrammatry — the mathematically intensive process of turning images into three-dimensional modeling — to diagnose the situation and walk someone through the tuning process.
The physical gauges will start shipping in early June; preorders are being accepted now. The software is expected to be available in the iOS App Store in the next few weeks.
“This isn’t just about the tuning system; it’s about smart tools. Part of our mission here is to kind of rethink tools and maintenance for cyclists.”
— Jake VanderZanden, OTTO
“I’ve been racing bicycles for 30 years at all kinds of levels, and this actually was a need that was born from my own irritation in swapping wheelsets and then always having to adjust the rear derailleur,” OTTO President Jake VanderZanden said in an interview Tuesday. “While I have an engineering degree, for some reason it’s too complicated for me. I would always wind up watching a YouTube video. … I could always get it close, but never perfect.”
The resulting product is two years in the making, VanderZanden said: six months looking into different product possibilities, a year developing the product and six months working out bugs in the app’s diagnosis process and instructions with what is now a five-person team.
DWFritz Automation, an employer of VanderZanden, is also an investor in the company.
“We found out every lens in every camera in every iPhone is unique, so we actually have built a lens-calibrating model into the software,” VanderZanden said. “We have found that the lighting indoors with shadows, and the lighting outdoors is all unique, so we’ve had to build the app for things like that.”
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OTTO has a patent on its photogrammatry process, which VanderZanden hopes will make this the first product in a line that will include tools for seat positioning, handlebar-fork alignment and front derailleur adjustments.
And maybe someday, for tasks outside the bicycling world too.
“This isn’t just about the tuning system; it’s about smart tools,” VanderZanden said. “Part of our mission here is to kind of rethink tools and maintenance for cyclists.”
He said initial testing in the Portland area has turned up two basic types of customers: “higher-end folks” who want to guarantee a perfect tuneup no matter who works on it, and people who just prefer the convenience of doing the job in what the company describes as five minutes (for someone with practice) or 10 minutes (for a first-timer).
For some people, VanderZanden said, “pinning a derailleur is kind of a black art and some mechanics are kind of against the idea. But by bringing science into the equation you can get a perfect tune almost every time.”
Only an iPhone app is currently complete. OTTO is working on an Android app that will be specific to Samsung Galaxy devices.
The basic version of the app currently works for one bike at a time, though if you’re working with multiple bikes you’ll be able to delete the profile and enter information anew. You’ll also be able to buy additional bike profiles in the app for $9.99.
VanderZanden said he’s also looking into the possibility of a pro version that could be marketed to bike shops to help mechanics there.
“Automation is finding its way into every walk of our life,” VanderZanden said. “A lot of the tools in the bike maintenance world are classic, but there’s an opportunity with more precision and more speed with automation.”
— Learn more at OttoDesignWorks.com.
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That is really frickin’ cool!!! Let’s hope the more frustrating front derailleur is soon to follow!
YES! . . . sign me up for the future FRONT derailleur alignment app!
Wow. That sounds pretty amazing.
Great idea, terrible execution. It’s designed for one bike and adding a bike is $10 each? That doesn’t scale for a typical bike shop. I mean, clearly it’s meant for the home mechanics who are comfortable doing this work, but it seems like an oversight.
Also, per-lens calibration is going to hinder scaling.
As currently set up it’s not intended for shops, mostly for personal use. The bike shop use case would be a different product.
The 10 dollar upgrade allows for the addition of unlimited bikes. That was not clearly stated in the article.
How does calibrating your lens hinder scaling? What kind of scaling are you thinking of?
“Automation is finding its way into every walk of our life.”
How long before machines replace bike mechanics (which might not be a bad thing considering the quality of bike mechanics these days)?
At the same time motorcycles replaced bicycles a long time ago, yet bicycles still held on. They’ll always be a niche for mechanics.
It is difficult to pay an experienced mechanic a better than subsistence level wage. After working as a mechanic here in Portland for the last eleven years, I’m looking into a career change. I can no longer afford to live in my humble studio apartment, despite being in the top ten percent of the salary range for my profession.
The huge cost of living increase over the last few years will have negative impacts to our service economy. Good luck getting quality service from the inexperienced folks who will work for entry-level wages.
Welcome to ever gentrifying Portlandia.
It’s a drag because I really liked working as a bicycle mechanic, and I was good at it. My rent also went up 32% last month, so I’m moving into a roommate situation. Gentrification indeed.
In which bygone time did you find higher quality bike mechanics, and to what do you attribute the decline in perceived quality? Be specific.
Once upon a time I could have a wheel built at my LBS and it would stay true. The owner of my (current) LBS is a good friend and tells me none of his current batch of mechanics could dish a wheel to save their lives, but it’s all that he has to choose from. He just lost one of his “good” mechanics (an older fellow) to another shop, but after what that guy did to my Ksyrium a few years ago I’d say it wasn’t a loss. When I want a good wheel build I now ship to/from Ron Ruff at http://whitemountainwheels.com in New Mexico. Can’t say enough about the quality of this guy’s work.
I attribute the decline in quality to the fact that you can’t really make a living wage as a bike mechanic. As my friend testified (on the minimum wage increase) at city hall last night, he understands his employees are in bike retail on their way to future careers that can actually pay their bills. It’s not just a “Portland gentrification” thing… you can imagine what’s going on here in Silicon Valley in the shadow of Apple, Google, and $1M+ housing valuations.
Speaking of which, I owe my mechanic some good (Oregon) beer for updating the firmware in my battery mount…
The problem is just this…. Beer doesn’t put food on the table or pay the rent… Period. I left the industry 6 years ago after 8 successful years in it. USA Cycling licensed “tech” and all that by the end. Met and still know some truly awesome people. I chose to move on-wards, and finished my AAS; pursuing my Bachelors now. Busier than I ever was fixing bikes and drinking beer; and happier. And guess what, I drive a car most places now unless I walk to the store or am driving to mountain bike. Oh well.
Tough change at first, but ahhh… Financially stable.
FWIW, he wouldn’t let me pay him, but he’s studying computer programming and I’m lining up an interview for him. Having put myself through college I’m familiar with the struggles. Very best wishes in your pursuits!!
Michael at CyclePath does top notch work. I’ve got a couple of his wheelsets – totally solid.
Found his email online for a build I’m contemplating – thx!
Cool idea, and I have a ton of respect for both Jake and DW Fritz, but I swap many wheels frequently across several different bikes and don’t really have this problem, as long as I keep the cassettes shimmed to match the limits (and all the bikes’ limits matching the cassettes’ offset). Front derailleurs (as someone else also mentions) have been much more finicky in my experience. My real problem is having gotten completely spoiled by Di2 on my main steed and now wanting it on all of my bikes. (Of course my other real problem is not being able to TT like Jake… ;).
Best of luck in this venture!
It’s products like this that illustrate the lengths people go to keep them relevant. Thomas Edison was still alive when derailleurs were invented, and they aren’t functionally much different than they were then. I’m glad to see someone keeping the hope alive, but I’d prefer to see development of the next generation of bicycle drivetrain.
Personally, I feel that the derailleur is partially responsible for the lack of technological development in bicycles, because of all of the different interdependent dimensions required to fit them to frames and the accompanying cassette to the wheel. When industry pioneers bravely change something, the faithful whine about the many confusing standards they can’t keep up with, and blogs swell with complaints. Sad!
I blame it on racing. With short spans between overhauls, mechanical support and fresh bikes at the ready, maintenance isn’t an issue. The same derailleurs and other parts the big foreign factories pump out for racing are the same parts normal people have on their own bikes, which don’t have the same kind of mechanical support. Derailleurs are the wrong tool for the job on bicycles that get infrequent maintenance. Same with rim brakes, and it’s pretty clear where that’s going.
I think these are good points. As somebody who’s built up what one LBS calls “the Franken-Masi”, I get a kick out of (inexperienced) commenters trashing disc brakes and electronic shifting. Not that they are for everyone, indeed, but having put thousands of miles on this bike I’d have had to swap cables and re-tune it scores of times, whereas the only maintenance I’ve needed are lube, chain swaps, and a set of new front brake pads (closing in on a second since I switched to organic which don’t scream but don’t last). Another Di2 plus I didn’t anticipate is that I can easily swap rings from my preferred mid-compact setup to compact (for big hill climbs) by just moving the FD up a few mils.
That being said, none of that is truly innovative, or what I’d consider “revolutionary”, as opposed to just evolutionary. Just damned convenient (at a price that doesn’t really make it worthwhile for popular adoption). Even the road disc brake “revolution” (ha!) is being hindered by the manufacturers’ hesitance based on UCI adoption.
Shaft drives, CVT, kevlar belts, internal hubs… pretty slow progress for a platform that’s been around over a hundred years now. Guess we stick with what we know and love… 🙂
I already know what the next drivetrain will be.
12 SPEED
No, blame it on Mother Nature 🙂 (aka laws of physics). No matter the technological advancement, Disobey Mother Nature’s Rules and you get slapped.
Friction,weight and stiffness etc. Common-sense engineering principles show the way, and shine through in the end. There is nothing quite as simple as direct cog-chain-cog drivetrain. Give me a thumb shifter and 7 cogs in the back and I have a sweet commuter. Cogs are cheap and customizable.
Disc brakes are great for muddy / gritty conditions where a rim would get chewed up. But you will _never_ get the weight down to, and still be as safe as rim brakes and as inexpensive as. And I would certainly never put a disc on say a tandem (as its only brakes) Do the math on convection, heat capacity, etc and to be safe you would need a large rotor every bit as heavy as the rim (which, if it is a deep v or 43mm deep, can easily do double duty). Sorry, laws of physics are such that convection is just not quick enough on a relatively small disc, and you need some mass for the heat capacity. Sure it helps to get them up to slight red glow, the delta T is higher and heat flow increases, but can your pads handle it 🙂 ?
AS far as derailluer adjustment. Yes the limits need to be good (or your chain goes in the spokes, toh ! ) But otherwise it’s never taken me more than ~30 seconds, While I am riding, to get my shifting tuned in. Its not complicated, i just turn that adjust barrel.
jms, pe, msme
I used to believe that rim brakes were superior to disc brakes because of the larger diameter and mass as you indicate. I’ve changed my opinion, especially for a tandem.
My first few tandems had rim brakes and two had drum brakes in the rear as a drag brake. My current tandem has disc brakes (and no drag brake). Our experience with the tandem includes a cross-country trip pulling a trailer. The stopping power and modulation available with the disc brakes is fabulous. The rotors do get hot, but so do rims. I admit that I’ve never measured the temperatures of either, but I’ve not experienced any problems even on the aforementioned trip with a heavy load. I am absolutely sold on disc brakes for a tandem.
Well yes disc brakes can be good. But you will have a more wheel mass. I’ve done rim brakes only with 400+ lbs on a tandem down Germantown / newberry etc. (1 or 2 miles drop 1000 feet) Now you can’t do that on a lightweight box rim, nor with cheap rim tape or tires. Nor obviously a lightweight disc, I would only trust say the 10″ santana rotor (in lieu having engineers, at least they tested). Which is as heavy as the rim that its sitting next too, thus not logical, imho. And by the way you’ve had to build sturdier wheel to handle the extra forces from the disc brake.
When I ran disc on a commuter bike for a while, one issue I had, was I found I couldn’t quite get the quick lock-up that I could with a rim brake. Oh great modulation, a couple times almost right into the trunk of the quick stopping car in front of me. Ok I am sure If spent $$$ on a nicer hydraulic system.
On the tandem, with rim brakes I could lock up and nearly slide the tires if I needed too on dry pavement. V-brakes of course (advantage being less cable tension and thus a stiffer system). I am willing to bet you can’t slide the tires on your fully loaded disc brake tandem?
Furthermore, and in all seriousness, heat wise, I would much rather deal with a blown tire from the rim brake, which will usually occur after you stopped and the heat soaks into the tire/tube, versus a run-away accelerating tandem; I am not about to chance flying off the road into tree at 30 mph. Typically not survivable for the human body. Don’t count on your disc being safe. (or know your roads, and don’t go down steep long hills)
Just saying it’s really hard to argue with Mother Nature. You can try, but expect an a$$ whupping.
I never want to slide my tires. I just replaced a worn kevlar-belted Vittoria Rubino Pro that had a flat spot shaved into it from nearly a year ago when I was right-hooked by a BMW while doing ~30 MPH. Good thing I spotted the flat spot before it blew on a high-speed descent.
ABS on hydraulics, if I had my ‘druthers… 🙂
“But you will _never_ get the weight down to, and still be as safe as rim brakes and as inexpensive as.”
OK, maybe not as inexpensive as, but there’s always the question of cost versus value. I disagree with the rest. My 160mm Reynolds front wheel setup is as light as my Ksyrium Elite SL. Granted the Hy/Rd calipers I’m using, as well as the 20mm adapter (useless weight IMO), do add some weight to the bike, but as far as wheels go getting rid of the brake track can save a lot of weight, even in carbon rims. Rim-brake hoops are heavier than disc hoops, and the weight that a Centerlock rotor and locknut adds is not very much; probably makes up the difference, making for an apples-to-apples comparison.
As far as safety goes, descending steep hills is the primary reason I decided to try a disc brake on the front of my (non-disc) race bike. Rim brake overheating can blow a tire (especially on carbon rims); disc brake overheating cannot. Any misalignment (or improper toe-in) of rim brake calipers will reduce their effectiveness, and even (sometimes discreetly) scrape the sidewall right off of a tire.
As an aside, just going to 160mm disc on the front has saved significant wear on my rear rim brake (and rim) – I barely use it anymore, especially on flat roads. That was the other reason: I wanted to try carbon rims without worrying about their notorious rim-brake-induced failures and short life spans.
There are still barriers to making disc wheels prevalent in road biking, for sure. What the market offers for stock disc wheels seems to be targeted at CX, and are not very light or stiff (which as I’ve said before is a reason I think custom builds are worth it). Unless the wheels are stiff the discs will rub (front, primarily), especially if you hammer the cranks in a sprint, for instance. Yes, you can go with a low-spoke-count rim-brake wheel to save weight over the higher spoke counts (i.e. 2-cross) required for front disc braking stiffness, but I’ve been that route before… ’nuff said.
Disc-specific frames/forks are mostly built for 140mm, but as a 180lb guy my 160mm front setup brakes much better than the full-disc 140mm (BMC GF) that I’ve borrowed from my LBS a few times. Felt just came out with a bike (Renegade?) with a beautiful 160mm-specific through-axle tapered fork, but just like everyone else, it’s on a ‘gravel road’ bike. As I mentioned, I think it’ll be a while until we see discs on what could be called pure ‘race’ bikes. (Or even a thru-hole standard converging, for that matter).
Then you’ve got that whole metallic/semi/organic pad thing… you’ll have to head over to an MTB site for a religious discourse on that!
I guess I just can’t get past the idea of saving the rolling weight by running carbon rims, and then adding a rolling weight with the disc. Seems easier to just save $1000 and stick with a lightweight Al wheel.
The custom Reynolds 32C front wheel cost me the same as the stock Ksyrium SL front wheel did. Retail prices for things like Zipps are absurd, though. I frequently pass guys with some pretty costly aero setups… 😉
I’ve heard the argument that the rolling weight added by the rotor isn’t felt like rim weight is because the mass is more centered, so the moment arm is much shorter. Granted for a tandem you’d want a bigger, heavier rotor than I use! Theoretical physics aside, both wheelsets accelerate very quickly for me – noticeably quicker than the other heaver rim-brake wheels I use (various Shimanos, a Ritchey Silhuette, and the Mavic CXP-22 boat anchors that are about to be sold).
I don’t think I could feel a difference in speed/acceleration if I tried, though I’d say the Ksyriums run a softer road feel, while the carbon wheels feel stiffer and offer harder and slightly more responsive cornering. (I crashed hard screaming into a downhill switchback last year when the rear wheel lost grip and passed me, though I’ve since solved that problem by swapping 23c to a 25c rear tire and running 120 psi versus 130). Both wheelsets are a dream to climb with. For a race I’d pick the carbon wheelset over the Ksyriums even though they weigh the same, simply for the feel and responsiveness.
(Outdated) pics: http://windluvr.com/masi
The derailleur and chain system for bicycles are extremely efficient. There are no other transmission systems with that gear range that are close. The CVT systems are comparatively very inefficient. The internal hub systems are also much less efficient. Any helical or spur gear system with the range of a chain and derailleur system would be heavy, expensive, and less inefficient. Single speed is very efficient but only good if you are willing to avoid hills.
The basic double diamond frame is also extremely efficient. It is even older than the derailleur and remains the standard today due to the loading on a bike frame.
@Jon: You hit the nail on the head! Compared to existing systems, you’re probably right, but that’s only in a perfect world where everything is adjusted to function as intended, which is the whole point of the product the story is about. Murphy would never allow that!
The lack of development of future systems that solve many of the problems you mention was exactly my point; the choir that sings for something else is very small and has little influence. I’d say a lot of the people reading this are probably interested in bicycles as a hobby and aren’t interested in the science or engineering behind product development and manufacturing.
Your arguments about efficiency reinforce my point about bicycle racing driving product design, since efficiency is just not a factor in most people’s lives, and with obesity being such a problem, more than a few folks could benefit from burning a few extra calories on their way to work.
For what it’s worth, I see compromises in all currently available propulsion systems, and my original argument was very specifically about how the derailleur affects how other systems interact with the frame and other parts. Take the Rohloff for example, with a 135mm x 10mm axle which forces compromises in the way it works. It could probably be made much lighter and stiffer by using a hollow axle with wider spaced bearings, but it must fit within the envelope dictated by the derailleur systems it was meant to replace. Additionally, fourteen gears was a revolution in 1996 when it was first introduced, but twenty years on it’s nothing special.
One advantage the Rohloff has over all other systems is the indexing, which lives in the gearbox instead of the shifter. The cumbersome double cable notwithstanding, the cable is not at tension and once a technician adjusts the system, there is little that can go wrong. If that were a benefit the derailleur could adopt, it would make the derailleur much more relevant to bicycles which see little maintenance.
Efficiency will always be important in human powered vehicles due to the limited power involved. Losing 10% of your energy in a complicated planetary gearset is no big deal if you are dealing with 200 horsepower in a car. A person can only put out a fraction of a horsepower so every watt counts. If I did not care how long it takes to get from my house to downtown I would walk. It does not have anything to do with racing. It takes me an hour to ride to work. A drivetrain that is 10-15% less efficient could add 10-15 minutes to my total to and from work time. I would rather spend those 10-15 minutes with family than on the road during the morning and evening commute.
@Jon: You could also argue that living a distance of one hour’s ride away from your worksite is inefficient. You could move closer to work to squeeze every last drop of efficiency from your commute.
I am not saying mechanical efficiency is irrelevant, but it’s part of a larger picture. If a device works at a certain efficiency when all factors are controlled, what happens when some factors change? For example, if a route involved many stops? A derailleur user forced to brake while in a high gear may have trouble getting started again, while a hub gear user may simply downshift from a stop and get going straight away. For a city dweller, that is a much more relevant factor than mechanical efficiency.
Another factor is a greasy chain. Not all riders can change their clothes at work, and may still want to present a fresh appearance. Since a derailleur-equipped bike cannot have an enclosed chaincase, preventing black stains on trousers becomes a nuisance. A belt solves this issue, but it cannot presently be combined with a derailleur.
Back to the original issue I take with the derailleur. By themselves they are harmless and work well for racing because they are easily swapped out and adjusted by trained mechanical support, and can be made quite light with the right materials and engineering. For many enthusiasts and others in the right conditions, they also work well, especially when maintained frequently. It’s for bicycles that are infrequently maintained and used by disinterested riders that I think derailleurs make little sense. All available alternatives were designed to fit within the same envelope as a bicycle designed for a derailleur, and if given free rein to design an alternative propulsion system, I doubt an engineer would utilize the same axle dimensions in use today. Ironically, racing is the force behind some improvements in this area, however it’s clear that respect for the mechanical requirements of the derailleur put a ceiling on what can be done. The 11-tooth cog comes to mind.
Exactly.
Sounds like you’ve ridden a bike before – you know what you’re talking about!
🙂
Indexed shifting? Humbug! (I wonder if this would work on a Vitus 979 with a 9 of 10 on 7 setup.)
I bet Sheldon Brown could make that work!
How many deraillur adjustments will a local bike shop do for $60?
lots.
We have more awesome bike shops in this town than you can imagine. Support ’em folks! Spend the $5 to have them adjust your derailleur and buy ’em a beer while you’re there. They may even teach you how to do it yourself.
Learn to do it yourself. While I agree with supporting your Friendly Local Bike Shop, they won’t be able to help you when you’re in the Middle of Nowhere. And if you feel guilty, drop off a 6-pack once in a while. 🙂
Exactly. I wasn’t aware that people took bikes into a shop to adjust the little screw on the rear derailleur. I support my shop when I need major work done.
MANY people take bikes into shops to fix flat tires.
I’m a decent home mechanic, and the last time I bought a road tire at the shop I had them replace the tube for me too. The shop mechanic popped the first tube he tried to put in, and then grabbed another tube off the shelf. If I had popped the first tube, it would have cost me as much replacing it myself as having him do it.
If I saw a shop mechanic do that, I’d probably look for another shop with competent mechanics.
I take it you’ve never mounted a new Continental tire on Rolf rims. It ain’t easy.
I think this might be a very useful tool to add to the toolbox. It’s not a revolution, but I’m interested!
Wow this is a big step in technology. Not only as a bike tool for novices, but as a learning tool that can be used for learning and understand “Drailleur”.
If they will adjust a modern derailleur for $5, they are probably not competent enough to trust.
Seems completely unnecessary.
As a home mechanic that maintains my fleet of 5 bikes (road and MTB), rear derailleur adjustment is the least of my troubles. Check that hanger is not bent, adjust limits, adjust cable tension. Replace dirty/corroded cables and housing when necessary. Thats about it. Can do that in less time that it takes to download an app.
What really sucks up my time is mysterious creaks…. Think of an app for that! Phones do have microphones…..
Thank you…is adjusting a rear derailleur really that tough for people to figure out? Been doing it the same way for over 25 years……it’s really pretty simple folks.
All of my “mysterious” creaks have turned out to be either saddle rails or pedal cages.
I get a regularly appearing squeak on the rear dropouts. Have to apply a dab of oil there every 6 months.
Looks like a neat invention. Hope it is commercially successful for them.
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I have the LBS adjust my derailleur once every few years when shifting becomes rough. Derailleurs seem to work fine as far as I can tell – 30 years with no problems so far.
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Currently using rim brakes (cantilever). They work, good stopping power, cheap, easy to adjust. Don’t really want that flimsy disk down there where it might hit a rock or be bent on the bike rack – but many people think they are awesome and that’s fine. I prefer simple, reliable and cheap.
Thats Photogrammetry – not Photogrammatry
from a tech standpoint, the feat of making the app work is pretty amazing but this is very much like hiring a surgeon to trim your toenails.