This SRAM patent proposes to change the rollers forever

Installing the bike on the roller to be much easier and faster seems to be the goal of the latest patent that SRAM has presented, while also showing that the American brand could be working on its first interactive roller, a product that it does not yet have but that the brand is more than capable of manufacturing.

SRAM is working on its first potentially revolutionary roller

Once again, the patents published by bike brands give us a good idea of the direction they are working in. Finding a patent from SRAM related to a roller has been surprising, although, thinking about it, it is an understandable step for a company that has gradually expanded its product range by adding brands such as Time pedals, Hammerhead cycle computers, or acquiring Powertap technology to enhance the level of its Quarq power meters.

The latest patent published by SRAM proposes a new roller system in which the cyclist does not have to remove the wheel of their bike as with the usual direct mount rollers. This does not mean going back to friction rollers where the resistance was produced by a rubber or metal cylinder pressing against the rear tire, while also wearing down the rubber.

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SRAM's proposal involves fixing the bike to the roller with an axle that would go through the rear wheel's thru-axle, without having to remove anything, and the chain would be lifted from the transmission to engage with a toothed wheel on the roller's structure. A wheel that, in turn, would have another cog with a fixed chain to transmit the force to the resistance unit.

At first glance, it seems like a cumbersome design and it is not clear how easy it would be to place and remove the bike. However, as we usually remind you when this type of news comes out, patents are ideas that are protected so that they are not used by competitors and brands may or may not be working on them. These are ideas that need to be developed until a product that meets the requirements is found. What this patent does suggest is that SRAM seems to be working on creating its first roller. We will have to see what surprises they have in store for us.