Chain degreasing and skipping on smallest cog

[jabberwocky]

Provided there's enough frame clearance to do it!

Yeah, for sure. The Explore uses the same motor (Syncdrive Life) and comes with a 42t chainring. I suspect it would fit a 42 or 44, but you'd have to check for that motor and frame combo.

 

[mschwett]

still waiting for the day when a direct electric drive is placed on the rear with enough smart electronics to basically let the motor be the "cassette" you would only pedal the small dynamo with enough effort put into the system you would basically have a true maintenance free system,i have to go for surgery to get the nasty lubricant out of my right index finger,was removing a freewheel and it was covered with some kind of gunk that got into the wound when the freewheel spun off and did a number on my finger like a circular saw luckily it didnt cut the tendon.

lots of versions of this prototyped over the years.

Are Chainless Digital Drive Bicycles The Future of Cycling? - CYCLINGABOUT.com

Are derailleur and gearbox drivetrains the pinnacle of what’s possible? Or will bicycle drivetrains of the future be digital?

www.cyclingabout.com

the issue remains efficiency : for every 100 watts of pedaling you do, a derailleur drivetrain puts about 95 into the wheel. with current and soon-feasible technology the electric drive system is going to be more like 55-60 watts from that 100. (100 x .8 = 80 watts generated, 80 x .8 = 64 watts of propulsion at the motor, lose another 5-10 from gearing of some kind to keep the motor speeds in a practical range)

that’s a lot of energy to throw away for a human rider. it would feel sluggish to say the least - even the small difference in efficiency between a derailleur and IGH is noticeable to many people, and this is an order of magnitude worse….