No one has gone out to reinvent the wheel that we know, but just about every other method of the bicycle drivetrain seems up for discussion. We’ve seen electronic shifting, belt drive and of course internal gearing. The latter isn’t exactly new but designers keep designing and innovators keep innovating. But the folks at Efneo have a new concept entirely, which puts the gears not in the rear wheel’s hub but rather in the front chainring.
The result is a three-speed internally geared system that could eventually be used with a belt drive. The result would be a clean looking bike with a 600 percent gear range and one that would be virtually maintenance free. We’re not sure if the bike shop mechanics will love it or hate it for those very reasons! Video after the jump
Road cyclists have been able to do the electronic shifting thing for a while now. Shimano, which introduced the first successful (key word is successful) electronic shifters with its Dura Ace line that the pros seem to love, brought Di2 to its step down (but still very high-end) Ultegra line last year, and this season will see rival Campagnolo also going electronic. Meanwhile there have been efforts to develop electronic shifting for off-road, but only in the aftermarket world… until now.