[sustran] Re: Fwd: Bicycles, Unchained and Grease-Free

[Todd Edelman]

Hi,

Belt drives are great for most of the reasons mentioned - bikes like the 
folding Strida made now in Taiwan use it and are reportedly quite good - 
but they still need some cleaning. However, as with classic chain-type 
systems, they benefit from having a complete cover, both to keep them 
clean and to keep both long trousers and skirts/dresses (and perhaps 
other traditional clothing in the Global South?) out of the chain (like 
on many typical city bikes)*. Once a classic chain is covered it stays 
very clean and hardly needs any maintenance. So then with a cover these 
two systems become nearly equal in that aspect... and chains can also be 
repaired, adjusted or replaced in every country on Earth, including in 
most rural areas.

- T

* Recently I was at an event in Berlin where a man was describing how he 
could tell if someone wearing a trousers rode a bike to work in his 
German workplace: By their right trouser leg stuck into a sock. Of 
course I laughed to myself because e.g. especially in the Netherlands 
most people ride to work with a covered chain, thus not requiring that 
technique.

  On 24/10/10 07:25, Sujit Patwardhan wrote:
> 24 October 2010
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> Thanks Ajay Zaveri for forwarding this very interesting piece.
> --
> Sujit
>
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>
>          [image: The New York Times]<http://www.nytimes.com/>
> <http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=global.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/business&pos=TopRight-EmailThis&sn2=e4101b99/eda2002c&sn1=4933995/5721daef&camp=foxsearch2010_emailtools_1225556b_nyt5&ad=bs_88x31_8k_date_DEC3&goto=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efoxsearchlight%2Ecom%2Fblackswan>
> **
>   * BUSINESS DAY *   | October 24, 2010
>   * Novelties:  Bicycles, Unchained and Grease-Free
> <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/business/24novel.html?emc=eta1>  *
>   By ANNE EISENBERG
>
>   Companies are developing new designs and materials to replace bicycle
> chains with grease-free alternatives like polymer cables or carbon-toughened
> belts.
>
> Pl refer to blog and post comments
> http://www.entropy.in/
>
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-- 

Todd Edelman
Green Idea Factory,
a member of the OPENbike team

Mobile: ++49(0)162 814 4081

edelman at greenidea.eu
www.greenidea.eu
todd at openbike.se
www.openbike.se

Skype: toddedelman

Urbanstr. 45
10967 Berlin
Germany

***

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