GildasFire had his rEvolution concept, dubbed the world’s most powerful bike, on hand to demonstrate a most intriguing invention.
The handlebars are mounted to a swiveling stem that lets them rock back and forth, or remain stationary when locked into place. The rocking motion drives the crankset forward via cables and chains and a two-way flywheel contraption on the non-drive side. You can pedal simultaneously or give your legs a break and propel yourself only with your arm movements.
The handlebar locks into position and releases via a cable-actuated Rockshox remote lockout lever. Check out the mechanics of it after the break…
The cable release to let the bar swivel feeds into the pendulum directly below the stem.
The device is completely retrofittable to existing frames by clamping around the headtube and replacing the stem. Surprisingly, the complete bike weighed in around 24.5lbs on our scale. The Hooters slogan comes to mind – delightfully tacky yet unrefined – when looking at the system of cables and pulleys, yet it moved rather fluidly. I didn’t ride it, just held it up and tested it, but it actually felt pretty smooth. GildasFire said it’s a prototype and needs refinement.
The double chainwheels increased the Q-factor considerably. I could actually see applications for this within the health club industry and/or rehab facilities as it would take not only a bit extra coordination and balance, but I imagine it would improve core strength along with upper body muscle. Here’s his story:
