More Bounce for the Bike... with Hydraulics!

The new hydraulic mountain-bike shifting system is hitting the markets soon, according to Wired.com's John Bradley. The system comes from the original idea of German engineer Cristoph Muthers. Muthers debuted the technology about five years ago, but he wasn't able to bring it to market. So now, he works for Acros, a German component maker company, and the company is putting these new hydraulic shifters up for sale as early as this spring.

But why spend the extra money on hydraulics? Well here's how it's different from typical mountain bikes. Typical shifting set-ups on bikes use cables and return springs to move derailleurs across the gears, but the new invention, called the A-GE doesn't need these - its model houses tiny master cylinders in the shifter bodies and pushes mineral oil through two tiny hoses to control derailleur direction.

Also, A-GE makers say that unlike other shifting set-ups that can get harder to shift as you go higher up the mountain, the hydraulic shifters allow for the same resistance every time because there are no springs or cables that get tighter and tighter with each shift.

Even with all the bells and whistles, this new bike-model is definitely a bigger investment than you would make for other kinds of mountain bikes. I took a look at different mountain-bike models available on Amazon.com, and the prices ranged from the low $200's to the upper $400's. And you may be thinking, "Well that's still pretty high," but it's jump change compared to what this new hydraulic model will be selling for. In Europe, it'll go for 1,599 Euro (about $2,333). Muthers says Acros is going to try and sell if for less than $2,000 in America, but with the comparison European price, that may be tough to do.

Oh, and one more perk I thought was pretty interesting about this new hydraulic model: its incredibly light weight! Muthers says an entire A-GE package, which includes shifters, derailleurs, hoses, and oil, weighs 175 grams less than Shimano’s top XTR offering. And for smaller people like me who enjoy bigger, outdoor adventures this lighter weight perk may make all the difference.

For more information on this new, hydraulic, mountain-bike model, you can visit the wired.com website and check out the Gadget Lab Blog.