It's easy to assume that there isn't a whole lot innovation going on in (push) bikes. Shimano serve the 80% well enough that the companies serving the 20% are dropping products or going out of business. Like Sachs, who used to make freewheels you could build up from individual sprockets: no more.
Look a little harder, however, and it turns out that there is some innovation going on. Rohloff have an efficient 14 speed hub gear, and Schlumpf have a range of sealed front gears based on a cargo clutch and a planetary gear.
In combination? A considerably wider gear range than a derailleur will give you. I rather fear though that the transition between ranges will be a nuisance, so riding at the middle of the total range with either a mountain drive or a high speed drive, both of which apparently aim produce two gear ranges with em>no overlap, might be a bit of a pain.
This translates in to some hefty price tags, of course.
All that engineering innovation from Schlumpf clearly hasn't left time for thinking about web site usability.
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