French firm Valeo has made some improvements to its Cyclee e-bike motor and automatic transmission system, with a debut at CES 2024. With new players emerging, like Pinion with the MGU and Niche’s Automatic Digital Transmission System (ADTS), Valeo’s newest iteration will help keep them relevant in the fight for all-in-one gearbox and motor supremacy.

The Cyclee unit has been around for a while now, and is most popular in e-cargo applications. The beauty of it is not just that it's a mid-drive motor and gearbox housed in the same unit, but it also automatically changes gear mechanically within the mid-drive housing. 

Inside EVs reports that the Cyclee has now been refined with several upgrades, including gear geometry adjustments, vibration absorption improvements, and smoother operation overall.

Alongside this, Valeo has engineered a new control unit from which users can use all the system’s features. It’s a two-inch touchscreen, and can be removed from the bike when you park up. This, and the fact you can now use your smartphone alongside the system also means more security features are available.

It may not sound like much, but with Bosch updating the Kiox display to enhance its security, it may soon become standard for theft prevention to be a part of e-bike drive systems.

As well as e-cargo applications, the Valeo Cyclee unit has been seen on bikes such as those from FUELL, which last year launched a bike claiming one of the longest ranges on the market.

Considered quite radical when it was first launched, the Cyclee is still a very impressive 7-speed gearbox, but with other brands catching up these updates could help Valeo extend its reach to new bike brands and categories.