Cannondale’s CERV bike adjusts to changing terrain

The curved drop handlebars which one would find normally on racing bicycles has for a long time been widely used

However the Continuously Ergonomic Race Vehicle (CERV) concept bike takes things to a new level with a design that dynamically adjusts the position of the handlebars based on the terrain being covered and all this without changing the seat.

Currently only a working prototype though, Ohio-based Priority Designs have designed the handlebars to move up and down without altering the distance from the seat to the crank. The solution which led to this new bicycle’s creation was a triangular frame with 100 mm (3.9 in) of travel up and down that moves in relation to the front end’s 85 mm (3.3 in) of travel forward and back. While climbing a hill the CERV’s front end moves up and back for a more upright rider position, when descending a hill, the CERV’s front end moves forward and down to give the rider a low profile and on flat ground, the handlebar position is somewhere in between. Due to the movement of the front end, use of a traditional fork wasn’t possible, so the CERV uses a single-sided swing arm, which removed the traditional front fork altogether. They’ve also built a mechanism that translates the steering movements from the handlebars to the front wheel through the bike’s frame. Similarly, the chainless bike translates the movement of the crank to the rear wheel via a transmission running through the shaft of the rear support arm. The CERV concept bike was unveiled at the Eurobike exhibition in Germany last month but will this bicycle ever become a reality? Your guess is as good as mine.