Talk:Bicycle drivetrain systems

This article has been started in response to the discussion here. -AndrewDressel (talk) 13:33, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Where to draw the line: which vehicles have "bicycle drivetrain systems" and which do not?
I think the precedent is already pretty well established that a vehicle is not required to have 2 wheels in order for it to have a "bicycle drivetrain system." For example, the bicycle pedals, bicycle crankset, bicycle chain, and bicycle gearing of most tricycles and quadracycles certainly qualify. At the same time, pedals, cranksets, and chains are not necessary, as in the case of the rowbike. On the other hand, I don't think anyone is proposing that skateboards, caster boards, or inline skates have bicycle drivetrain systems. So now, the trikke has been added as an example, and I think it begs the question: where do we draw the line? -AndrewDressel (talk) 14:46, 4 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Nobody? Okay then, I'll give it a try. To paraphrase the lead sentence, a "bicycle drivetrain system" is a mechanism that collects power from a rider and transmits it to a drive wheel or wheels. Thus, balance bicycles, dandy horses, kick scooters, knee scooters, square scooters, skate boards, longboards, snakeboards, caster boards, inline skates, roller skates, quad skates, street luges, gravity racers, orbitwheels, roller skis, wheelchairs, rickshaws, and trikkes are all examples of human- or gravity-powered land vehicles that do not have any drivetrain systems, let alone bicycle drivetrain systems. -AndrewDressel (talk) 03:08, 7 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Agree with Andrew. Murray Langton (talk) 07:52, 7 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Yeah, I should have thought more before introducing the material. Probably there is an article that should get this information, but this one isn't it.  Jim.henderson (talk) 23:53, 9 September 2011 (UTC)


 * I agree, we could use a Human-powered landcraft or Human-powered land vehicle to go with Human-powered aircraft and Human-powered watercraft. Even Human-powered vehicle redirects to Human-powered transport, which leads with a picture of a guy carrying lumber. Also, a good source on how trikkes, caster boards, and roller racers actually work would be useful. I haven't spotted one yet. This guy claims it is buy "sinusoidal propulsion", but I can't see where he explains how that works, all he has is a blog, and I can't find anyone else to back him up. -AndrewDressel (talk) 11:14, 10 September 2011 (UTC)

Other types
I am not sure if there is such a thing, but I ran into a term in other language that would be translated as 'cable driven bicycle'. I think it doesn't refer to rowing cycle. It could refer to belt driven bicycle but just couldn't tell. 213.149.62.127 (talk) 16:41, 18 December 2018 (UTC)


 * Already covered in the article, including links to existing Chainless bicycle, Stringbike, and Rowbike articles. -AndrewDressel (talk) 17:25, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Also in the same article it said there there were some bicycles that used lever principle (system) in propelling the bike, but none were in serial production. 213.149.62.127 (talk) 16:41, 18 December 2018 (UTC)


 * Already covered in the article, including a link to the existing Treadle bicycle article. -AndrewDressel (talk) 17:25, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Found something: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5785337.html It mentiones Spring powered bicycle, Propulsion mechanism for lever propelled bicycles, Powerful oscillating pedal bicycle, Variable speed lever action bicycle drive. also https://patents.google.com/patent/US5785337 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.149.62.127 (talk) 17:15, 18 December 2018 (UTC)


 * A patent that never resulted in a marketed product doesn't seem worthy of inclusion. -AndrewDressel (talk) 17:25, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

power transmission
There are 2 types of transmission: one is with fixed transmission which means that while wheels are turning so do the pedals (used in track cycling) and and the other allows pedals to not move while wheels are turning. Those are the subtypes of chain transmission. Are those also subtypes of chainless and hydraulic transmission. 213.149.62.127 (talk) 17:26, 19 December 2018 (UTC)


 * You are describing a freewheel, and its inclusion is independent of how the power is transmitted to the drive wheel. Chain-drive, belt-drive, shaft-drive, etc., may all either have a freewheel included before or after. The article already states "most bicycle drivetrain systems incorporate a freewheel to allow coasting, but direct drive and fixed-gear systems do not." Is more needed? -AndrewDressel (talk) 20:43, 19 December 2018 (UTC)

Conventional vs. Unconventional
Would it make sense to split this article into a description of the few systems in common use, followed by a separate section that lists all the wacky ideas that have ever been tried? My concern is that a novice trying to understand the basic principle of a bicycle drivetrain would have a hard time finding it here.

Ccrrccrr (talk) 00:47, 22 January 2019 (UTC)
 * If this article were simply better it would be less confusing. But yes, given the vast predominance of the 'conventional' arrangement, that should be made clear. Andy Dingley (talk) 00:52, 22 January 2019 (UTC)

CVT
As there are multiple types, CVT in the article shouldn't be linking to nuvinci. 95.178.150.90 (talk) 19:41, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Continuously variable transmission by Advanced Transmission Systems Holdings
 * NuVinci Continuously Variable Transmission used on  Priority Bicycles Continuum
 * Treadlie Engineering CVT