BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Sick of oily, noisy chains on your bike? Then there’s now a bike for you – Stringbike.
Spotted at Eurobike, Stringbike is six-bike range designed in Hungary. The start-up company is two years old (though the concept is older) and has 11 staffers in the team while the design itself is Patent Pending. The makers told BikeBiz they have strived to use Hungarian and EU parts in the line-up.
Instead of a conventional chain, Stringbike uses strong, durable and flexible rope – the kind used in heavy-duty sailing equipment. The makers conceded that the string certainly won’t last as long as a chain, but the bikes come with spares hidden inside the seatpost.
As for advantages over using chains, there are many say Stringbike:
- A silky smooth and quiet riding experience
- Theres no oil so it’s always clean while riding, transporting, during storage and maintenance
- It’s easier to climb uphill compared to conventional bikes, the firm said, thanks to ‘special riding characteristics of the drive’
- Integrated and Linear Gear Shift: 19 gears
- The technology allows gear-shift even in standstill position, so it’s ideal for city use.
- Dual, independent drive technology allows for right and left pedal load ratio to be different – which potentially means the tech can be applied to those who are rehabilitating a leg
- There’s a fashion angle too, the string colour can be changed at will
- It’s also quick and easy to remove the rear wheel, we’re told
The firm is looking to get more coverage in retailers and shops as well as in the press. It is currently retailed in one UK shop in Cambridgeshire.
You can see the Stringbike drivetrain in action as part of this short and snappy guide to Eurobike:
