There was a time when a bike company just couldn't hang out with the cool kids unless there was some sort of wacky gearbox bike in the prototype workshop, but now they're rarely seen. Sure, we still have Nicolai and GT making them and a few even lower-volume operations from Brooklyn and Honda, but I think we can agree they're pretty uncommon.
So what happened? Why did they exist and why did they disappear? Was it a poor concept that existed only until the novelty wore off? Did other technologies improve and eliminate the advantage of the gearbox design? Were/are we just not ready for something so different?
I'm lusting for a good, techy discussion, so I'd love to hear some highly informed opinions.
Let's get our nerd on!
So what happened? Why did they exist and why did they disappear? Was it a poor concept that existed only until the novelty wore off? Did other technologies improve and eliminate the advantage of the gearbox design? Were/are we just not ready for something so different?
I'm lusting for a good, techy discussion, so I'd love to hear some highly informed opinions.
Let's get our nerd on!