I read with interest the Alenax postings here. First the inventor and
principal of the company is from right here in the Garden State. I have
owned several of the road bike versions and still have a nice clean one
today. About 3 years ago there was a posting in our local paper of this
gentleman now making MTB versions of the Alenax and I believe he still
used that name. Like its road predecessor, it did not go very far. If you
have ever ridden one, it is a real trip. First it does have a shifting
capability that does seem to work. The real downfall is that the
efficiency of circular cycling drive train is lost. As soon as I hit any
hills this thing became a boat anchor. No matter how low I shifted it (I
cannot say "gear it" as there are no gears shifting) the thing just
offered too much resistance to effectivly climb. It is really not
geometrically set up to ride out of the saddle. As for the quality, I
think it was first rate. The bike looked great and the componentry, even
the trans bar looked very well built and crafted. The rear hub sounds like
a fishing reel when you pedal. There are two sprockets engaged one each
side of the hub that alternately drive the bike forward. It is an
interesting machine that I find collectible. They used an old technology
of the transbar and just updated the materials and look. Unfortunatly it
is more a novelty bike than a serious machine for riding. If anyone has a
copy of the book by Pryor Dodge "The Bicycle" on the cover is a trans bar
bike mechanism from the 1890s so it is not a modern innovation. Here is a
link to the cover of that book
http://users.aol.com/
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ