I like the thinking behind this but I'm sure you'd have to go with a full chainguide to make this work and you'd have to have a perfectly working system to pull it off. Having a mostly slack chain driving a ratchet system is a recipe for chain derailment. Try rapidly backpedaling over rough terrain and see how much chain control the bike has (it bounces around like mad).
On top of this, any increased drag in the ratchet will cause the upper run of the chain to go slack and likely drop between the chainstay and tire. The clutch RD will help but not eliminate this.
My boy's old bike had this but using a Gates belt drive (in singlespeed of course). At least with a singlespeed you don't get the upper chain run going slack.
June 12, 2017, 10:48 p.m. - Bogey
I like the thinking behind this but I'm sure you'd have to go with a full chainguide to make this work and you'd have to have a perfectly working system to pull it off. Having a mostly slack chain driving a ratchet system is a recipe for chain derailment. Try rapidly backpedaling over rough terrain and see how much chain control the bike has (it bounces around like mad). On top of this, any increased drag in the ratchet will cause the upper run of the chain to go slack and likely drop between the chainstay and tire. The clutch RD will help but not eliminate this. My boy's old bike had this but using a Gates belt drive (in singlespeed of course). At least with a singlespeed you don't get the upper chain run going slack.