Concept Bikes & Bike Innovation - for better or worse

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/05/bike-theft-proof-van-moof-yerka

The article also mentions the 'SkunkLock':

https://www.skunklock.com/

Will wonders ever cease?

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/321571/

Actually, very interesting infomercial.

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/07/ceramicspeed-driven-drivetrain/

"DrivEn hits the magic 99% efficiency number at 380W of rider output"

So, pretty much the same as a single speed roller chain :)

Strictly speaking, their system only completely avoids sliding contact at the drive interface if the outer races of the rolling elements are conical, and the cone angle needs to be different for each different driven gear as the apex has always to be coincident with the axis of the driven gear.

No mention of the friction in the driveshaft. Would there not be a twisting load on the shaft from the chainring pressing aginst it? The system needs a mechanism to move the rear driver back and forth. More friction.

And presumably, the spacing between each gear on the back is different, and therefore the shifter must be specific to any one "cassette".

I think they also missed a trick with making it compatible with a normal freehub body. Surely one of the major advantages is that it is flat, and therefore the rear wheel can be more symmetric?

Not sure I'd fancy a leg/cassette interface in an accident with that system.

The "disc brakes kill!" crowd would have a field day.

http://www.stringbike.com/index.html

What even...

those pedals look about 4 feet apart...

would love a mdcc comment on this one

It looks considerably worse in motion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gDDQU6Z5vo

So... we have an inefficient mechanism on the front, powering a hub on the back, that has an internal spring pulling the string back after every stroke, that has to be overcome each repetition?

But wait there's more...

• shift cable that is bent with every pedal stroke
  
• custom hub size
  
• neccessarily synchronized shifting between left and right pedal
  
• ...
  
  

'ckin hell!

@mdcc_tester have a look at this and burn it please.

Makes me think of these:

https://media.giphy.com/media/ig2567BIN9X0c/giphy.gif

Which are awesome.

No opinion about the bike.

Why does the music to this make it like watching an episode of the Great British Bake Off?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=230702384268416&id=1575347412785991

I'm not sure, but it sounds a lot like the Danish equivalent as well!

stringbike

This is ridiculous but cool.

Does it whip skid?

https://youtu.be/icnfb5vdszo

Snowboard bike 😎

Ran into this guy couple years back, on one of his bikes. Very interesting guy and bicycle.

Badass bike, but not as badass as tucking your shirt into your saddle

Hey look at my innovative yoke.

Yeah but...

Huh? Seems like someone put in a lot of money and effort on building a non standard chain stay in order to (for some reason) get their cranks/pedals closer together. Presumably only to discover that the standardisation of bottom brackets forced them to build up a normal width crank setup anyway.

I think its a matter of fitting bigger tires rather than achieving a lower q factor.

3d printing on that one at the bottom is bit dodgy ..