A bicycle with an internal transmission

July 28, 2005

Wow, now this is a cool bicycle–they’ve found a way to eliminate the rear derailleur and replace it with an internal transmission. The bike is from GT but the new transmission is of course from Shimano, which seems to own the bike gear market.

This is awesome, no more rear chain slipping off when you shift. And no more greasing the chain–the internal transmission is a sealed unit.

The downside–this bike costs $5,000. Of course the price will come down, as they migrate this down from the high-end models to the consumer models. Good thing I procrastinated and did not buy a bike this summer. Maybe by next summer these will be offered in more pocketbook-friendly models.