Peter Meilstrup stopped by Bike Works yesterday with still more evidence that the Retro-Direct Revolution is well underway. Peter's bike features dual freewheels, a KORE chain tensioner and a front derailleur to give him a total of four unique gear ratios. It's a very sweet bike.
Velocio would be so proud!
ReplyDeleteTilt!
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly mechanically minded, but I don't understand that drive train at all. Anyone got a simple explanation?
How do you figure there's 4 gears? Isn't the second freewheel essentially the top pulley of his "rear derailer"/ chain tensioner?
ReplyDeleteThe whole mess is a solution in search of a problem. If he really wanted a bike with limited gear ratios, there are far cleaner, simpler, and lighter solutions than this ugly heavy mess. Why do people insist upon reinventing the bicycle? If you want a 2 speed that bad, wouldn't it have been easiest to use a standard rear rederailer on a single cog as the chain tensioner?
Karl and gob,
ReplyDeleteYou must be new around here! Use the search function on this blog or Google for the phrase "Retro-direct" and you'll see what's going on.
Previous posts here show how to build a two-speed retro-direct, Peter's bike adds a front derailleur. Don't knock a bike that you can make go forward by pedaling backwards until you've tried one.
Kent
Thanks - all is sort-of clear now, though my brain is still hurting a little!
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly sure I'd never want to . . . but what are Retro Direct drives like to ride?
Retro-direct bikes are pretty darn fun to ride. You have to keep an eye on the left pedal, it has a tendency to unscrew when you do a lot of backwards pedaling.
ReplyDeleteIt feels different and you are working muscles a bit differently. I feel it more in my butt. I was telling my wife if we made an infomercial and called it the "bun-sculpter" we'd make a fortune!
Kent