The Olmo frame I restored last year was to be the base and the aim was to build a town bike for light duties and cruising. I’ve had this idea going through my head of late whereby I could add extra cogs to the rear of my bike and rig up some kind of a device to push the chain from one cog to another in order to ‘change gears’ and make it easier to ride up hill or faster on the flatlands.
I even went so far as to devise a way of controlling the device from the front of the bike, possibly utilising cables, so that I wouldn’t have to get off every time I wanted to ‘change gears’.
As I pottered around the garage looking for bits to build the bike with I found some parts that someone, somewhere had obviously built to do just the task I had thought of mere weeks earlier.
I even found a clamp type device that grips the back wheel and slows you down, no need for legs like steel springs.
It may seem like a big call but I would even go as far as saying that fixies and singlespeed bikes may be a way of the past and all bikes may one day be adorned with this new technology. Just wait till I turn up to my first race here in Canberra with my new ‘geared’ bike, can’t wait.
Stats:
Frame: Olmo
Wheels: Something French
Cranks: StrongLight, 42t chainring
Deraileur and shifter: Suntour Cyclone
Bars: Some Fabrications - Noah's Arc
Grips: Jet Black foam
Stem: Nitto Pearl 9
Headset: Shimano 105
Saddle: Brooks B17 Special with copper plated hardwear and hammered rivets.
Pedals: Christophe
Brake and lever: CLB and Salsa