Chainless Bikes
The idea of bicycles without chains may be difficult for some people to grasp, but regular cyclists, commuters and enthusiasts will be quick to spot the benefits:
- No chain to fall off at inopportune moments resulting in wasted time and greasy hands.
- No chain to be adjusted, greased and generally maintained.
- No need for bicycle clips or ‘trousers-in-socks’ as there is no chance of getting clothing caught or made dirty by a chain.
Zero cycles based in Bristol are suppliers of a new type of low maintenance geared chainless bike. Tom Agbabi started the company in December 2001, after looking to develop new bicycle drive systems and following a positive 3 month trial of an imported chainless bike.
The chainless bikes are shaft driven: the pedals spin the internal shaft drive transmission which in turn powers the back wheel. This drive mechanism and rear axle gear system are all fully enclosed, hence the bicycle requires very little maintenance.
The idea of using a shaft drive transmission on a bike is not a new one. The first shaft driven bicycle was built in France in the early 1890’s and was quickly copied by the American League Cycle Co. The famous black athlete Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor rode an Orient Chainless bike in his races and became cycling world champion in 1899.
These early models were single speed bikes. This combined with the weight penalty that the shaft drive system added meant that they soon fell out of favour once the new chain-driven multi-geared bikes appeared.
The new breed of shaft driven bikes are no longer single speed. Zero’s range of bikes incorporate a Shimano Nexus 7 speed hub gear system as standard. The weight penalty has also been reduced to approximately 1 Kilo.
The low maintenance aspect of the chainless bike has attracted people who want to use their bikes as a simple, clean alternative to walking or driving. Zero’s bikes are currently being used as pool bikes by various councils in England and Wales as part of their Green Travel Plans. They are also used by an ever growing number of private individuals, who find their bikes ideal for touring and commuting.
Contact: Tom Agbabi
E-mail: info@zerocycles.co.uk
Web: www.zerocycles.co.uk
Background info
Tom is a process design engineer. He currently still does some freelance engineering work on international oil and gas projects, but is now devoting more time along with his partner (Claire Sokell) to developing the bicycle business.