Many people literally want to reinvent the wheel. CeramicSpeed is revolutionising the way bicycles are driven. 21 ball bearings and a drive shaft replace the chain or belt. It's new and really very interesting.
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A bicycle is made up of a frame, two wheels and a type of chain. It's a principle that has stood the test of time for several hundred years and hasn't been called into question. And what for? It works very well, after all. Of course, there have always been experiments and improvements like oval chainrings or using belts instead of chains - but the basic principle of the drive has never been touched. No one has found it necessary. So it's all the more impressive to see someone completely rethink the whole thing. That's exactly what Danish ball bearing specialists CeramicSpeed have done. With their 'Driven' system brought to the fore at Eurobike, they won an award.
Driveshaft with ball bearings: the «Driven» system takes a completely new approach.
Their prototype is not fitted with a chain, but with a drive shaft that connects the front chainring to the rear sprockets. Power is transmitted by 21 ceramic ball bearings and, with 99 per cent efficiency, should crowd out even the most efficient chain drive. This is possible because ball bearings create almost no friction compared to a chain. To reach the magic 99 per cent - perfect for marketing - you still need to crank up the watts and pedal like a professional cyclist.
The output of the Driven (green) is far superior to that of the Dura Ace chain drive (blue).
Although the bike lacks a derailleur, an electric motor in the transmission arm should move the ball bearings between the various sprockets. Although the development process is still ongoing, it's clear that the electrical engineering is an integral part of the bike. If you like the fact that your bike is entirely mechanical and that, in the event of a problem, you can do the work yourself, you may well grimace. It's true that 'Driven' requires little maintenance, but every new technology has its teething problems. At the front, only one chainring can currently be fitted, but at the rear, as the sprockets are all placed on the same axis, 13 speeds or more are available with the system. This does not create an unfavourable angle as with chain-driven sprocket cassettes.
The rear dropout of the frame is higher to make room for the driveshaft.
Like a capsule: the teeth are folded inwards, where they fit into the ball bearings.
Recently, designer Gianluca Gimini spoke to me about his Velocipedia project and explained that, when asked to draw a bike, many people forget the chain or draw it wrong. Perhaps they are all visionaries. Indeed, the developers of CeramicSpeed have proved that it is possible to rethink the drive of a bike and that the system works.
Naturally, the invention would initially remain in the high-end and professional sector. Traditionalists in cycling associations would have to rethink their rules, however. The system also has very big potential on the e-bike side. The bike drive could be more efficient, lighter and require less maintenance. But that's still a few years away. Who knows: maybe one day the system will actually replace the chain. The big names in the industry are said to have taken a very close look at the bike at Eurobike.
