GreenPlease wrote:
That's easily the most innovative bike idea in the last ten years. I hope Ceramic Speed goes forward with it. I could even see how certain components, such as the cassette, would actually be less expensive to manufacture. My biggest concern is how only a couple of teeth on the front chainring are engaged at any given time... but I think that can be dealt with.
https://bikerumor.com/...-with-no-derailleur/ What's really interesting (to me, at least) is that the interfaces are basically the same as a chain roller/tooth interface...just turned 90 degrees so that you can fit a roller bearing inside the roller.
In other words, you could do the same thing with a chain, if you just fit miniature ball (watch) bearings into each of the chain rollers so it didn't have a sliding interface on the inside of the roller against the chain pins. That would make for quite the expensive chain, though...then again, it would last quite a bit longer than a regular chain.
I find it interesting that everyone immediately jumps to some sort of wireless activation of the shifting mechanism. How about just add another external bearing (there's already a gajillion in the thing...what's one more?) on the movable shaft and just manually move it back and forth externally...sort of like the throwout bearing on an automobile clutch? One could do it with a cable, or electronically...even hydraulically.
Also, there's one thing that might cause some of the main drivetrain players (i.e. Shimano, Sram, Campy) to not want to license this...it removes a steady revenue stream from a "consumable" item ;-)
http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/