Last year when it came out I called BS in the weight weenies forum on the Ceramic Speed DrivEN drivetrain. I’m not a fan of the concept of just saying ridiculous things as a “vision” and then pushing for them. Maybe I’m more reserved or cynical or whatever, but it didn’t take any hard work to figure out it doesn’t work. Even with fudging the numbers in favour of Ceramic speed the millisecond timing and accelerations of the shift are beyond feasible. So last week I explored one concept and this week I explored another.
But that still leaves other ways they can make it work, but does it matter? There is a literal saw spinning on the back there. If disc brakes needed rounding on the edges and video of brave souls willing to push their own skin into a non-rounded edge disc for people to believe, what is this thing going to need?
A sprocket is a spinning cutting disc too effectively. However, even with the largest road setups they don’t extend out too far because the roller size is so small. There is a limit to the bearing size needed to handle the load for the Ceramic Speed setup and that makes the whole thing bigger. Much bigger. Making it more feasible to access.
Now don’t get me wrong. I think if you’re an elite and willing to sacrifice some shift performance for the giant jockey wheels with ceramic bearings it will save you a watt, maybe two for that first ride until it gets a slight amount of junk in it. When you have a mechanic to clean your bike and re-lube ceramic bearings but lets be real. I’ve ridden with people who can’t even lube a chain let alone adjust their derailleur. I’ve ridden my bike out of tune, when something isn’t quite right. When you add even more finicky components then you have to consider that when these things aren’t perfect you could cause expensive damage. A steel bearing might set you back 10 – 20 dollars, but a specialized low volume ceramic one might be 100 + 50 shipping if you need it within the week. They aren’t going to be commonly stocked at bike shops and as a friend found out, bike shop ordering isn’t nearly as reliable as online ordering.
Why is that ? In a lot of cases it goes through their distributor and they bundle what they ordered and bam, they ship a whole bunch. But you miss that window? The then add 2 weeks. And this is where my friend is at with a frame. The exact reasoning is speculation but the factory had it in stock and estimated two weeks, then add two.
So your ultra high end bearings in your rare derailleur cage that modified the geometry and the distance the jockey wheels are away from the cassette. You might be in that boat, frustrated with your bike shop.
So watch the videos and see one obviously nearly impossible method motorized shifting (or how ALL electronic derailleurs work) and a second method that can work but has to disconnect you from the drivetrain to do it temporarily. I might do a pneumatic design in a few weeks, but right now I feel I have other things.
The Maelstrom controller parts for a potential beta unit is almost here!