Shifting Gears --

A transmissiom would be cool - anyome thought of using something smple like a bicycle chain dereiler? This would be failry easy if using one drive wheel - harder if two drive wheels -
you'd need a differential - really hard if using a 4 wheel drive.

The drill press stacked pulleys are really the same thing has the
typical bicycle gear cluster, and I have seen designs for 'infinately variable speed transmissions based on two parabolic cylinders and a drive wheel.

Remember automatic transmissions work because of fluidic coupling - ie they are clutch less. Manual transmission rely on the
very sophisticated feedback system of a human mind to match the
speed of the motor to the speed rnage of the wheels.

So while I see that some of you suoer sophisticated teams will want to be both super fast and have super torque, think about all those gears and sprokets and things getting strewn all over the competition floor. What is the problem you are trying to solve? Is a multi-speed transmission the only way to do it?