What is new and interesting about the Fazua drive ("Fazua" stands for the Bavarian dialect exclamation "Fahr zu!") is the combination of two worlds. When asked "Bicycle or e-bike?", the inventors can casually answer: "Bicycle and e-bike. In one!" One feature of the drive is its small size. The motor, planetary gearbox with freewheel and battery are housed in a cylindrical sleeve that can be inserted into a recess in the bicycle frame and removed just as easily.
Feature number two: A bottom bracket gearbox without freewheel installed in the frame automatically connects to the drive unit and transmits the motor power to the chainring. At speeds above 25 km/h, the pawl freewheel of the planetary gearbox disengages the motor from the drivetrain. It then generates no additional resistance when pedalling.
If you want to do without the drive unit for a while, you can remove the complete drive unit from the down tube without tools. The pedelec then becomes a normal bike. The bottom bracket gear remaining in the frame does not offer any significant resistance to the pedalling force, as confirmed by a test run on our test stand. Even when installed, the motor hardly brakes measurably once it has stopped operating above 25 km/h.
With these characteristics, the small, lightweight drive is particularly suitable for sporty cyclists who frequently exceed the 25 km/h threshold on their bike, at least on flat stretches, and more or less only want assistance when pedalling uphill.
It is fitting that the drive has significantly less power than the classic pedelec motors from Bosch and the like - but this, in conjunction with the gearbox and motor control, results in a very natural riding experience. The drive responds sensitively and smoothly to pedal pressure and does not surprise the rider with an impetuous forward thrust, even at the highest support level. When pressure is applied to the pedals, it starts up with a minimal time delay, just as it switches off when the cyclist stops pedalling. The only time the motor could kick in a little more spontaneously is when starting uphill. If you exceed 25 km/h, the drive continuously reduces its power output until it switches off completely at around 27 km/h. Gear freewheeling, gentle switch-off and the higher pedalling power that the rider has to invest before reaching the switch-off limit result in a smooth transition to motorless pedalling.
Cyclists who can and want to ride faster than 25 km/h under their own power will find the Fazua drive an interesting alternative. The fact that it is so light and small predestines the motor for installation in slim, sportily designed bikes. Road bike manufacturers such as Cube, Focus and Pinarello rely on the system for good reason. And anyone looking for a pedelec that can be turned into a motorless bike with a flick of the wrist currently cannot avoid the Evation drive.
