Fast fixie: Bicycle with giant chainring aims for 100 mph
All those fixie-riding hipsters have a new bicycle to lust after. This British creation has already topped 60 mph.
Most of us don't put much thought into the components that make a bicycle move. Things like chains and chainrings are pretty much out of sight and out of mind as we peddle along. With Donhou Bicycles' 100-mph bike, you can't ignore the chainring. It's so big, you could serve a large pizza on it.
The Donhou bike has a purpose in mind. It's made to go fast. The strange-looking handlebars keep the rider hunched forward in an aerodynamic position. That humungous serving plate-size chainring then goes to work to propel you forward at speeds your Huffy would never even dare to dream of.
That monster of a chainring sports 105 teeth and is 17 inches in diameter. That means every go-round of the pedal sends the bike forward way farther than your standard road or mountain bike.
According to NPR, the bike has already reached speeds of 60 mph on the open road, but creator Tom Donhou would like to get it up to 100 mph. Getting there under pure leg power alone is a little out of reach, which is why many speedster bicyclists use a lead vehicle that provides a good draft to follow in. That's how Donhou plans to get up to speed with this unusual bike.
The Donhou 100-mph bike won't be breaking any speed records, but it does manage to look much more like a regular bike than most of the specially designed creations that have set records. That chainring is certainly an attention-getter.
The bike was unveiled at the Bespoked Bristol 2013 show, but so far it looks like it will remain an specialty item and not go into wider production.
