03-10-2011, 06:06 PM
Yes it is, but this one is more about energy conservation than cycling.
Maxwell von Stein has come up with a novel idea to store and use kinetic energy on just a flywheel, click this link for a video (I can't embed Reuters videos here) but the general idea is to have two gearing systems:
One gearing system going from the chainring to a cassette on the rear wheel to propel the bike (like on a normal bicycle).
Another cassette on the other side of the rear wheel then drives a flywheel (for example, on a 32-25t ratio). To bring the flywheel into action, you change the second gearing system to a negative ratio (11-25t). The flywheel then gives the bike a boost of acceleration, making pedalling that little bit easier, being perfect for getting up a hill or overtaking that old bloke that's been holding you up for the past mile.
Now this isn't really a bike topic, as Maxwell wants to apply this technology to motorised vehicles, as a sort of hybrid system that doesn't rely on batteries. I can't see it working on shaft driven vehicles, so that rules out the majority of cars, though using it on scooters and lower powered motorbikes would be an advantage.
Maxwell von Stein has come up with a novel idea to store and use kinetic energy on just a flywheel, click this link for a video (I can't embed Reuters videos here) but the general idea is to have two gearing systems:
One gearing system going from the chainring to a cassette on the rear wheel to propel the bike (like on a normal bicycle).
Another cassette on the other side of the rear wheel then drives a flywheel (for example, on a 32-25t ratio). To bring the flywheel into action, you change the second gearing system to a negative ratio (11-25t). The flywheel then gives the bike a boost of acceleration, making pedalling that little bit easier, being perfect for getting up a hill or overtaking that old bloke that's been holding you up for the past mile.
Now this isn't really a bike topic, as Maxwell wants to apply this technology to motorised vehicles, as a sort of hybrid system that doesn't rely on batteries. I can't see it working on shaft driven vehicles, so that rules out the majority of cars, though using it on scooters and lower powered motorbikes would be an advantage.