With the inspiration to create a clean, quiet, and graceful vehicle, a Hungarian design team at Schwinn Csepel Zrt challenged the conventional chain-driven bicycle with a rope-and-pulley- driven system. The Stringbike is driven by two symmetrical ropes attached to pulleys, swinging levers, and cam mechanisms, one on each side of the bike. The pulley shafts move up and down along a traction path on an eccentric disc, which has 19 notches to adjust the height of the pulleys and distance between the center of rotation and the shaft. The transmission ratio is changed with a shift knob located on the right-side handle grip. Gear ratios can change even when the bike is stationary. Backpedaling feels like pedaling in a high gear, and will move the bicycle forward.
There are two main types of Stringbikes; those with aluminum frames and those with carbon-fiber frames. This A-Line Classic Stringbike has a curved aluminum frame.
The string comes in red, yellow, blue, and green and is made of the polyethylene fiber Dyneema® which is branded as the world’s strongest fiber.
Specifications:
Designer/builder: Schwinn Csepel Zrt
Country of Origin: Hungary
Weight: 13154g/ 29lbs.