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Originally Posted by Rickertsen2
Also has anybody ever considered/tried something like a bicycle shifter?
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being a mountain bike enthusiast, i've put a little bit of thought into the subject, and have come away with a the main impression that while it can be done, it will have a few limitations, most of them do to the fact that a bike's shifting system is made to run in only one direction: forward. because of this, if you pedal backwards the chain won't shift, and if the derailer is in bad shape (or poorly made) the chain will come off the sprockets. in addition, the shifter would be a strictly on-the-fly shifter. it would be impossible for it to shift if the robot is stationary, or moving too slowly. another thing that may give a FIRST team trouble is the fact that most high-end mountain bikes use specially made sprockets that help the chain climb from one sprocket to the next. these sprockets would probably have to be made from scratch.
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/mountain-bike.htm <--some pretty good stuff on mountain bike design