INTRADRIVE

Intra Drive was founded by Mark Ravilious, an inventive mechanical design engineer with a background in renewable energy. Mark had a vision for bicycles to be low maintenance and user friendly. The product combines a gearbox and electric motor removing the traditional cassette and derailleur.  Intra Drive Ltd has received assistance from the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland and received SMART funding from Scottish Enterprise, which enabled the development of a unique next generation multi-speed drive unit, with the goal of improving performance and durability whilst reducing maintenance.

The new drive unit combines proprietary multi-speed gearbox technology, a lightweight brushless motor, and a novel electronic shifting system, resulting in a compact and highly integrated 8 speed drive unit. The vision of a zero maintenance ebike drivetrain is achieved by doing away with derailleur gearing and instead using a proprietary sealed gearbox. Hardened steel gears running in oil ensure an extremely long lifetime of the product, with very low maintenance. This highly optimised design weighs no more than the market leading competition and offers additional benefits including improved weight distribution, clean aesthetics, and integrated electronic (wireless) shifting.

Currently the motor units fitted to the majority of new ebikes, from the mid-range price point and upwards, are manufactured by market leaders Bosch, Shimano and Yamaha. These powerful “mid-drive” motors transmit drive through the chain and derailleur gearing system to the rear wheel. The derailleur gearing system has evolved to be an effective system for conventional bicycles, however, suffers accelerated wear when exposed to the additional power from a mid-drive motor. This results in the need for frequent replacement of these costly drivetrain parts. With mature technology, rideable prototypes and a UK supply chain being built, Intra Drive is now seeking investors to be part of the next phase in bringing its e-bike powertrain to market. Interested parties should contact info@intra-drive.com