Finally, an innovative high pivot drivetrain

[waxman]

All I get out of Pinkbike reviews/product launches these days is a sense of "look what we came up with when there were no bikes in the world to buy so people will buy whatever we can actually ship"
So many companies on the verge of disappearing and then Covid hit.

[BigHerm]

This feels way different from the "special/limited edition" bike announcements where companies are throwing on boutique components cause that's what's available. And yeah, if only a few people buy Supre Drive bikes then they won't be around long. But if a bunch do, then they will. Early adopters can get burned, or they can be the start of a sea change. I think Cedric is doing this the right way, licensing the tech to whoever wants to make it. If it was just one company making weird bikes then you'd really have to hope they stay in business (Trust comes to mind). I also thought I saw someone saying on Pinkbike that Nicolai keeps spare parts for five years.

Whatevs, if Supre Drive is still around when my Madonna is done, I'm in.

[frorider]

If supre drive is used by 2 or 3 companies, and he insists on a standard mount pattern for the derailleur and a standard tensioner cartridge, I don’t see any ‘proprietary parts’ issue. Other than replacing pulleys, that derailleur is likely to last years anyway.

I have 5 mtbs so it’s not like I need to buy this right away. Maybe I’m just stoked to see developments that aren’t aimed at bropeds.

[toast2266]

I have no idea what the minimum quantity to make a drivetrain viable for production and sale is. But it's gonna need to be a really low number since this thing only works on high pivot bikes with an idler. Even if every high pivot bike on the market has this drivetrain, that's still a really small number of bikes.

[frorider]

When you say ‘drivetrain’ you’re referring to the rigid mount derailleur? The cogs shifter etc is standard Shimano.

[toast2266]

When you say ‘drivetrain’ you’re referring to the rigid mount derailleur? The cogs shifter etc is standard Shimano.

Yeah, the derailleur (which is in 2 pieces, plus the hydraulic damper mechanism). Bunch of forgings, so not an entirely inconsequential piece to produce.