The Stringbike is a bicycle that uses a rope and pulley drive system instead of a traditional bicycle chain and sprockets.[1][2][3][4] It uses two Dyneema ropes attached to pulleys attached to swinging lever and cam mechanisms, one on each side of the bike. These mechanisms replace the round sprockets found on chain-driven bikes. Unlike some traditional 10-speed gears using a derailleur, there is no slippage when changing gear ratios.[5] The Stringbike uses a 19 gear ratio system with no duplicates and a total gear range of 3.5 to 1. The transmission ratio can be changed with a shifting knob located on the right-side handle grip. Gear ratios can be changed even when the bicycle is almost stationary.[6]
Hungarian designers from the manufacturing company Schwinn Csepel Zrt, unveiled the bicycle in 2010 in Padova, Italy.[7]
It never caught on so possibly isn’t better than a chain design, but maybe it simply lacks popularity or the idea might be made use of for some other application
I’d also be wondering about how easy it is to break whatever rope or what not they are using. Cause if it’s some really expensive rope or what not that’d probably be more expensive than the gear and chain anyway and if it’s not than how easy is it to replace and how expensive would it be.