Interesting Gearing

[kingoffootball]

Forward for one gear, backwards for another:

Weird 'Le Pedalage' 2 speed pedal back & forwards trick bike, 21.5" frame, rare | eBay

Just look at the strange drivetrain set up - it has 2 speeds, you can pedal forward as normal, then if you pedal backwards it still goes forward but in a different gear ratio. If you don't pedal at all it freewheels like a normal bike so not like a fixie.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[BongoInTheCongo]

That's totally bizarre, but I like it!

 

[BongoInTheCongo]

Just nuts and bolts too, no brazing

 

[al-onestare]

View attachment 859441

Forward for one gear, backwards for another:

Weird 'Le Pedalage' 2 speed pedal back & forwards trick bike, 21.5" frame, rare | eBay

Just look at the strange drivetrain set up - it has 2 speeds, you can pedal forward as normal, then if you pedal backwards it still goes forward but in a different gear ratio. If you don't pedal at all it freewheels like a normal bike so not like a fixie.

www.ebay.co.uk

Just because you can doesn't mean you should

 

[hamster]

I've seen it before, there was a chap (can't remember his name) I met once on the IoW Randonnee. He was on a vintage Hirondelle, wearing a beret and Breton sweater and had onions strung from the bars. Apparently he even did Paris-Brest-Paris successfully on it, so chapeau to him.
It was odd seeing him climbing and pedalling backwards. I chatted to him and the only other oddity is that the rear wheel cannot rotate backwards.

1935 Cycles Hirondelle a 2 Vitesses Retro-Directes – The Online Bicycle Museum

1935 Cycles Hirondelle a 2 Vitesses Retro-Directes

onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk

 

[hamster]

Got it! Drew Buck.

Cycling 770 miles non-stop on a 100-year-old bike with onions

Dressed as a French onion seller on a 100-year-old bike, Drew Buck takes on one of long distance cycling's toughest challenges.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[novocaine]

View attachment 859441

Forward for one gear, backwards for another:

Weird 'Le Pedalage' 2 speed pedal back & forwards trick bike, 21.5" frame, rare | eBay

Just look at the strange drivetrain set up - it has 2 speeds, you can pedal forward as normal, then if you pedal backwards it still goes forward but in a different gear ratio. If you don't pedal at all it freewheels like a normal bike so not like a fixie.

www.ebay.co.uk

my head thinks "yer, thats clever that", my legs think "uff, fixed gear" as I can't see a freewheel on the back pedal.

 

[kingoffootball]

Well you could ask whoever bought it for £33 to test - the seller says it freewheels.

 

[novocaine]

No reason why it couldn't free wheel.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Called "Retro-Direct"

Retro-direct - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

It's light, simple and compact.

If it worked well, we'd all do it.
Sadly rotating your feet backwards isn't very good