Versus Gboxx frame.....
- Thread starter Infantry
- Start date
dahh thats so sick looking!!!!!!!
that awsome !!!!!!! GO HERB AND VIVIAN !
ohhhhhhh sick!
I <3 gearbox bikes
lil sampler of the versus Gearbox Bike in the prototype phase
More tomorrow around noon, enjoy
More tomorrow around noon, enjoy
this may sound like a stupid question but are there any benefits to a gearboxx over a standard shifting system.
The big advantages right now are getting the weight off of the rear wheel allowing the suspension to be more sensitive/efficient as well as the super obvious no longer worrying about smashing rear mechs. You also gain ground clearance by not having a huge front chainring. It may also limit chain forces on the suspension, but I really don't have any firm grip on this. It does usually mean you have a constant type chain torque, helping keep traction under load.
Big cons are that it's heavier than a traditional system by around a pound at best right now (from rough estimates people have done), shifting systems are severely limited and they are usually pretty hard to work on if something breaks inside. It also limits your suspension designs and shock placement due to having a huge gear box that has to go in exactly the right place (limiting shock mount options in that area) and the fact that you can't have the wildly changing chain lengths of some systems as ther eis no derrailleur to take up the slack. This can be remedied of course with tensioners and the like..but then you are back to smashing things or having a complex system that this was designed to avoid in the first place.
I'm looking forward to trying a few of them this spring to see how it affects suspension and general bike handling by centralizing and lowering the majority of the weight. I have a feeling that even on a simple design like a 224 vs the new geared 224ish proto, the change will be quite pronounced.