Mountain Biking - Here's a drivetrain that I even don't understand.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/shyrmp/Road%20Trips/05ib20.jpg

Hmmm?

Holy drive train batman. Usually you use chainring + transfer to eliminate chain growth...what the heck is all this about.

Oh and its fugly too :D

arent gear boxes supposed to be inclosed and sealed form the elements? I thought that was the main advantage to gear boxes. That one doesnt look enclosed at all. Oh and ya it is ugly.

hehe i wonder how long the seat tube is.

Whats the point if there is no rear travel?

That bike makes the Pontiac Aztec look good.

:roflmao:

Looks like a food processor on wheels. Staring at it to figure out how it works makes my head hurt, too.

The two big wheels, and what look like a belt make me think it is a variable diameter pulley belt drive like in a snowmobile. It has been used in motorcycles too. There is too much energy loss to be practical on a bicycle. It's an automatic shiftless bike.

The new, heavier, more expensive, less efficient, Landrider. !!!!
I don't even want to think about the weight and the cost.

The chain wins every time.

Don't get the belt wet, it may slip.

Don't reach down for a bottle and get your fingers in the spinning wheels!

There's two of them in that picture... i hope they don't breed! :)

what the ...

Its a cross between a meat grinder and a bike. Its the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life.

Just when you think you've seen it all!

As the rpm of the transmission wheels change, probably centifigal force pushes weights to the outside of the driving wheel and the sides of the pulley get closer together for an effective larger diameter, and the opposite on the driven wheel. No gears to change but a pair of variable diameter pulleys.

To much energy waste with a fiber/rubber drive belt for a bicycle.

Think of all the R&D fundage wasted on that.

Just when you think you've seen it all!

As the rpm of the transmission wheels change, probably centifigal force pushes weights to the outside of the driving wheel and the sides of the pulley get closer together for an effective larger diameter, and the opposite on the driven wheel. No gears to change but a pair of variable diameter pulleys.

To much energy waste with a fiber/rubber drive belt for a bicycle.


Yup that would be it! And just think if you stopped pedaling it would react by changing to its lowest ratio, very helpful when your belting down some hill.

On the positive side, the thing only weighs 124 lbs. :D

I can't see any shifter pods, so my guess is the same as 2manybikes: it's a custom CVT. If I remember correctly, Honda played around with a CVT for a while on their DH bike, but switched to a slightly more conventional system (basically like normal but enclosed). This looks like quite a bit of effort was made at quite a bit of cost, both in terms of dollars and efficiency. Besides, who worries about shifting that much in a dirt jumping bike (my best guess as to what it's for)?

Ugliness aside, seriously check out the way the transmission is mounted. This guy spent hours machining those profiles to mount the bearings in. That part, at least, is pretty sweet.

Looks like the old cannondale fulcrum DH setup.

My Brain hurts tring to think how that works.

Ugly and it comes pretty close to the front tire.

That is one weird looking bike. I wonder how it rides....

I can't see any shifter pods, so my guess is the same as 2manybikes: it's a custom CVT. If I remember correctly, Honda played around with a CVT for a while on their DH bike, but switched to a slightly more conventional system (basically like normal but enclosed). This looks like quite a bit of effort was made at quite a bit of cost, both in terms of dollars and efficiency. Besides, who worries about shifting that much in a dirt jumping bike (my best guess as to what it's for)?

Ugliness aside, seriously check out the way the transmission is mounted. This guy spent hours machining those profiles to mount the bearings in. That part, at least, is pretty sweet.

A lot of nice machining, just for the sake of ..um...showing off your skill at machining?

There was a motorcycle with a CVT transmission, I think it was the "Rokon" they just sort of faded away.

It was wierd to see, there is this bike going up hills slow, down hill faster, and along the flats in between, all the time the engine sound stayed the same at a steady rpm. I would guess the creators of this bike are thinking that you find a comfortable cadence and just keep it the same. But there are some good reasons to change it on a bicycle too. Maybe there is some kind of manual control? I don't see one.



On the positive side, the thing only weighs 124 lbs. :D

I had a bike that was about 198 lbs. But there was a good reason for it.......
It had a big transmission too. A couple of gallons of gas and an engine too. :rolleyes:

Think of all the R&D fundage wasted on that.

THAT ...hurts my brain!!

lol...double you tee eff... thats crazy! i would like to ride it though, i reakon it would be fun as :)

never seen it in my life.. wounder how it works..

I wonder how much one would sell for?

Did a search and came up with this (http://www.psi-tw.com/sproduct.htm)

You think the "finished" product is ugly? Go see their earlier prototypes:

http://www.psi-tw.com/sproduct_mi.htm

--J

The rider only needs to concentrate on where point their bike. No manual shifting headaches, only the pure joy of riding. AutoG'X responds to any changes of environment. Keep on pedaling is all you need to do.

twice the weight of a geared drivetrain, and only 1/4 of the efficiency of a singlespeed.

This is out of the box thinking at its finest. :)

Just replace 'AutoG'X' with 'The Rider' and you will have a nice efficient drivetrain.

Too bad the designer(s) couldn't have spent more time on the frame. It's looks like it's just boxed aluminum stock.