4 ms·
It's worth noting the "up to" part. Well maintained and cleaned chains are effective, but I would guess that a lot of commuter bikes have dirty, rusty, and worn
by sorenjan 4y ago
It's worth noting the "up to" part. Well maintained and cleaned chains are effective, but I would guess that a lot of commuter bikes have dirty, rusty, and worn chains that lose with a lot of efficiency. Couple that with poorly maintained and adjusted gears and alternatives might not be far off in efficiency if they're a closed system with less maintenance requirements.
- alex_duf 4y agoYou also have to take into account the extra weight of having a dynamo + a motor, I doubt it's more advantageous than a chain on a classic bicycle. For an electric bicycle though, I see it as a really good contender
- test6554 4y agoI'm not sure how this system works, but it seems like adding in battery power might be useful.
- alex_duf 4y agoI'm assuming it was suggested to replace a chain by what is essentially a dynamo + motor. You pedal to generate energy, and move that energy to the wheel through wire and another motor. (I'm not saying this is a good idea, just describing what I understood). I'm curious what sort of efficiency you can expect on a ridiculous system like that.
- sorenjan 4y agoYes, this particular system is probably far from efficient enough for regular bikes, this is more for larger transportation bikes and similar (like this example [0]). Having a chain on those limits their construction options, and they're already electric anyway. I was referring to different types of gears and power transfer like driveshafts or hydraulics [1], if you can make it perform at a consistent 90% efficiency it might beat chain drive in practice even though it shouldn't in theory. [0] https://youtu.be/N02KMeOkevI?t=81 https://youtu.be/N02KMeOkevI?t=81 [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTB7XOQA-XQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTB7XOQA-XQ
- KennyBlanken 4y agoI don't have a link handy but the difference between a perfectly maintained chain and a dry, poor condition chain is not as significant as people think. Also, many, many transportation bicycles have chain cases, which is much simpler than a motor-generator system.
- SigmundA 4y agoLet's not forget about belt drives as well which are becoming more popular due to no need for maintenance while still having great efficiency.