[springfish]

Just received this info via a Nicolai email blast, no info on their site yet:

After G-Boxx 1 and G-Boxx 2 Karl Nicolai is presenting his next ”coup de main”: The B-Boxx is a shiftable planetary gear that is mounted to a regular ISCG adapter and replaces the front derailleur. The B-Boxx is the first product of a co-operation in engineering between Karl Nicolai's company Universal Transmissions and the innovative German bike brand Bionicon. The B-Boxx target is to establish gearbox technology within the ranges of epic and all-mountain biking.

By a simple push-button the biker can choose between two gears. The slow gear equates a crank turn with a 25 teeth sprocket and the force is transmitted directly. The faster gear multiplies each crank turn with a factor of 1,65 what equates a 41 teeth sprocket. During the development some ext ra attention was put on the aspect of shifting under full lo! ad. Like the G-Boxx 2 the B-Boxx is fitted with a patend magnetic activated free-wheel cogging, to make the shifting process smooth.

The B-Boxx will be presented for first time at the Eurobike in September. The rollout is scheduled for 2010.

 

[Harry BarnOwl]

Nice to see some more development going on. Isn't this similar to that new Truvativ Hammerschmidt thing?

 

[Zark]

A 25t and a 41t? Thats is some weird gearing for all mountain IMO.

 

[TheMontashu]

A 25t and a 41t? Thats is some weird gearing for all mountain IMO.

There is still a ton of gear overlap so I would think it would work out fine. You also have to consider that you no longer have to worry about cross chaining.

 

[MobileChernobyl]

26 and 36 would be more AM'ish, but 25-41 allows a wider range in the end. I can see why they need to have such a large gap however with conventional planetary gearsets. I was a bit annoyed by how bionicon and sram were just re-releasing technology thats been used on bikes for 100 years, but They are at least releasing it in a cleaner, more refined, design. Sort of like the MRP G2's improvement over the standard Taco.

 

[Total Heckler]

Crazy Germans...

Wait what?

Curious how this will compare to the Truvativ one price/performance/release date wise.

 

[Zark]

There is still a ton of gear overlap so I would think it would work out fine. You also have to consider that you no longer have to worry about cross chaining.

25 isn't low enough for steep, extended climbing. I can't remember the last time I needed more than a 38t on singletrack.

 

[- seb]

Interesting idea, I think I need to see some pics before I decide if it's FTW or FAIL though

 

[sriracha]

25 isn't low enough for steep, extended climbing. I can't remember the last time I needed more than a 38t on singletrack.

i would agree with that comment.

 

[TheMontashu]

25 isn't low enough for steep, extended climbing. I can't remember the last time I needed more than a 38t on singletrack.

I agree with you there, I'm just pointing out that the huge gap between the 2 "chainrings" isn't going to cause issues like it would using a conventional derialer set up

 

[MinorThreat]

Sounds very much like a variation of the Schlumpf Mountain Drive, but with an ISCG-mount anti-rotator instead of an arm.

 

[Wilhelm]

Just received this info via a Nicolai email blast, no info on their site yet:

After G-Boxx 1 and G-Boxx 2 Karl Nicolai is presenting his next ”coup de main”: The B-Boxx is a shiftable planetary gear that is mounted to a regular ISCG adapter and replaces the front derailleur. The B-Boxx is the first product of a co-operation in engineering between Karl Nicolai's company Universal Transmissions and the innovative German bike brand Bionicon. The B-Boxx target is to establish gearbox technology within the ranges of epic and all-mountain biking.

By a simple push-button the biker can choose between two gears. The slow gear equates a crank turn with a 25 teeth sprocket and the force is transmitted directly. The faster gear multiplies each crank turn with a factor of 1,65 what equates a 41 teeth sprocket. During the development some ext ra attention was put on the aspect of shifting under full lo! ad. Like the G-Boxx 2 the B-Boxx is fitted with a patend magnetic activated free-wheel cogging, to make the shifting process smooth.

The B-Boxx will be presented for first time at the Eurobike in September. The rollout is scheduled for 2010.

07-17-2008, 07:45 AM: First lowdown of the B-Boxx on Ridemonkey http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2999118&postcount=244 (CAD pics included!).

 

[springfish]

07-17-2008, 07:45 AM: First lowdown of the B-Boxx on Ridemonkey http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2999118&postcount=244 (CAD pics included!).

Funny how a search didn't bring that post up.

 

[BMXman]

Funny how a search didn't bring that post up.

yeah I started the same thread a few days ago and I searched b boxx as well but nothing came up...D

 

[LMC]

25 isn't low enough for steep, extended climbing. I can't remember the last time I needed more than a 38t on singletrack.

sounds like they need to make a smaller output chainring then

 

[Zark]

sounds like they need to make a smaller output chainring then

No doubt, mimicking the 22-36 setup would make sense. Or even a 22-38 setup, that would be ideal.