Bicycle Tech Drivetrain Advances Showcased 412
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."
I don't know... (Score:4, Insightful)
I'll wait until I see it on the World Cup circuit before trying it myself...
Muckety muck. (Score:5, Insightful)
good idea but (Score:5, Insightful)
Interesting spec on the Nucleon web site (Score:4, Insightful)
Comment would be superfluous.
Stoopid (Score:5, Insightful)
Nicolai bikes are raced... (Score:4, Insightful)
They are strong and have an excellent reputation by hardcore mountain bikers.And 40 pounds for a complete bike of this type is fairly light to be honest.
There are videos available from the main Nicolai Home Page [nicolai.net]
Aaaww please not again (Score:5, Insightful)
- A chain/derailleur system is the only system that offers that many speeds under 2Kg
- Bicyclists don't need Continuously Variable Transmissions : human legs are incredibly efficient over a range of speeds from 0 to 13/140 RPM
- A bicycle is virtually the only vehicle where a chain drive is useful and needed, because the "engine" (you) is slower than the wheel, which is unique amongst all vehicles. This is also why any other kind of transmission will fail miserably compared to a chain drive in terms of efficiency (a chain drive routinely gets over 97% efficiency, and you need that with the 75W-100W power you get out of an average rider).
- A cyclist who's moderately used to shifting well will *not* feel impaired by derailleur actions.
- A chain + derailleur system is maintainable on the road. Just try to service a geared hub on the road
- Geared hubs are great for compacity and easy maintaining. However, their efficiency sucks. For example, a 7-speed Sachs hub can go down to 90% efficiency. That's a lot of power loss with under 100W of input power.
For more bicycling myth debunking, read the rec.bicycles.tech newsgroup and the Bicycle Science list.
I do over 10000Km/year and, apart from chain cleaning and re-lubing, I think the derailleur system is very adequate.
On a downhill bike, derailleurs get ripped off.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Another thing people fail to realize is that this concept is about DH bikes, not about cross-country bikes. It may weigh a lot, but a 40-pound DH bike is pretty light.
Too many opinions, not enough brain power to go around, if you ask me. If you ride a 23 pound XC-racer, you might as well comment on the suitability of an 8" travel, 12 pound, dual crown suspension fork for your riding style.
Drivetrain efficiency (Score:5, Insightful)
The main advantage of the internal gears is for downhill mountain bikes. Drivetrain efficiency is not as much of an issue since gravity is doing most of the work, and there is no risk of losing your chain in mid air at 40mph.
Joao "member of far too many HPV and bicycle clubs and associations" de Souza
The three main concerns for competitive bicycles (Score:3, Insightful)
There have been may refinements, but as the article post says "few advancements in drivetrain technology" because what we have currently is very lightweight, works extremely well, is very reliable, and is easy to service.
You're on crack; helmets are NOT a luxury (Score:5, Insightful)
I've ridden 10s of thousands of miles and I'm here to say that a bicycle helmet is an absolute necessity, period. I've completely destroyed two helmets and scraped several more. I once scraped right through the plastic cover of a helmet and well into the insulation. If I hadn't been wearing it my scalp, hair, and a decent chunk of skull would have been left behind on the road.
Yes, you do. It's a matter of when, not if. Every cyclist wrecks, and some wrecks you land on your head. Why would you not want to protect your head?
On this we agree: the government should stay the fuck out of decisions that affect only my own health. Anyone above the age of consent should be able to ride anything with as much or as little safety equipment as they desire, as long as no one else is at risk of harm. Mandatory helmet laws are like anything else the government does "for your own good:" dangerous.
weight, weight and more weight (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:All bicycle innovation is welcome, but... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:All bicycle innovation is welcome, but... (Score:3, Insightful)
And a community designed where a bike is the most transportation a person needs to own. Much safer ride withou the cars... human-scaled cities.
Re:nice post but... (Score:3, Insightful)
Marco Pantani ain't no sprinter. You're thinking of Cippolini, or, even better, Nothstein.
Re:You're on crack; helmets are NOT a luxury (Score:3, Insightful)
but when the state pays for majority of expenses in the case you get injured and disabled for the rest of your life the state can except you to take good care of yourself(and wear seatbelts, and wear helmets).
mandatory helmet laws are like mandatory seatbelt laws, for your own good AND to safe the goverment some money. there is always somebody else as risk, indirectly.
i don't care that much if you're riding a motorbike without a helmet as you're pretty sure to DIE when you crash though(though even that can be expensive if you're just got your degree from gov funded education system and die just on the day when you're supposed to start paying back to fund the system).
though i think that goverment should keep on regulating what constitutes as human food(the consumer can't really look it up him/herself well enough if it were legal to sell _anything_ as food) and do other things that "are for your own good".
Re:Riding a bike != Russian Roulette. (Score:3, Insightful)
Hey, I'm all for it
Driving helmets for soccer moms!
It'd be of absolutely no practical use whatsoever, especially as they're usually the ones who come out safe after they kill 20 people driving through a parking lot while on the phone and getting the baby's bottle, but who cares, it'd make them look ridiculous.
Maybe the helmets could be "Beware! Fucking idiot!" in big letters on the front or something. That might help safety
Who's with me?
Re:Riding a bike != Russian Roulette. (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't want to be responsible for your serious injury or death when - if you were wearing a helmet - you'd have walked away with a minor case of road rash.
Re:nice post but... (Score:3, Insightful)
Cippollini, Petacchi, McEwen, and Zabel are the current cream of the sprinting crop. And you're indeed right that Cipo puts out over 1 horsepower in full flight.