The Stringbike is a bicycle that uses a rope and pulley drive system instead of a traditional

bicycle chain A bicycle chain is a roller chain that transfers power from the pedals to the drive-wheel of a bicycle, thus propelling it. Most bicycle chains are made from plain carbon or alloy steel, but some are nickel-plated to prevent rust, or si ...

and

sprocket A sprocket, sprocket-wheel or chainwheel is a profiled wheel with teeth that mesh with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which radial projections engage a chain pass ...

s. It uses two

Dyneema Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE, UHMW) is a subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene. Also known as high-modulus polyethylene, (HMPE), it has extremely long chains, with a molecular mass usually between 3.5 and 7.5 million amu. T ...

ropes attached to pulleys attached to swinging lever and

cam Calmodulin (CaM) (an abbreviation for calcium-modulated protein) is a multifunctional intermediate calcium-binding messenger protein expressed in all eukaryotic cells. It is an intracellular target of the secondary messenger Ca2+, and the bin ...

mechanisms, one on each side of the bike. These mechanisms replace the round

s found on chain-driven bikes. Unlike some traditional 10-speed gears using a

derailleur Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980) A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another. Modern front and rear d ...

, there is no slippage when changing gear ratios. The Stringbike uses a 19 gear ratio system with no duplicates and a total gear range of 3.5 to 1. The

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission ** ...

ratio can be changed with a shifting knob located on the right-side handle grip. Gear ratios can be changed even when the bicycle is almost stationary. Hungarian designers from the manufacturing company

Stringbike Kft. The Stringbike is a bicycle that uses a rope and pulley drive system instead of a traditional bicycle chain and sprockets. It uses two Dyneema ropes attached to pulleys attached to swinging lever and cam mechanisms, one on each side of the bik ...

, unveiled the bicycle in 2010 in

Padova Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Models

There are 2 main types of stringbikes. Stringbikes with carbon frame, and stringbikes with curved aluminum frame. Stringbike models with aluminum frame: * A line Classic * A line Marine * A line Dragon * S line Stringie Limited series stringbike models with aluminum frame: * D signers's Nanushka * D signers's Happarel * D signers's Spring Fashion * D signers's Black Pearl Stringbike models with carbon frame: * E line RAAM (same model was used in the Race Across America 2012 - achieving 14th position overall) * E line Hurricane * E line Black Storm Limited series stringbike models with carbon frame: * D signers's Alligator

References

External links

Website
Cycle types {{cycling-stub