KerVelo Bike and Tilting Trike - Ergonomically Innovative Solution for Cyclists

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Front-wheel-drive KerVelo bike eliminates the chain
Gizmag
Recumbent bicycles may offer a more comfortable riding position, but they typically also have pretty long chains. After all, power has to be transmitted from the pedals at the front to the drive wheel at the back. Norway-based inventor Marc Le Borgne, however, has created an alternative. His KerVelo recumbent has an 18-speed gearhub transmission built into the front wheel.

The KerVelo utilizes an existing Pinion sealed gearbox transmission. Although these are designed to be housed within the Bottom Bracket on upright bikes, Marc has put his in a custom aluminum shell that doubles as the front hub. It's sort of like a penny farthing, although because it's a multi-gear system, no huge front wheel is required in order to gain momentum – the pedals don't necessarily turn at the same rate as the wheel.

According to Le Borgne, the design offers a seating position that combines the comfort of a fully-recumbent bike with the visibility of an upright. And, of course, there's no...


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Have you seen KerVelo's front-wheel-drive recumbent?
road.cc
“The KerVelo concept has tried to Challenge both bicycle and recumbent geometry by providing a semi-bent position,” says the inventor, Norway-based Marc Le Borgne. 'It accumulates the advantages of comfort, visibility, safety, aerodynamic, mechanical ...


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Hmm, that might be interesting to try out.

 

This is very intersting, and a brilliant example of how inventions are not created but are evolved from something else. Mr Le Borgne took an existing system, the Pinion, and the concept of an internally geared hub, and adapted it to a front wheel like the Cruze Bike. It can qualify as a fore head slapping "Why didn't I think of that!" creation, something that in hindsight is obvious, which is the very definition of genius.

 

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KerVelo Bike and Tilting Trike - Ergonomically Innovative Solution for Cyclists
Press Release Rocket
Olso, Norway – May 5, 2016 – KerVelo, an upright bike/trike, is a revolutionary ergonomic, chain-less, low maintenance, interchangeable cycle that makes riding efficient and comfortable. The creator launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise kr400,000 NOK ($48000 USD) by May 26, 2016. The funds received will assist with manufacturing efforts to bring KerVelo to the masses.

NOTICE: Crowd-Funding-Risks can be substantial.​

The upright bicycle is not ergonomic and is causing fatigue in the shoulders, to the neck and back pain. The greasy chain is a maintenance challenge and will decrease the pedaling efficiency overtime.

Alternatively, the existing recumbent bicycles do not provide good visibility in urban traffic and riding with the feet above the seat is not “natural”.

Marc Le Borgne, inventor of the KerVelo, a passionate cyclist and mechanical engineer has addressed these design issues by removing the chain and providing a comfortable riding. The result is a bicycle with front wheel direct drive and a semi recumbent position, with crank shaft in the center of the wheel.

The geometry of the front assembly has been tuned to minimize the torque at the handle bar due to pedaling. This specific design enables an easy steering from low to high speed.

The riding style changes radically with arms relaxed. The rider can see straight ahead without bending the neck and won’t get dirty from the greasy chain. It features a sealed and clean gear hub in the front wheel with up to 18 gears.

The feet in fore front are safer than exposing the head first in case on frontal incident.

KerVelo Bike is really unique as the front frame can receive 2 possible rear frame configurations: bicycle and tilting trike.

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The Kervelo Tilting trike ...

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Chainless KerVelo recumbent is back, in lower-profile carbon fiber form New Atlas

It was back in 2016 that we first heard about the KerVelo, a recumbent bike that replaced the chain with a gearhub transmission built into the front wheel. Well, it's now more of a head-Turner than ever, with the new carbon fiber Low Racer model being unveiled at last month's Spezi bike show in Germany.

Like the original version, the Low Racer completely gets rid of the long chain commonly associated with recumbents. Instead, it utilizes a 2.2-kg (4.9-lb) direct-drive "Kernel hub." This device places both a 12-speed gearbox (that has a 545-percent gear ratio) and the bottom bracket within the middle of the front wheel.

Norway-based KerVelo creator Marc Le Borgne tells us that along with being very aerodynamic, the Low Racer offers "better ergonomics to the rider with higher efficiency and stiffness to the transmission." He also claims that it's easier to ride than other recumbents, due to its frame geometry and the lower position of the bottom bracket.

Riders do have to ...

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Top 10 most innovative cycling products of 2019 New Atlas

A low-slung, front gearhub, carbon fiber recumbent
It was back in 2016 that we first heard about the KerVelo, a recumbent bike that replaced the chain with a gearhub transmission built into the front wheel. Well, it's now more of a head-turner than ever, with the new carbon fiber Low Racer model being unveiled in April at Germany's Spezi bike show.

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As was the case with the original version, the Low Racer completely gets rid of the long chain commonly associated with recumbents. Instead, it utilizes a direct-drive "Kernel hub" that ...

Continue reading...