Bike trends: chainless, brake less, retrodirect, illegal bike positions
Want to know the hottest trends in bikes? Well, you have come to the right place. The picture above is Dekra's "chainless" bike which replaces your standard noisy, greasy chain with a totally self contained system. Not simple enough? Another popular trend are super simple fixed gear or track bikes that are single speed, do not coast (the wheel only turns when you pedal) and have no brakes. Not strange enough for you? How about "retrodirect" bikes which, unlike most bike where pedaling backwards either brakes the bike or does nothing, retrodirect bikes pedaling backwards moves the bike forward. A video of a retrodirect bike in action is below the fold.
How about a biking controversy over a speed record (yes, biking actually has a controversy that didn't involve doping)? Graeme Obree made a bike from washing machine parts with the innovative tuck position (where the handlebars allow the rider ride with their hands close to their body) and broke biking records. The world governing body of biking, Union Cycliste Internationale, said the position is illegal, so Graeme created the superman position which the UCI said was illegal as well. The whole story was the subject of a book and movie, The Flying Scotsman, and you can watch the trailer for the film below the fold.
Related:
- Bikes: safer than cars, not as safe as flying
- How commuting by bicycle can reduce your car insurance
- Paris launching citywide bike rentals (and they're cheap!)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eliot 5:05PM (12/10/2007)
I'm guessing you don't see this very often, being a car blog, but the word is "brakes". ;)
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Virgil 5:20PM (12/10/2007)
There's a reason why the chain-driven bike is un-changed in over 100 years... it works. These types of shaft-driven bikes have been around for a few years, and they haven't caught on for a few reasons: (i) they're too heavy, (ii) they're not repairable by the side of the road in far-flung places, (iii) they're more expensive, (iv) they simply don't work as advertised.
As for Obree, he's a publicity whore, who's milked the "washing machine" thing for all it's worth - the story is nearly a decade old and they just got around to making a lackluster movie about it. They must be desperate for movie ideas. The only bit off a washing machine was the wheel bearing. They forgot to mention the rest of the bike was made of carbon fiber and other mucho much $$$$ stuff.
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rgseidl 5:22PM (12/10/2007)
@ Lascelles: break > brake
The bevel gears and transmission shaft shown in the above picture are expensive but they do eliminate the problems of getting your trousers dirty and the chain jumping off the sprockets on occasion. Still, for similar money, I'd rather have a chain guard and a NuVinci CVT hub.
The other things proposed above are just plain silly, including the Hollywood kitsch. If you want a bicycle with excellent aerodynamics, you have to switch to a recumbent design with a streamlined fairing. However, unless you're looking to break the 81mph speed record for a human-powered vehicle, I would recommend something with lights that can also go around corners.
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2007/03/bikerecord_0330
http://www.aerorider.com
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Lascelles Linton 8:13PM (12/10/2007)
Fixed, thanks.
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GenWaylaid 6:19AM (12/11/2007)
Rgseidl,
There's no reason a shaft drive couldn't be combined with a NuVinci hub. In my opinion that could be a winning combination, especially for bikes with a significant (i.e. 1000W+) electric boost motor. Of course, such machines would have to be registered as motorcycles in many jurisdictions, complicating the design considerably.
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DJ 10:34AM (12/11/2007)
Stick to cars guys, this was a terrible post.
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