Comments on: Unclear on the concept 2

By: seb

seb — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:34:02 +0000

wonderful great insights as always
thanks

By: henry

henry — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:45:24 +0000

Seb, There’s lots of interest in belt drives. They show up occasionally though perhaps the latest ones are the first belts that will work reasonably well.

I think they SEEM like a great idea though a belt drive has few advantages over a chain enclosed in a case and it brings lots of new problems:
- restriction to one gear ratio or find another belt (good luck) to change ratio
- what if they stop producing them after a few years or change the spec?
- your trousers will still get caught between belt and ring
- frame must be separable
- alignment must be absolutely perfect
- tension must be absolutely perfect

Basically I have this feeling that most of the people so psyched about alternative drive systems have never seen a normal dutch bike.

By: seb

seb — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:25:10 +0000

Hey Henry what fo you think of the new Live3 Globe bike coming along a belt drive…as useless as the shaft drive according to you? It seems to become trendy nowadays.

By: henry

henry — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:14:45 +0000

I’m not sure in which area of China the Danish designed Biomega is made, nor if and/or where bicycle frame suitable bamboo grows in China. In any case there’s a big difference between a designer bamboo bike and one conceived of to promote local industry in developing countries… regardless of the effectiveness of the outcome.

By: louis

louis — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:57:02 +0000

Does bamboo even grow very well in Biomega territory, or does it need to be imported? My understanding of the Calfee project is that his bamboo bikes are mostly intended for places like Africa where the raw materials for the frame can be grown as part of a local industry. I don’t know if it’ll work, but there’s some sense to the idea.

By: henry

henry — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:13:47 +0000

Don’t even get me started on shaft drive. It’s apparently a very attractive idea for those who have little technical understanding of the principles involved and have never seen a chain case. Roller chains (like almost all bikes have) are amazingly efficient, durable, cheap and serviceable when enclosed in €20 of plastic or vinyl. It’s almost silly to bother searching further.

By: David Hembrow

David Hembrow — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:26:13 +0000

Oh, no. Shaft drive. I have tried shaft drive bikes. They're very obviously inefficient. Just what you don't want. Also, of course it's one of those things that keep being reinvented. The same is also true of bamboo. It's a bit pointless.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:00:41 +0000

But it’s got an internally geared hub! That means it’s a \commuter\ bike, right?