Howdy,
Chuck said they failed. Yes, and no. They will killed by reliability but the concept seems very sound. One thing we tend to forget is that in the old days (classic days) tires were most likely (as I recall very likely) less reliable. Wheel changes and tire changes we much more common I suspect.
The unstated and rare advantage would be in a pileup situation a team mate could lend an unbent wheel from front or rear to the captain quickly and without consequence.
I'm with Harvey as I think the new 2006 Cinelli 12 speed Bivalent hub will be the hit of the show. You fingers never get dirty and that's OK with moi.
Yours in Cycling,
Gilbert Anderson
North Road Bicycle Company
519 W. North St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
USA
Toll Free Ph: 800\u2022321\u20225511
Local Ph: 919\u2022828\u20228999
E-mail: cyclestore@aol.com
In a message dated 11/3/03 9:27:26 PM, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org
writes:
>advantage was that each team member could have the freewheel of his
>choice, since it stayed with the bike when the wheels were changed.
> Second, wheel changes were quick, particularly in back. Third, in
>theory it would cut back a great deal on how many spares went on top of
>
>the chase car, since any wheel could be used by any team member, on the
>
>front or the back. Finally, when you took off the wheel, the gear
>remained where you set it; none of this business of moving to the small
>
>cog to get the wheel out. So, why did they remain so unloved? Well, if
>
>you're gonna try to displace the market leader, and have a very limited
>
>set of customers for whom reliability matters, don't release it until it
>
>works. Of the 4 Cinelli wheels that my friend Jim Papadopoulos got with
>
>his (no my) '65 Paramount, 3 shed their splines. This does not add to
>
>marketing allure. Apparently the racers had a few situations with poor
>
>optics, too... I think that the second generation, with full aluminum
>
>body, worked better, but that may be hope's triumph over data. I've
>never broken one, but I've never put them to test with a really low
>gear, and they tend to be ridden by has-beens like me.
>
>I would predict that we'll see a NEW! revival of a system that leaves
>the cogs with the frame this decade, because it does work so nicely for
>
>transport, tire changes, etc.
>
>harvey sachs
>mcLean va