Niche Mobility: Girona-based company reinventing bike motors
In a quiet corner of Girona, in the direction of Els Angéls, great minds come together in the ‘Parc Tecnològic’ next to the university. A group of engineers, also keen cyclists, are reinventing bike motors and how e-bikes equipped with this revolutionary technology shift gears.
Their invention, the Automatic Digital Transmission System (ADTS), may sound like something taken from the automotive world, but it’s a homegrown Catalan project designed entirely for bicycles. Developed by Niche Mobility, it represents a bold step into the future of e-bike technology, where riders no longer have to think about shifting at all.
Smooth pedaling redesigned
At its core, ADTS is a digital, continuously variable transmission. Instead of the familiar click and jump of a derailleur, the system automatically adjusts the relationship between power and traction in a perfectly smooth, linear way. The result is seamless pedalling — no gear changes, no mechanical interruptions, just a steady flow of motion.
According to Niche Mobility’s CEO Marc Barceló, the ADTS analyses in real time the pedalling, slope, and speed, and automatically determines the optimal power configuration to maintain a smooth and efficient cadence.
“From the beginning, we wanted to break with the paradigm of traditional gear shifting. That was our primary goal. The cycling world has evolved enormously, yet the way we change gears has essentially remained the same for decades”, Barceló says.
‘Do nothing. Just pedal’
Marketing manager Jaume Vila adds: “Our idea was to make it simple: the user should only have to pedal. That’s where our slogan comes from: Do nothing. Just pedal.”
Barceló: “What surprised us during the project development was realising how this apparently simple mechanism has great technological complexity behind it. Ultimately, we ended up creating a system that’s much smarter than we had first imagined: a digital transmission able to adapt automatically to every situation and deliver a constant sense of smoothness during a ride.”
The Catalan industrial engineer leads a small, ambitious team in Girona, the city they call their ‘ecosystem of innovation’. It’s the ideal location, the Catalan innovator believes, since here engineers and professional cyclists share roads, cafés, and also ideas.
“Designing the ADTS here has allowed us to test the reliability and durability of the product in demanding conditions. We are also fully connected with Girona’s tech sector, collaborating with local engineering firms and development centres that have helped us advance in areas such as control electronics, mechatronics, and data management.”
Although still in the development phase, Niche Mobility is already collaborating with European e-bike manufacturers, especially in Germany, the Benelux, and France, where the culture of electric mobility is most advanced. Their focus is not on racing bikes, but on urban commuters, family cargo bikes, and trekking models: bicycles built for everyday mobility.
“Throughout 2025 we’ve been running field tests and collaborations with several European manufacturers, jointly developing the integration of our system into their models. In 2026, we’ll continue along the same path, expanding these partnerships and advancing in the manufacturing process with our partners.”
“The product is not yet available on the market, but its development is well consolidated. All being well, the first bicycles equipped with Niche technology will arrive in Catalan bike shops at the beginning of 2027.”
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