New US Patent 8,506,436 Granted

On August 13, 2013, US Patent 8,506,436 was granted with assigned intellectual property rights to WickWerks LLC.  This is another in the line of bicycle chainring and derailleur patents and intellectual property rights to be awarded for the innovative efforts at WickWerks.  The cool part is not the patent award, but the recognition of the unique and inventive methods used in the WickWerks chainrings.  The concept of moving a chain between different sized chainrings is ages old, but the latest way of doing it, BRIDGE Technology, is faster and more stable — and now with another awarded patent.

To read more about WickWerks BRIDGE Shift Technology, check out Chainring Technology and WickWerks Shifting Examination.

US Patent 8,506,436

Titled “Bicycle Chainring with Ramps”, US Patent 8,506,436 covers the what we commonly call the “Radical Ramps”.  These ramps are used during an up-shift from the smaller front ring to the larger one and they lift the chain under the “Load Points” rather than by the side plates.  Additionally, the covered radical ramps are specified to include the lift of multiple chain load points which make the shifts cleaner and more stable.

This new patent further cements the WickWerks shifting technology by supporting and protecting the concepts. But, does it work? Just look around at the folks that are using them.  There were many people riding WickWerks to national titles all over the globe, and on the Podiums at Cyclocross Worlds in early 2013.  Does it work?  Absolutely.

… But it’s something you need to try before you can truly understand the difference a chainring can make.