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Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on August 26, 2013 at 8:04am

I'd like to try the 29er.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Courtright on August 26, 2013 at 8:26am

I think its cool.

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Permalink Reply by Jason W on August 26, 2013 at 9:05am

Yup. Not sure why people are glossing over that so much.

Kelvin Mulcky said:

The string bike has a 18 speed IGH and and a dishless rear wheel. Looks like some real innovation to me...

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Permalink Reply by Legacy Frameworks on August 26, 2013 at 9:24am

It's definitely interesting, what do they say - there's more than one way to skin a cat.

All 19 gears are on the front "chainring", the hub is single speed. But I do like the way the hub comes out without the drive system attached. See their latest blog post. 

Jason W said:

Yup. Not sure why people are glossing over that so much.

Kelvin Mulcky said:

The string bike has a 18 speed IGH and and a dishless rear wheel. Looks like some real innovation to me...

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Permalink Reply by Ace Mann on August 30, 2013 at 2:24am

This is a little different

Earlier this year, we heard about a proposed arm- and leg-powered bicycle known as the 4StrikeBike. At the time, we knew that if it were to reach production, it would be facing some competition from the existing Raxibo Hand-Tret-Velo. Now, it turns out that another arm-and-legger has also recently hit the market – it’s time to meet the Varibike.

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As with the other two bikes, the Varibike features both a traditional leg-powered drivetrain, and a handlebar stem-mounted set of cranks that the rider turns with their arms. That arm power is transmitted from those cranks down to the main drivetrain via a rubber-sheathed chain drive. This setup allows the rider to cruise along using leg power only, arm power only, or a combination of both.

According to the Varibike company, a study conducted by the University of New Mexico indicated that a rider’s maximum power output could be increased by over 30 percent when using both their arms and legs, as opposed to only their legs. Of course, using all four limbs would also provide a more complete work-out.

Along with the arm cranks, the Varibike also has a set of quite narrow flat handlebars. Riders can switch to them in situations where they want a little more stability, or just feel like changing to a more upright position. Additionally, the shifter and brake levers are located on them.


Steering looks like it could be a little ... unusual, but is reportedly achieved simply by leaning one's body into the turns.

The base FR2 model of the Varibike features a 7005/7020 aluminum frame, and components such as a Shimano XT rear derailleur (there’s no front derailleur), a Ritchey Pro V2 seatpost, and Schwalbe BigApple 28 x 2.00 tires. It’s priced at €3,999 (US$5,350).

The newer €4,499 ($6,019) FR3 model adds separate freewheels to each arm crank. This allows them to be used not only in the traditional opposing configuration, but also in “Synchron Style,” in which they stay side-by-side to produce a sort of rowing motion. Additionally, riders can just leave them both pointing forward, to serve as a set of aero bars.

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