3 ms·
I'm no mechanical engineer, but this looks way more complicated than a traditional chain/derailleur drivetrain. Especially the two contraptions, one on each sid
by echiuran 4y ago
I'm no mechanical engineer, but this looks way more complicated than a traditional chain/derailleur drivetrain. Especially the two contraptions, one on each side of the bottom bracket. Instead of a continuous circular motion, the rear hub is constantly having to freewheel, on one side or the other. What's the efficiency loss there? How does the overall weight compare to a traditional drivetrain with the same range of gear ratios? Have they measured the difference in efficiency?
- digdugdirk 4y agoI am a mechanical engineer, and I'm 50/50 on it. The rear hub contraptions aren't too different from the freewheel that's already in a regular bike hub, it just has an extra spring to wind it back up. The super funky gearbox contraption though? That's a different story altogether. You have a continuously varying normal force on the lever arm throughout the rotation, and I have no idea how long it would last compared to a traditional derailleur setup. Here's the patent, for those interested: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2010084363A1/en https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2010084363A1/en