geekhouse/aarn: nahbs prototype adjustable track dropout [bicycle]
marty of geekhouse bikes and myself worked some long hours to get this prototype track dropout ready for the 2009 nahbs show. in the geekhouse blog, marty says:
So at the NAHBS show I was finally able to unveil a project that I’ve been working on for the past few months. This is the new Geekhouse drop out that I’m working on for all fixed gear, and 700c single speed bikes. The drops feature an integrated chain tensioner system that is integrated into chain stay area. With a quick turn of the knob you can have a totally tensioned chain. This system is different from others out there in that there is no external knob that can fall off or you hit your foot on while riding. Not included in this picture is another small aluminum piece that actually craddles the axle itself and helps move the whole system forward and back. Also the dropout itself is sealed off so no moisture can penetrate the chainstay. And finally my favorite part is that is looks real pretty..;)
This drop out took me about a year and a half to work out in my head before I had the idea for most of what I really wanted in a design. But I really have to thank the engineer on this project Aarn. Aarn and I spent a bunch of snowy days over the past few months staring at a computer screen trying to get the design perfect. I’m looking forward to working with aarn on some other projects coming up, so stay tuned for those too.
the line drawing above is an early concept for the dropout, a few things were changed to make it a little easier to manufacture in a short-run setting, with minimal milling operations and tool changes. marty had the prototype dropouts on all three of his bikes at the nahbs. in urban velo’s day one coverage of the nahbs they noted that dropout featured very subtle tensioners built into the track ends. and said that it was the small touches at the show that make the biggest bang.
look for the first production version of the dropout this month, and more geekhouse/aarn collaborations in the future.
more pictures of the most recent geekhouse track bikes here.
