im - 11/05/2007 10:18:00 AM

Time for the Surly Brain Twister. We have people e-mail in and ask us tech questions often. They're awsome and we actually know the answers to some. Here's one from the mailbox for you. Answer this question (to yourself or to your co-workers or to the manual typwriter in your unibomber shack). There will be no prizes or recognition for correct answers. In fact, don't e-mail us the answer at all. Just let it eat at your melon. One part of the suggested build will not work - of this I am sure. The other is unclear. Mull it over. "Greetings, Surly folks! The invention of the Surly Dingle Cog has finally made possible the dual chain redundant chain setup. I believe that it is now possible to run two drive chains to the rear wheel, using a 17t/19t Dingle cog or similar, along with the corresponding chainrings of double the size of each cog, or a 34T/38T up front; each ring/cog having its own chain. Thusly the Double Chain Dingle Cog Redundancy Cog System is created. Maximize efficiency by cutting the energy lost to chain stretch in half! Or, obtain two right side crank arms and a fixed/fixed hub, and run both right and left side drivetrains with the same setup for the Ultimate Double Double Dingle Cog Redundancy Chain Cog Drivetrain Backup Solution System! Never worry about a broken chain again, or about axles twisting under load and devouring your precious leg power! You could go 101% as fast! Biking to Chile? Never be stopped dead in your tracks by a broken chain or chainring again, have a spare installed and turning on the bike at all times! Behold the buzz of four chains working in unison, and be awestruck at the spectacle of a modern mechanical marvel. Build it up today, and strike terror into the hearts of the young, the elderly, and the infirm! You have the parts, the knowledge, and the wherewithal to build it, all I ask for are pictures. Many thanks in advance, Sam" I would like to thank Sam for his wonton irony in the face of actual possibilities. -Skip -----