Wow, I didn’t realize eMTBs have gotten so popular that manufacturers are partnering with Grammy Award-winning rappers. 😄
In all seriousness, the second chain is a strange idea, considering there are already two-wheeled vehicles with single chains that transmit substantially more power: motorbikes.
Of course, motorbikes shift gears internally – and also have no standardization of the chain being in left or right, although it’s usually left. So what they’ve done here is build two drivetrains – drivechains? – with two sets of sprockets. This just seems… mechanically suspect, since that’s two derailleurs and if they desynchronized, destruction of something is highly likely, be it the rear axle or the chain taking up the full burnt.
It’s a difficult problem, no doubt, as there’s no market for bicycle components that can handle such high power transmission. And whatever they build, it will end up being proprietary. So maybe this is their best option, but it doesn’t seem that good.
Honestly, it’s surprising that normal bicycle components have handled the onslaught of 250W (Euro spec) or 750W (US spec) ebikes without major reports of chains and sprockets exploding into pieces, probably be cause humans can (briefly) produce such outputs. Of course, there is a market for ebike specific parts too, to add mechanical headroom, although they tend to just be made more robustly, rather than totally reengineered.
Wow, I didn’t realize eMTBs have gotten so popular that manufacturers are partnering with Grammy Award-winning rappers. 😄
In all seriousness, the second chain is a strange idea, considering there are already two-wheeled vehicles with single chains that transmit substantially more power: motorbikes.
Of course, motorbikes shift gears internally – and also have no standardization of the chain being in left or right, although it’s usually left. So what they’ve done here is build two drivetrains – drivechains? – with two sets of sprockets. This just seems… mechanically suspect, since that’s two derailleurs and if they desynchronized, destruction of something is highly likely, be it the rear axle or the chain taking up the full burnt.
It’s a difficult problem, no doubt, as there’s no market for bicycle components that can handle such high power transmission. And whatever they build, it will end up being proprietary. So maybe this is their best option, but it doesn’t seem that good.
Honestly, it’s surprising that normal bicycle components have handled the onslaught of 250W (Euro spec) or 750W (US spec) ebikes without major reports of chains and sprockets exploding into pieces, probably be cause humans can (briefly) produce such outputs. Of course, there is a market for ebike specific parts too, to add mechanical headroom, although they tend to just be made more robustly, rather than totally reengineered.
I’d guess the second chain is for regerative braking
nvm they say in the article the second chain is only for motor power