HammerSchmidt Who? We’ll All Know Real Soon
August 15, 2008 by Dave Rouse
Filed under Uncategorized
Trends and styles of riding have burgeoned in recent years; almost always as a result of the constantly evolving technology that is present in the sport. The early 90’s yielded suspension to the mountain biking community which many feel has been the greatest advance in the sport of mountain biking to date. In spite of this, some traditionalists have dismissed this development and fully embraced the simplicity of the fully rigid frame. While the significance of suspension may be debatable to some, especially with the evolution in frame geometry, production of disc brakes, and improvements in wheel and tire design, SRAM has boldly added another contender to the debate, the Truvativ HammerSchmidt front shifting line, that should make any rider of any style momentarily recede from the debate and eagerly await their chance to try out this new advancement. Leaving the front derailleur obsolete, the HammerSchmidt is a breakthrough in front transmission technology that provides the same benefits of a duel ring system neatly packed into one single ring.
The Truvativ HammerSchmidt will overcome many of the problems encountered with a two or three ring system. Riding with traditional two or three ring systems require constant attention and planning in response to the approaching terrain. In fact, shifting is an art that requires careful timing to successfully shift your front derailleur, especially in situations with abrupt terrain changes. A surprise incline can leave you in a precarious situation as you desperately try to keep the pedals moving in order to guide the chain to the lower ring. Similarly, many chainring teeth are ravaged as they unsuccessfully clear trail obstructions, or an unsuspecting rider is granted the surprise of zero chain tension as they begin to crank upwards after a bumpy downhill jolted the chain completely off of the rings. The HammerSchmidt should successfully evade all of these problems, all the while packaged into a cool, sleek design.
As mentioned earlier, the HammerSchmidt is a single chainring, but is a ring drive that disengages and engages yielding two gear ratios, 1:1 and overdrive, or 1:1.6. Basically, 1:1 means that with every pedal stroke, the chain ring makes a single revolution. In contrast, overdrive means that with every pedal stroke, the chain ring completes 1.6 revolutions. Mimicking a dual system, the HammerSchmidt gives you a 22/36 or 24/38 gear range out of a single ring. What are the benefits you may ask? To start out, shifting does not require a certain chain tension. With the HammerSchmidt, you no longer have to worry about planning your gear changes with your 
predicted pedaling capability. Whether you are pedaling or not, shifting is done easily and successfully at any moment, under any load, in any situation. This relatively compact system will also greatly enhance clearance for most bicycles, and with the chain encased between the collar assembly, the chain will remain secure going over the roughest terrain. With familiar trigger-style shifters, although actuation is reversed in HammerSchmidt shifters, riders should adapt with little effort to the Truvativ HammerSchmidt front transmission system gaining enormous rewards.
SRAM has produced two versions of the HammerSchmidt, a freeride and all-mountain. The freeride version is essentially a beefier version of the all mountain, weighing approximately 160 grams more. When compared to traditional cranksets, both HammerSchmidt versions outweigh most traditional cranskets anywhere from 10-180 grams. Where weight may be one disadvantage, it is difficult to determine where other shortcomings may exist. Although quite expensive, bearing in mind that this system requires new triggers, crank arms, bottom bracket, and the mechanism assembly itself, technology inevitably improves and time may be an ally as price may eventually decline. Nevertheless, progress in mountain bike technology should fully be supported; otherwise we would never have those heated debates over styles of riding that we all so passionately love and rely on for recreation, competition, and the general pleasures that the sport of mountain biking provides.
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This post was written by:
Dave Rouse - who has written 5 posts on Mountain bike product reviews, bike builds, trail reviews, forum, and tips – MTOBikes.com.
From cruising down the driveway as a kid on his plastic Big Wheel to riding down a mountain on his aluminum, big-wheeled freeride rig, Dave has always had an interest and passion towards bikes and the sport of biking in general. He has explored trails and rides throughout the U.S. including long cross-country rides across the rugged Texas hill country, epic downhill journeys down the porcupine rim of Moab, Utah, and exposed, mountaintop singletracks of central Colorado. Presently, he resides in Athens, GA pursuing a graduate degree in environmental toxicology at the University of Georgia.
The HammerSchmidt technology is in short – awesome.
I see so many applications for this. I’m for one, so tired of my chain flopping on my 3 ring crank when doing all-mountain rides, yet I don’t want to drag along a chain tensioner up and down a mountain all day.
On my 29er rig, the low bb height has always been an issue. (29er’s tend to have BBs that drop 1-2″ lower than comparable 26″ bikes). This could solve that issue. No more crank-bite on every log on the trail.
You know what they say about front derailleurs… when they’re on, they’re on, but when they’re off, they’re off-ful! Front deraileurs have always crapped-out earlier for me than rear derailleurs… I think the shift plates just wear down faster. This technology fixes that as well.
I’m having dreams of a Hammerschmidt All-Mt. up front and a Rohloff 14spd churning in back. That would be a killer setup.
Durability is my only question though… all those tiny teeth. How do they seal it? I suppose if it’s made in Germany, it may be ok.
Eh? I saw this on Pink Bike yesterday. Retail is something around $800.00. I think that I will stick to my MRP, LRP (Retail is $125.00). If you keep your chain short and fresh it should not have a problem. There are so many moving parts, it looks like trouble. I tend to shy away from speciality parts. If I break that BB in Moab, am I going to be able find another one in town? Then do I feel like waiting 2 weeks from QBP to get another one? My $.02
[...] The Cool Component: Truvativ Hammer Schmidt [...]
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[...] peeve, I don’t have the energy for that (laughs). I would say a big trend right now is the Hammerschmidt, people are trying to figure out how to build a Hammerschmidt into their frame, whether [...]