I retired early and I found that to be a difficult thing to do, after spending decades running my own business, you just don’t stop and start rocking in a rocking chair. I had to find a project to keep me busy.
I am a Sunday afternoon bicycle rider, and one day I had adjustment issues with the derailleur. It is at this point I realize now I jumped into a rabbit hole and didn’t realize how deep it was until it was to late.
For a better part of a decade I was in my garage/workshop/office and did nothing but work on this project of eliminating the derailleur. The success I had in the design stage could not have been possible without the failure I had in trying to machine this into existence. This attempt to machine this invention into reality gave insights into how to solve the many mechanical problems of deleting the derailleur while still using the bicycle chain and also being compatible with current bicycle standards.
This drivetrain has been engineered to fit into a open source BB30 bottom bracket. If you have an expensive ride already, the ability for this drivetrain to fit your bike is real.
I had purchased some modest machining equipment to equip me to do my task. Although I’m a tradesman, I had never done any machining before. To just start machining from a cold start is a near impossible task. But that was my choice, the learning curve is steep, expensive, and it never ends. Although my skills and knowledge grew as time rushed by, my machining progress was painfully slow.
As the build progressed ideas were tested, modified, or discarded along the way. This machining of parts to test real world conditions for this drivetrain was key in finding the many solutions required to make this machine work. The completed design I realize is beyond my reach to make a prototype. Now I’m setting off on a new course to raise awareness, and raise some capital to get this to market.
This rabbit hole I’m in I can’t seem to get out of, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.
new. technology for the bicycle 