Now it could be me. Maybe a limited understanding of cutting edge BMX bicycle tech is preventing me from seeing the forest through the trees. So I ask, innocently, how do the pedals drive that tiny sprocket without a chain (the design is chainless)? And if they do somehow drive it, how is it more efficient than a traditional chain?
Whatever the case may be, you’re going to have a hard time convincing me the BMX riders of the future will be using this design to shred the pipe at the Mountain Dew extreme to the MAXX 2020 X-Games. [Falling Pixel via Design Blog]
Nodeity
Monday, February 15, 2010 at 10:39 AMYeah, It is hard to see how the pedal to gear ratio can work on this thing. Let’s face it, that’s an awfully small rotation ratio for a shaft drive? But having said that, add some suspension and it would look cool on the street :)
justsomejavaguy
Monday, February 15, 2010 at 10:43 AMIt has a driveshaft.
David M
Monday, February 15, 2010 at 11:32 AM++justsomejavaguy
Obviously a shaft drive. You can see it.
hubris
Monday, February 15, 2010 at 1:45 PMIt’s a pixie-dust unicorn drive.
I once went to a lecture by a famous UK designer here in Sydney. He showed many of his “brilliant” designs, including, with much fanfare, electric cars that would be parked UP poles at night to act as street lights. I nearly passed out from cognitive dissonance between the real world of practical science and technology and Designer World.
This bike clearly belongs in Designer World and should be parked up poles at night to light footpaths.
Ash
Monday, February 15, 2010 at 3:58 PMNo good, can’t dink people on the rear pegs :(
Dan Crowley
Monday, August 22, 2011 at 3:08 AMIts simplicity is breath taking. The bicycle has finally been reinvented.
I can’t wrap my head around the fact that no one can seem to understand how perfect this design is.
Simple logic should tell you how it works. The drive is obviously a pair of crown gears at each end of a shaft. BMW and Honda have been very successful with drive shafts on their motorcycles.
To add gears, all you’d have to do is add a second shift in line with the first and a sliding rod with cogs that link them together in multiple positions. If you want to get really fancy, you could go with a series of threaded tubular shafts fitted together.
The use of the hubless wheel is a great way to eliminate the inherent weaknesses of conventional spoke and mag wheeled bikes. No more truing rims and potentially disfiguring accidents.
The drive shaft removes the other major weakness inherent to conventional bikes. no more greasy, torn pants caught in the front sprocket. No more messing around with dropped chains, because of a bad landing or stretched link. Let alone the safety enhancement of not having to worry about getting a finger caught between the chain and sprocket in an accident or while trying to pry the chain back on in the middle of a ride.
This bike design has the potential to be the lightest, strongest, safest, and most hassle free bike ever dreamt of.