VECTr - Variably Expanding Chain Transmission

19/06/2020

Two of the Big Boys (the two biggest?) of bicycle component manufacturers, Shimano and SRAM, have both created quite a lot buzz with their patent applications for drivetrain components which would, in different ways, eliminate the front derailleur. In January, the PTO published the patent application which Shimano filed for a frame integrated gearbox: And the application that SRAM filed for a crank mounted (not frame mounted!) derailleur was published by the PTO in May. [ 245 more words ]

Two of the Big Boys (the two biggest?) of bicycle component manufacturers, Shimano and SRAM, have both created quite a lot buzz with their patent applications for drivetrain components which would,…

05/03/2020

Some engineering students asked to use the VECTr design on a project, but needed help understanding exactly how it works. I created this video to show the details of the locking/sliding mechanism of VECTr. If you are wondering, too, how it works, check out this demonstration.

A detailed look at the mechanism by which VECTr changes the radial position of gear segments and so can vary gear settings while maintaining a constant chain...

28/09/2019

I took VECTr for a quick spin around the neighborhood. Here is the uncut video of how it performed. I added some annotation just let you know when gear changes were taking place -- they are virtually imperceptible otherwise. There was a minor issue of a gear segment slipping into a lower position during a gear change. This was due to the controller being in a less-than-precise setting, being moved as it was by the lever/friction shifter attached to it. [ 107 more words ]

I took VECTr for a quick spin around the neighborhood. Here is the uncut video of how it performed. I added some annotation just let you know when gear changes were taking place — they are vi…

27/09/2019

As promised, here is the video of the latest road I conducted I conducted on VECTr. The gear changes are smooth and quiet, hardly noticable on the video. And when there are a couple of gear segment (not chain) slips, they are corrected on the next stroke. The system performed better than I hoped or expected. Not much else to do, but license or begin production!

25/09/2019

Video showing the operation of VECTr with redesigned gear segments and controller assembly.

25/09/2019

So, I conducted some more extensive road tests in April and May. The results were mixed. VECTr was definitely able to bear real life loads as I pedaled myself on neighborhood streets and up modest inclines. But I found that over more extended periods of riding, the chain would indeed slip, even when there was not much of a load on the chain. [ 526 more words ]

So, I conducted some more extensive road tests in April and May. The results were mixed. VECTr was definitely able to bear real life loads as I pedaled myself on neighborhood streets and up modest …

07/04/2019

So, since having the patent issue for VECTr, I made another model/prototype with which to conduct tests to see how it performs on an actual bicycle while bearing the (rather considerable) loads of an actual rider (me). The first step in order to do this was to switch out the bottom bracket on my Trek mountain bike with a 127.5 mm one so as to accommodate the somewhat larger size of VECTr. [ 624 more words ]

So, since having the patent issue for VECTr, I made another model/prototype with which to conduct tests to see how it performs on an actual bicycle while bearing the (rather considerable) loads of …

02/04/2019

Here is a demonstration video showing VECTr in action mounted on my Trek mountain bike. It is operated using a lever/friction shifter, so the shifts are not as precise as they would be with an index shifter, but, as you can see, they do not need to be for VECTr to change gears as quickly and efficiently as a derailleur/chainring system.

23/03/2019

VECTr is ready for road tests of its shifting ability! Test of its ability to handle loads while riding on a level road already proved successful.

09/01/2019

I've completed a new video announcing the issuance of a patent for VECTr, and showing the five-bolt design in action! Check it out below.

I’ve completed a new video announcing the issuance of a patent for VECTr, and showing the five-bolt design in action! Check it out below.