Video: Long-Travel Linkage Forks, Carbon Shaft-Drives, and Virtual Mountain Biking - Eurobike 2019

Sep 4, 2019
by Pinkbike Originals  


Eurobike is a massive, four-day show that has more attendees that most small towns have people, and it's all in hangers once used to manufacture giant Zeppelin airships. The Zeppelins are still made close by and are often hanging out above the show, but the halls are full of everything bike-related for a handful of days in early September.

Our first day included a stop at the CeramicSpeed booth to check out their wild shaft-drive system that uses a telescoping carbon tube, a host of tiny sealed bearings, and the craziest cassette you've ever seen. Not to be outdone, Trust had their 178mm-travel Shout linkage fork mounted to the front of a Santa Cruz Megatower that was stopping people in their tracks. More interested in training than linkage forks? Zwift has a new virtual mountain bike program that integrates steering by using accelerometers in your phone.

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Videos Eurobike Drivetrain Linkage Forks Ceramicspeed Trust Performance Zwift Trust Shout Eurobike 2019


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43 Comments
  • 12 0
 With the drive shaft driven groupset - in theory - you could achieve "infinite" range by having a cassette as big as your rear wheel. Only limiting factors would be how much the drive shaft could extend/retract. Is this practical? No, probably not but still a cool idea!
  • 39 0
 Hey, who wouldn’t want infinite range on their drive shaft?
  • 25 10
 I'm pretty sure your mom says I have infinite range on my drive shaft..
  • 2 0
 @italyn12:
  • 9 1
 @italyn12: My moms dead..so enjoy your dusty shaft
  • 2 0
 "infinite"
  • 13 1
 Ceramic speed needs to put this in a box in front of the BB. It would be a gear box isolated from dirt. Then have a single cog out of it to drive the rear wheel like a one speed. Then make the honda bike with modern geo. Then ship me a few for free. Id like a 200mm DH mullet. A 150mm enduro bike (copy my sentinel geo). And an 80mm xc bike. Use YT linkage rates. Coils on the DH and enduro. Avy tunes on all. If you need a product manager ring me. $250k annual, full benefits, work remote from home. Thanks.
  • 1 0
 As chief of advertising I'll need $175k annual, and a $100k expense account to travel around and show the product off, as well as put up a gorilla marketing ad campaign.

I'll need a 120mm 29er trial bike, and a 170mm super-enduro rig.

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
  • 1 0
 Or direct shaft drive to a gearbox hub. That cheese grater cassette doesn't look like something I'd like to dance with rolling down a hill like a ragdoll.
  • 15 0
 I want to know how ceramic speed will deal with the bike flexing...
  • 12 4
 Very good question. But when you only ever appear on a show stand you don't have to deal with the real world. It may appear on a road bike one day, but on an mtb, no, not in the real world.
  • 1 0
 Wonder if they could use some kind of PTO shaft design that allows the drive shaft to move as the bike flexes
  • 6 0
 The chainstays won't flex apart. The rear end should stay in contact with the cassette since its mounted to the axle
  • 1 2
 Or when you eat shit and that shaft smashes on rock...?
  • 4 1
 @TW80: because derailleurs are indestructible?
  • 1 0
 Sound off
  • 9 0
 zwift looks like an off-brand video game system grandmas bought. and kids still had to write thank you notes for. corny, even for bike people.
  • 9 0
 Kids better write grandma a fuckin thank you note!
  • 1 1
 @Grosey: ionobro lookit this zwift it's bintendo grandma oughtta know better!
  • 2 0
 I'd prefer a Grand Theft Bicycle Game.
  • 9 0
 I've always had a preference for shaft suck over chain suck.
  • 8 4
 Mike getting out of a douche canoe on douchebag stand only to talk from a AirBnb located in what looks like East Germany. I like everything in between too.
  • 3 0
 "and it's all in hangers once used to manufacture giant Zeppelin airships." what a load off bullshit. the fair area was build in the last 20 years, stop spreading nonsense @pinkbike
  • 2 1
 Really interested in the ceramic speed drivetrain. Appreciate it's early days but, as refined as the current system (chain, mechanical, cassette) has become, after 30+ years there must be a better way. Perhaps in could be contained within some sort of box.
  • 1 0
 WHHHHYYYYY? !!!!!!!! I love innovation but dang both those technologies should be designed with a USP to overcome a problem and I mean a real problem (like all new tech) . Neither of those techs will get off the ground! they're too complex, too fragile. It's sooo easy to get carried away and get too close, too focussed, these guys need to step back and get objective. What's the benefit?
  • 3 1
 Thinking of what will happen when you bend or break this carbon driveshaft during a ride... Mmmmhhh, staying with a good old chain for now.
  • 1 0
 Only way that is happening is if you slam it hard enough into a rock - but with a traditional bike, thats most likely broken chainstays.
  • 1 0
 More Praying Mantis, Ninja Cougar forks in contrast with the popular telescopic forks of today! Let's not get caught up in the useless dogma of looks over function on anything!
  • 4 0
 LINKAGE FOOOOOOORK
  • 4 0
 agreeeeedddddd. this would be a swanky upgrade to my bicycle i think...
  • 3 1
 Anyone else feel like the new Zwift trainer would ingrain bad habits (turning your bars instead of leaning your bike)?
  • 4 0
 no, because its just a virtual stationary. has almost nothing to do w mtb
  • 3 0
 Douchebags?
  • 1 0
 exact
  • 2 0
 How many speeds is the ceramic speed MTB drivetrain?
  • 14 1
 Lol 1 because they haven't figured out shifting yet.
  • 2 0
 @BDubs1986: Except they have, several videos of the road system show it shifting.
  • 1 0
 @Wormfarmer: yeah since my original post I saw the videos posted on a few YouTube channels. At the time of my original comment I still had not seen any actual footage of it shifting or even being turning the cranks.

I must admit I'm quite impressed they worked it out.
  • 1 0
 I still can't get my head around e-bikes & now we are getting V-bikes. Rolleyes
  • 1 0
 be really good to see a working version of ceramicspeed's drivetrain.... let's see how it shifts..
  • 1 0
 Would be cool if the driveshaft could be housed in entirely or in part of the chainstay
  • 2 0
 what a day
  • 1 1
 Are we going to ignore the claim zeppelins exist and are sometimes threatening to explode over Eurobike? Evidence please.







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