Fixie to Freewheel: One Button

The University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics is a mouthful.

But you know what isn’t? A bike that can switch between a freewheel and a fixed gear at the touch of a button. It’s called the Alpha and I’m very impressed. They call it SWIFT Drive Technology and I hope they are patenting it!

The bicycle is the first fully internal drive system that includes a transmission that allows the rider to switch between freewheel and fixie using just a switch on the handlebars! It also includes an internal cable routing system which holds an electronics system inside the handlebars. An LCD mounted in the handlebars feeds out real ride data. Handlebars were 3D printed and laid up in carbon fiber.