Japan's Shimano gives cyclists an easier ride with AI gear shifter

Components maker wields Q'Auto module to compete head-to-head with e-bikes

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Shimano Chairman and CEO Yozo Shimano saw an opportunity to develop the Q'Auto component after pandemic demand for bikes subsided. (Source photos by Nikkei and Shimano)

TOMOHIRO TAKASA, Nikkei staff writer

SAKAI, Japan -- Japanese bicycle parts maker Shimano plans to launch a gear shifting system next year that taps artificial intelligence to assist cyclists.

Shimano recently invited people in Tokyo's Shibuya ward to test bikes equipped with the Q'Auto gear shifter. A woman in her 40s expressed surprise at how little effort it took to pedal up a road with an incline.

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