Bicycle Tech Drivetrain Advances Showcased

whoda writes "For many years, bicycles have had very few advancements in drivetrain technology. This is finally changing. The newly formed g-Boxx Standard has been incorporated into the new Nicolai Nucleon TFR bicycle frame. This bike uses an internally geared 14 speed planetary gear system, mounted in the center of the bicycle, to drive the rear wheel using a conventional chain. The design allows the chain to run inside of the frame. This removes many fragile components from the bicycle, and allows a more rigid frame structure to be made. Evil Bikes have also shown a protoype Evil 2013i hardtail which also incorporates this new standard - I've found the toy I want for the holidays."

Comments

Still using chains?

[Anonymous Coward]

How about shaft drive?

Re:I don't know...

[Gudlyf]

Well, according to the site, the maintenance should be limited. Specifically for the EVIL transmission bike without primary drive and open secondary drive:

Benefits

• low maintenance transmission
• low unsprung weight
• freedom to design specific front and rear sections of the frame
• light weight
• use of simple rear hub possible
• good wheel travel
• changing of gears is possible without pedaling (my favorite)
• platform compatible

Limitations

• need for chain tension device
• secondary drive chain is open to outside influences
• small amount of chain growth

nice post but...

[MarcoAtWork]

100W? are you kidding me? I am not a fast cyclist by any stretch of the imagination (I just do triathlons, any cat4 cyclist can kill me easily) and I can do 200W sustained over fairly long (1h+) periods of time, Armstrong IIRC can do 400-500W sustained, and sprinters (Pantani) can generate up to 2000W for short periods of time.

Also the most efficient cadence (in terms of power generation) is more like between 90 and 110rpm (of course you have to train to have a 'round' pedal stroke, 'mashers' tend to pedal around 70rpm) and the range of maximal power generation is not that wide (in terms of rpm), that's why the latest geartrains have 10 cogs at the back (and 2 or sometimes 3 at the front). If human legs were =incredibly= efficient we'd all be riding single speed bikes :)

Agreed about the rest, internal drivetrains are a fad that doesn't seem to want to go away: the only application where IMHO they make some sense is pure downhill, where hitting your derailleur on a rock can put you out of the race and where pedaling power doesn't really matter that much...