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View Full Version : Goodbye Chains?



Sombeech
07-18-2005, 03:01 PM
Are these going to replace chains and deraileurs?

http://www.webbicycle.com/

derstuka
07-18-2005, 03:06 PM
Would you be sad if they can make this superior to chains & deraileurs? How do you feel about it?

accadacca
07-18-2005, 03:10 PM
Huh? It doesn't look as cool as a chain. So -2 on the style points. :bootyshake:

Selling points:

derstuka
07-18-2005, 03:18 PM
Do you mean THE:

AutoBike
Automatic shifting bicycle
4 payments of $59.99 equals $239.95 plus $49.99 S&H
800-240-1596; AutoBike Classic, 14 Norfork Ave., South Easton, MA 02375

accadacca
07-18-2005, 03:22 PM
That's it!!! :getiton: Do you have one?

derstuka
07-18-2005, 03:24 PM
Hell, yeah, it's all I ride. Who needs to manual shift when the shifting is done for you? Haven't you seen the part of the commercial where the guy on the Autobike is blowing by the guy on the regular bike as they go up a hill? That's what happens when I ride on the trail, only thing is I put a Marzocchi 888 on it for when I do drops, and some 8 inch rotors to stop the monster!

:roflol:

Sombeech
07-18-2005, 03:25 PM
I'm not sure. I'd like to see how durable they are.

If they had a 5000 mile guarantee :haha: maybe.

derstuka
07-18-2005, 03:29 PM
I would honestly try it out if it was durable. Look at Greg Minaar (South African) who is winning all those US downhill races with Honda's internal tranmission bike. Everybody questioned it, now it's doing good. Like I mentioned over on UMTNBIKING. GT has just released (or is close) an internal transmission downhill bike, but it still has a chain, just no external deraileurs

Fuzzy TheBikeGuy
07-19-2005, 08:57 AM
:roll: I first saw this "revolutionary" shaft drive crap in the mid-80's, and it was an old, lame idea THEN.

:blahblah: The real revolution is at least 5-10 years away, and it will be HYDRAULIC DRIVE. Infinite gear adjustment (instead of 9, 10, or ? speed) and ZERO maintainance. I'll bet a growler on it. :cheers:

Sombeech
07-19-2005, 09:13 AM
:roll: I first saw this "revolutionary" shaft drive crap in the mid-80's, and it was an old, lame idea THEN.

:blahblah: The real revolution is at least 5-10 years away, and it will be HYDRAULIC DRIVE. Infinite gear adjustment (instead of 9, 10, or ? speed) and ZERO maintainance. I'll bet a growler on it. :cheers:

Sounds cool. How will the hydraulic drive work? Kind of like a hydraulic pump and lines?

derstuka
07-19-2005, 09:18 AM
Hydraulic! That sounds messy! Yucky, but, a regular chain and deraileur setup isn't the cleanest either.

BTW, these new internal tranmissions that Honda, and Hayes are prototyping are just basically a deraileur in a box, shielded from all the mud and grime. However, I guess you can shift easily at anytime no matter if you under power or not...so they say!

crazy horse
07-19-2005, 12:50 PM
I saw somthing, don't remember where exactly, about some Japanese company that had built a working prototype of a hydro derailuer. Thing was clunky and huge, and I sure wouldn't want to put it on my bike, but it'll be interesting to see where things go. As for the internal drive, i think its kinda a cool idea, but not cool enough to spark a revolution of the way we think of bikes.

live2ride
07-19-2005, 03:05 PM
Come on this crap comes and goes, just people looking to make life easier so they can get even fatter and still go riding, chains kick ass, especially when they get stuck around the bottom bracket and have a little chain suck!! Why not just ride a motorcycle???

Fuzzy TheBikeGuy
07-19-2005, 05:17 PM
Sounds cool. How will the hydraulic drive work? Kind of like a hydraulic pump and lines?

The one viable prototype I've seen was a hydro-pump at the cranks and a rear hub roughly based on an Allison automatic transmission. It was ugly and heavy, but it WAS a 1st prototype and actually worked quite well. It had a thumb-shifter on the bars to adjust SOMETHING in the rear hub. It was a little over my head, just being a lowly Bike Guy, and the inventor-guy wasn't giving away his secrets, but the C'dale Gemini it was on climbed like a goat. :eek2:

When you guys comin' ridin'?

live2ride
07-20-2005, 01:18 PM
Aug 20th for the riding right????

Fuzzy TheBikeGuy
07-21-2005, 08:25 AM
Aug 20th for the riding right????

:2thumbs: YUP!!

We'll start congregating at 8:am and roll-out at 9:am sharp. 500 north & 100 east in Price (Pioneer Park). See ya there! Bring some friends!! :haha: