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Chain-free bike designs (and other major hardware changes) come up periodically. Typically, they're belt-driven. While chains and cables for brakes seem inferio
by silentbicycle 16y ago
Chain-free bike designs (and other major hardware changes) come up periodically. Typically, they're belt-driven. While chains and cables for brakes seem inferior to cables and hydraulic brakes, they degrade for more gracefully. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a reasonable local maxima for most people. Professional racers can get away with equipment that's wildly impractical for commuters, mountain bikers, etc., though.
"Although, that would presumably be the least of your worries if a fast-moving, taught, metal wire lashed off its piston next to your leg. Ouch." I've had a couple chains break or skip off (especially on fixed-gear bikes, which don't have a derailleur or chain tensioner to regulate chain slack), and having a taut wire whip at my ankle sounds like a terrible idea. Getting a bit of grease on my ankle or pant leg is rare, and at most a minor annoyance.
- stcredzero 16y agoA problem which will hardly exist with a readily available guard and an internal hub shifter.
- silentbicycle 16y agoOr you can just roll up your pant leg, wear shorts, or use a velcro strap (depending on the season). It's really not a serious problem, either way. I usually ride singlespeed or fixed (much better on snow!). I've read about modding 3-speed internal hubs into 2-speed fixed internal hubs, but haven't tried.
- Poiesis 16y agoNo modding needed with the recently released, cheesily named Sturmey-Archer S3X. It's an internally-geared three speed fixed gear hub: http://www.sturmey-archer.com/products/hubs/cid/3/id/47 http://www.sturmey-archer.com/products/hubs/cid/3/id/47 .
- silentbicycle 16y agoNice! I didn't know they'd released it, thanks for the heads up. Time to build a new wheel. :)
- maw 16y agoOnly very loosely related, but this is one of the cooler bicycle hacks I've heard about: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bichain-fixed-free.html http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bichain-fixed-free.html.
- schultzor 16y agoOf the current non-chain solutions, the Gates belt system actually seems like a good idea for a commuter bike. Zero maintenance, long life, no grease, and quiet.
- silentbicycle 16y agoIt's not hard to replace a broken chain link. While you probably can't fix a belt, it probably wouldn't be a big deal to carry a spare.
- spokey 16y agoThere's also shaft driven bikes: http://www.google.com/images?q=drive+shaft+bike http://www.google.com/images?q=drive+shaft+bike The design in the wired article, while interesting, seems like an overly complicated solution to the chain "problem". > "[The] asymmetry [of traditional designs] has been the source of lots of problems" I'd like to hear more about that. Sure, the rear wheel is balanced a little differently to account for this, and I imagine the feel is a little different if the both pedals are directly attached to the "cranks" (or their equivalent pulleys here), but I don't see a lot of problems caused by the asymmetry of a traditional design. Am I just blind to it? What are these problems?
- coryrc 16y agoFor people going for the lightest bike possible, the spokes in the driving direction of the wheel are a smaller gauge (heavier)-- not one side or the other, as the hub is a single piece. The frame is reinforced slightly on the chain-side of the bicycle. But these modifications are for racing bikes, normal bikes have no special reinforcement because the weight difference is a couple ounces. The current system has no problems and most parts are interchangeable.