Sic Neutral Gear

[mafu26]

just found this off pink bike. looks pretty fun for street riding! don't think they're available in the uk at the mo. reckon it'd be pretty easy to bodge though with a few old cassette spacers.

http://www.sicusa.com/products.php?type=6&...e=-%20Gears%20-

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

Am I the only one who thinks that's a really rubbish idea? Looks fine provided after you finish pedaling into the move you change gear (oh, wait...) and then when you want to put some power back through the cranks you then need to start pedaling forwards (while still traveling backwards) again to change gear again (oh, wait...). Think I must be missing something.

[Luke Rainbird]

See if you can get hold of a copy of 'Jib' by Thor Wixom - they ran a neutral gear a fair bit throughout that (which made me do it a little back in the day!)

I believe a certain sponsored rider has been toying with a similar setup lately too, which could provide some interesting results

What does the SIC offer that normal spacers provide though? Running on a bearing or similar I assume

[NVWOCI WVS]

it looks like it's on bearings, yeah. But if you're doing that, why not run a sprocket with teeth on bearings? then it would be easier to shift out of?

[ogre]

See if you can get hold of a copy of 'Jib' by Thor Wixom - they ran a neutral gear a fair bit throughout that (which made me do it a little back in the day!)

I believe a certain sponsored rider has been toying with a similar setup lately too, which could provide some interesting results

What does the SIC offer that normal spacers provide though? Running on a bearing or similar I assume

if that? loks just like plastic, so the chain won't be worn down as much compared to metal?

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

It's plastic (well, Delrin) and doesn't run on bearings, just an aluminium ring which sits on the cassette body and acts as a sort of bush between the Delrin part and the body. Only benefit major benefit over standard spacers are the groove in it for the chain to sit in to ensure it doesn't catch on the cogs.

Still think it's a pretty poo alternative to a freecoaster hub though.

[Luke Rainbird]

...or learning to fakie with a trials gear for comedy value

It makes for some interesting ideas, though this product doesn't really seem to offer any real advantage over just a spacer. If we could work out a way to get consistent shifting out of the gear then it'd be a great thing to play with!

[JT!]

Am I the only one who thinks that's a really rubbish idea? Looks fine provided after you finish pedaling into the move you change gear (oh, wait...) and then when you want to put some power back through the cranks you then need to start pedaling forwards (while still traveling backwards) again to change gear again (oh, wait...). Think I must be missing something.

It'd work with a ffs.

[spaceman]

See if you can get hold of a copy of 'Jib' by Thor Wixom - they ran a neutral gear a fair bit throughout that (which made me do it a little back in the day!)

I believe a certain sponsored rider has been toying with a similar setup lately too, which could provide some interesting results

Jib was the first mtb video I watched! That was in 2005. It was really cool.

And I believe that certain sponsored rider is none other than Rowan Johns I'm sure looking forward to his 24'' video.

Anyway, by using the neutral gear, you would have to shift in and out, as what Dave said, it'll be tedious. Just learn to fakie properly?

[shamus]

the current crop of bmx freecoasters are getting pretty snappy and positive now plus they are pretty reliable. i dont know how they'd fair up to full on trials riding but for street they are a cool idea (only ridden a bmx with one but the possibilities are awesome and endless) but they are definately better then just having a gap in your gears

would be interesting to get one into a 24" with the right spacing at the back (is this available?) to test the water

[JonMack]

I'm gonna throw this one out there even though it's already been said but... just learn to fakie.

[Revolver]

the current crop of bmx freecoasters are getting pretty snappy and positive now plus they are pretty reliable. i dont know how they'd fair up to full on trials riding but for street they are a cool idea (only ridden a bmx with one but the possibilities are awesome and endless) but they are definately better then just having a gap in your gears

would be interesting to get one into a 24" with the right spacing at the back (is this available?) to test the water

Whenever I've rode a freecoaster, you had to pedal forwards like 1/4 turn before it engages, which rubbish for trials.

I know that you can space them out to improve this, but its a compromise between bearable effective EP and how easy/difficult it is to get it in/to stay in fakie mode.

[Mark W]

If you make a freecoaster feel like it engages like a cassette/normal hub, they're fully shit for rollbacks.

Equally, the whole point about freecoasters is that you can go backwards, faster. I got mine 'cos I was doing more fakie stuff, and wanted to go faster. Pedalling flat-out, doing a 180 then half-cabbing a big stairset is pretty good fun. However, if you're limited to only ever going 18:15 speed (Or whatever ratio you run), what's the point? You're never going to be going so fast it's uncontrollable, so it just seems like a waste of time really.

[that NBR dude]

the current crop of bmx freecoasters are getting pretty snappy and positive now plus they are pretty reliable. i dont know how they'd fair up to full on trials riding but for street they are a cool idea (only ridden a bmx with one but the possibilities are awesome and endless) but they are definately better then just having a gap in your gears

would be interesting to get one into a 24" with the right spacing at the back (is this available?) to test the water

You can indeed get one the correct spacing to fit a 24. I had one, the KHE Geisha freecoaster for MTBs. Geisha freecoaster

As has been said though, to make it properly usable, you need a fair bit of slack. This will mean you have a good 1/6-1/4 of a pedal stroke before it engages. Theres no way in hell you're going to be able to ride trials like that. It would be worse than having a shimano hub. As Mark said, if you space them out inside to make it kick in quicker, then they are useless for fakies as, as soon you loose concentration or move your front foot slightly, it will kick back in and send you over the back.

For BMX, if you ride streety stuff with loads of fakies, they are awesome, and i'm considering getting another one for the BMX, but for trials, definate no no.

[manuel]

Equally, the whole point about freecoasters is that you can go backwards, faster. I got mine 'cos I was doing more fakie stuff, and wanted to go faster. Pedalling flat-out, doing a 180 then half-cabbing a big stairset is pretty good fun. However, if you're limited to only ever going 18:15 speed (Or whatever ratio you run), what's the point? You're never going to be going so fast it's uncontrollable, so it just seems like a waste of time really.

I have a shifter and mech that can knock the chain over the top of the sprocket onto a simple spacer. it works and above all its a lot of fun. Its completely different to "just learning to fakie" - and you said it yourself going backwards faster ... you are still limited to how fast you can go backwards by the same gear that lets you go forwards, so if you pedal flat out in 18:15 then pop it round it will be identical to if you did it on a bmx with a pretty stiff gear. Either way I am having a blast with mine (and I didnt pay for a shitty little plastic spacer either..)