2001 Wheeler Fremont Flyer city bike

2002 Browning Smartshift Ebike

You have to have thick skin to be out ahead of a trend.

Hindsight looks back at your invention and says “What were they thinking?” Or “Why did they do it THAT way?” Amateur design critics, used to current refinements and modern style lambast early attempts as “ugly”, unwilling to concede that sometimes you have to compromise style for manufacturing practicality or to hit a price point.

Probably the harshest critic is inside the mind of the originator himself, who may look at the modern success that he missed with a bit of scorn and envy.

We should be thankful that new ideas get brought to life at all.

This is a 2001 Wheeler Fremont Flyer hybrid bike.

It’s ugly.

The Fremont Flyer

Browning shifter, throttle

Designed with a Browning electronic shifter and a Currie electric assist motor, the Fremont Flyer was built at least 10 years before it was even remotely possible to talk the general public into buying a bike with either innovation.

The Ebike system was made by Currie. The 10 pound motor is bolted onto the left side of the rear hub, and connected to the bicycle frame with the axle nuts and a brace where we would put a disc brake today. The 18 pound battery pack, a ni-cad unit, is strapped to the top of the rear rack.

An additional 28 pounds of motor and battery perched high and to the left side of the bike.

Why did they do it THAT way?

Currie motor, Browning shifter

Battery pack

The shifting system is a Browning Smartshift, a derailleur setup that could shift automatically based on pedaling cadence and speed. Manual or automatic. The rider could push a button on the handlebar to shift, or they could just pedal along and let the sensors do the work.
Midway between the crank and the rear wheel is bolted an unusual looking derailleur (which is actually similar to a Nivex derailleur from the 1930′s). This derailleur is actually a tensioner that takes up the chain slack as a pie-slice section of the rear cassette moves the chain sideways across the four rear cogs.

Only 4 gears. At a time when the typical city bike had 27 gear options and a pretty big spread from high to low.

What were they thinking?