隨著時間的逼近,關於Truvativ的HammerSchmidt系統的消息也越來越多了,目前看到的有Scott、Norco與Diamondback,這幾家搭配此系統的成車照片也陸續發表了。有趣的是Nicolai跟Bionicon這兩家德國公司也發表了一個叫B-Boxx的前變速系統。Nicolai國內的車友應該不陌生,但Bionicon這家車廠可能比較少人知道,他們有一台很特別可同時調整前後避震長度的系統,可以隨著上坡下坡調整車架角度。
這次推出的B-Boxx幾乎是跟HammerSchmidt目標一致,以ISCG規格裝置的兩段前變速箱,不用踩踏也可以變速,用來取代前變速器,只是Nicolai採用的是G-boxx2技術的磁力控制系統,而Truvativ的系統則還沒公開。大家或許會疑惑為什麼這個前變速箱會這麼熱門,還吸引這幾家大廠同時發展。
這技術可以說是為雙避震車而生,現在這麼多的連桿系統就是為了減輕踩踏對避震的干擾,或是反過來說,減輕踩踏力量被避震吸收。如果前面的沒有原先大小盤的差別,變速箱讓前端的鏈條都維持在一個非常小的範圍內移動,那麼就可以把固定轉點車架的主轉點放在前變速箱鏈條一出來的地方,讓鏈條拉力不管在什麼檔位都通過主轉點。
如此就可以幾乎完美地讓踩踏不去影響到避震,我認為甚至比虛擬轉點系統都還要有效率。剩下的就是煞車對避震的干擾,而這問題早就被浮動碟煞(floating brake)系統給解決了。或許這就是固定轉點設計一統江湖的開始,想到在虛擬轉點上數千萬美元的行銷費用都要付諸流水,這能不讓人興奮嗎?
至於Truvativ跟Nicolai/Bionicon哪一家會勝出…我是覺得Truvativ贏面大很多,品牌知名度、與各大車廠關係、台灣工廠,再加上有錢老爸當後盾,除非Nicolai/Bionicon在技術上能有很大的優勢,不然我看這場仗要贏可不容易。
參考連結:mtbr.com
好像……沒有用到G-boxx2的磁力系統吧,
這個比較類似Rohloff的行星齒輪系統.
G-boxx2的磁力系統是參考mtbr原文說的,光看這架構圖我也不能確定有沒有用到…
It would be very nice if somebody would post in this blog that it seems that
SRAM did not invent the Hammerschmid on themselves. It is very likely that a
Taiwan guy has invented it and SRAM just took it as the patent is expired.
SRAM Hammerschmid has used the same principle than described in this
patent;-)
You see I always know stuff about our competitors;-)
SRAM has an excellent product and they are big, but we are young, ambitious
and our world has always again seen a young company reaching up to the big
ones, BIONICON has this DNA to succeed I am sure. Time will show.
Cu Andi
To CEO of Bionicon,
It is so surprising for a VIP like you would leave a message in such a small site. And the information you shared is also shocking to me. But, to my knowledge, a patent takes 20 years to expired. It seems odd if some Taiwanese invented it more than 20 years ago and did nothing about it.
Anyway, is there a release day for B-boxx yet? I am looking forward to your inventions cause they always wow me a lot.