Free Wheeling Chain Wheels

[Mansfield Marauder]

Can any one tell what happened to a new system of free wheel that Shimano brought out ages ago which put the free wheel mechanism between the cranks and the chain wheels, which meant that when you stopped pedaling the chain wheels, chain and block kept spinning so in essence you could stop pedaling but still change gear?

[Si]

Not something that I noticed, but it sounds like a bad idea - should you have a mis-shift on a normal bike you can just stop pedalling, on that set up it sounds like you could end up with the derailleur round the sprockets!

[gaz]

I missed that one. Did they lauch it on April 1st?

[rootes]

common system on trials bikes i think, but then they don't pedal much and on have SS.

[hartleymartin]

Shimano's Front Freewheeling system. The big idea was that you could shift gears without having to pedal. It was a solution looking for a problem and quietly died with a whole pile of other cycling bad ideas.

However, the cranksets are useful for people wishing to do DIY E-Bike conversions. Just run an chain from the smallest chainring up to an electric motor mounted inside the main triangle.

[thirdcrank]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/shimano1982/pages/35.html

[gilesjuk]

Gone the way of many other 'great' Shimano ideas.

They should stick to doing fishing reels

[worrywort]

That idea would make a great story to tell the grand children. Once upon a time i was going down Star hill and my trouser leg got caught in the chainring. The next thing I remember was a dog ran off with my foot, etc.

[[XAP]Bob]

Looks like an excellent plan for e conversions, but a shocking idea if it's the only freewheel in the system (and therefore a shocking idea, as it will only add complication/maintenance)