| John F. Kennedy once said, "Nothing compares with | | | | Fortunately, not all new technologies for bikes add |
| the simple pleasure of a bike ride." I agree. Bicycling | | | | complexity. Some actually make bikes more user |
| combines exercise, transportation and fun into a single | | | | friendly - easier to operate and easier to maintain. One |
| activity for people of all ages. What other activity can | | | | such technology is shaft drive technology which |
| claim all that? | | | | eliminates the chain, and replaces it with a fully |
| One of the biggest appeals to bicycling is the simplicity. | | | | enclosed shaft drive (or direct drive). Shaft drives have |
| You get on, pedal and go. So my question is: why are | | | | actually been around for over 100 years on bikes, using |
| today's advancements in bicycling designed to make | | | | small gears and a spinning shaft rod to transfer power |
| them more complicated? New advancements such as | | | | from the pedals to the rear wheel. Shaft drive |
| exotic frame materials and increasingly complex | | | | technology has few moving parts, is simple to |
| gearing don't make bikes simpler to operate or easier | | | | understand, and is very proven - which is why it is now |
| to maintain. Instead, they do the opposite: | | | | standard on many motorcycles, including all of BMW's |
| Complex Gearing and Shifting: Today's typical adult | | | | motorcycles. Shaft drives are also smoother than |
| chain bike has multiple shifting controls on each hand | | | | chains, last longer, don't have any external grease to |
| needed to manipulate chain derailleurs across eleven | | | | get on hands or clothes, don't have any sharp moving |
| sprockets to manage 24 gears. How many gears do | | | | parts, and don't require adjustments and cleanings like |
| recreational riders really need? Or use? Plus with all | | | | chains. |
| this gearing equipment, it takes practice to figure out | | | | Another advancement that simplifies bikes is internal |
| what gear you are in, and when you're away from the | | | | gear hubs, which replace the external sprockets and |
| bike for a while, you have to learn it all over again. | | | | derailleurs. Internal gear hubs reduce the number of |
| Specialty Parts = Specialty Maintenance: With new, | | | | gears by 50-80%, which dramatically simplifies shifting, |
| advanced components comes a new degree of | | | | yet still offer a comfortably wide gear range and more |
| specialization required to maintain them. According to | | | | intuitive shifting. Internal hubs are also sealed and |
| bike shops surveyed, the only service that should be | | | | protected from the elements and don't have the |
| done on a bike by a non-certified shop mechanic is a | | | | maintenance or repair costs of sprockets and |
| tire change. You shouldn't need specialized tools and a | | | | derailleurs. |
| degree in bikeology to perform routine maintenance on | | | | Used together, the shaft drive and internal hub create |
| a bike. It seems today's bikes were designed by | | | | a new breed of bikes - called chainless bicycles - that |
| people who like to tinker with bikes for people who like | | | | offer a unique combination of performance, simplicity |
| to tinker with bikes. | | | | and low maintenance. For most recreational riders and |
| These "advancements" have created a void for those | | | | commuters, chainless bicycles can dramatically simplify |
| who want simple, reliable transportation; not a complex | | | | bike operation and ownership. And in turn, get more |
| and technical piece of machinery. I think it's time | | | | people on bikes more often. After all, isn't that the |
| bicycles got back to their roots of simplicity and fun. | | | | point? |
| Technologies That Simplify | | | | |