New crank design on Kickstarter - RRAD

[Randy Butternubs]

I do love Kickstarter. This seems basically to be a very complicated way of getting a treadle drive.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1306694293/rrad-cycling-evolved?ref=discovery&term=bicycle

 

[Bollo]

Roy Rosser? We can only imagine his nickname at school.

 

[DCLane]

Erm ... no. There's an even worse dead point at the end of each down-stroke.

 

[Cycleops]

50% more efficient. Who are they kidding.

 

[MossCommuter]

I can do that on my bicycle but only with the drive side foot which basically means I'm 100% more efficient

 

[alecstilleyedye]

an over-engineered solution to a non-existant problem. coming to dragon's den soon no doubt, somewhere in the middle of the show…

 

[classic33]

He does seem keen at getting the message across, unseen, though.

 

[Drago]

It'll be a huge seller.






















Heh heh. Only joking.

 

[si_c]

Seems like an overcomplicated eliptigo.

Also I think he's missed the point that you don't just move your legs up and down, you tend to sweep the pedal backwards, you know, through the "deadspots".

 

[fossyant]

Erm ... no. There's an even worse dead point at the end of each down-stroke.

This. 50% more efficient, my aris. Overly complicated and introduces more resistance.

 

[spiderman2]

waste of time

 

[Cuchilo]

I keep having a dream where thats the only way i can pedal my bike in a TT

 

[DCBassman]

Ridiculous.

 

[Bollo]

Seemingly this guy has a PhD in physics from Imperial College.

I suppose physics is a broad subject, he could manage it while remaining ignorant of mechanics.

I did physics at Genocide College [(c) Jeremy Hardy] and TBH we usually didn't venture into the Mech Eng slums. They were pits of crime, disease and empirically derived equations <shudder>.

 

[Bollo]

On a more serious note it *might* have some utility for a very few riders who have a limited range of knee movement, but it'd be pretty niche.

He needs to hit his funding target of ~75k by the end of the month and has managed to get 5k so far. I'd be surprised if he hit the target.