Thanks for visiting! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. This blog posts regular product reviews, industry news, riding tips, videos, ride reports and anything else mountain biking. Go ahead, subscribe to our feed! You can also receive updates from this blog via email.
SRAM gave a closed door, blindfolded test run of their new HammerScmidt front shifting mechanism at Sea Otter last weekend to Decline and Bike. Here is what they had to say.
Had a very interesting morning yesterday. It all started with a bright-and-early 7 A.M. breakfast with a representative of SRAM (which was super fun to wake up for after the premiere of and party for Kranked 7: The Cackle Factor held Sea Otter in Monterey over the weekend).
After some bacon and eggs I was thrown into a van driven by Tyler Moreland (are Canadian free riders really just allowed to drive in this country? Shouldn’t’ there be some special licensing involved? Waivers? Anyone?).
Anyways we arrived at the Embassy Suites in Monterey and I was led past a security guard to a dark room. There an attractive young girl blindfolded me, and I know what you’re thinking—girl, blindfold, dark hotel room? This is where it gets freaky! And how!
But this was really, really freaky. (And because we’re talking about mountain bikes here the girl quickly disappeared…)
But once inside I was told I had 30 seconds to ride a bike set up on a trainer. I knew what to look for (figuratively speaking, I’m still blindfolded at this point): the front shifting.
This whole elaborate rouse was set up by SRAM as the first real taste of a “revolutionary” front shifting system SRAM has been working on for months now. The shifter only had two positions, and by feathering the rear brake and shifting at the same time I could feel the gear ratio changing. What I didn’t find was the clackety-clunk of a traditional front derailleur in action. Instead the shifting action came smoothly, via the same sensation you get from an internal 3-speed beach cruiser hub.
So that’s all the info we have for now, but there you have it. SRAM’s Hammerschmidt, which we teased HERE last month, promises to take the front derailleur out of front shifting. The possible benefits are many. (Think single-ring, go-anywhere bike with a bashguard/chain retention device of your choice.) Stay tuned.
So that’s all the info we have for now, but there you have it. SRAM’s Hammerschmidt, which we teased HERE last month, promises to take the front derailleur out of front shifting. The possible benefits are many. (Think single-ring, go-anywhere bike with a bashguard/chain retention device of your choice.) Stay tuned.
During the Sea Otter, I was invited to a secret breakfast with Eric Schutt from SRAM. I figured it was to check out the new transmission system I've heard rumors about.
After breakfast, a few other journos and I were tossed into a van driven by Tyler Morland. As he squealed out of the parking lot, we were told to put on bandana blindfolds. We arrived at the Embassy Suites hotel and taken one by one into a dark room to "test ride" the new shift system on a trainer. It was an odd scene but I did get an impression of what is coming.
Called the HammerSchmidt, the shift system works on a normal feeling Trigger shifter and I'm pretty sure it is located on the crank. It shifts extremely smooth and fast, and doesn't require the cranks to be spinning. The HammerSchmidt offers two gear options that feel similar to a 23/34-tooth combo. It is obvious that the system does not use chainrings and may have a design similar to a planetary gear system, but I am only speculating. That's about all I can tell you until SRAM lets us take a look at it. For now, sign up at SRAM's Magic Mechanics propaganda website for updates.
198'S THOUGHTS
The most interesting part of this entire experiment is the shifting without having to pedal. This would make shifting between the front two gear ratios much faster and easier at the same time. There is a lot of anticipation on this release (mostly because of the nature of SRAM's promotion), so stay tuned for more information.
If you like this post then please consider commenting below and subscribing to my full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.
0 Comments For This Post
1 Trackbacks For This Post
April 27th, 2008 at 11:59 am
[...] - Update on Turvativ’s HammerSchmidt found here…HammerSchmidt Test Drive. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
Leave a Reply