Volae Recumbent Bicycles - Rotor System Information

What is Rotor System?

Rotor is an innovative pedalling system that eliminates the dead point in your pedalling circle. The dead point of conventional pedalling is the void that occurs when the pedals are vertically positioned (one at the top and the other at the bottom), which is a moment at which neither leg can transmit any power. The dead point limits the cyclist's performance, causes tendonitis and injuries to the knee, as well as discontinuity in the traction. Rotor System provides the definitive solution to this inefficiency.

Rotor makes the crank arms independent in such a way that they are not aligned at a fixed 180°, but rather the angle between them varies during the cycle in such a way that one pedal never coincides with the one below, thus avoiding power vacuums. Such an effect is achieved by the use of independent cranks that are synchronised by means of an exocentric axel and two rods, which vary the development during the cycle and adapt to the muscle power of the legs at all times. By eliminating the dead point, Rotor optimises the effort of the cyclist and reduces the risk of injury, providing a notable increase in performance and more comfortable and healthy pedalling. Click here for an animated simulator.

The Benefits provided by Rotor System

Scientific studies carried out by prestigious international universities have shown that Rotor achieves a real increase in power of up to 16% (equivalent to an average advantage of 3 minutes in an hour), as well as a reduction in lactic acid and cardiac effort.

Reduction of lactates: Rotor reduces the concentration of lactates in the blood thanks to greater muscular efficiency, thus reducing fatigue.
Reduction of cardiac effort: Consequently, as a result of the reduction of lactates in the blood, cardiovascular demand is less.
Reduces knees injuries: Conventional pedalling subjects the knee to great articulatory stress when the leg is pushing on the upper dead point. By eliminating the dead point, Rotor reduces the typical knee injuries of the cyclist, due to less stress on the knee tendon. Thanks to the variation of the development during the cycle, the push is more progressive and the articulatory stress is more uniform.

Rolf's Rotor Impressions:

An 81-mile ride in the Mississippi River bluffs near LaCrosse Wisconsin was my first experience riding the Rotor Cranks. I was riding with Drew, a friend and fellow Volae rider. We are very close in age, weight and conditioning. Drew lives at the base of Grand Dad's Bluff in LaCrosse and rides up the bluff frequently so his climbing ability is at least as good as mine.

Our first climb was, you guessed it, Grand Dad's Bluff. I reached the top and Drew was about a quarter mile behind me. We did seven major climbs that day and each time I gradually pulled away from Drew. We both use Shimano Dura Ace road pedals and our x-seams are identical so we can switch bikes without any adjustments. After about 70 miles we switched bikes so Drew now had the Rotor cranks. When we got to the first climb (a smaller hill but still a good climb) Drew was in front. By that time I was accustomed to passing Drew effortlessly on the climbs. I attempted to close the gap and pass Drew but (what's this?) even with greater effort on my part Drew stayed ahead of me. The other thing I felt was some impact on my legs when pedaling with standard cranks that I hadn't felt with the Rotors. Drew promptly ordered Rotor Cranks for both he and his wife and, to this day, they are very happy with them.

About a month later, I recorded my fastest time in over 20 years on my 21-mile commute into work. Even with six miles of in-town riding and an initial climb with no downhill payback thrown into the mix, I made it to work in just under one hour. That's an average of slightly over 21 mph. Granted, I had a tailwind part of the way but I've had tailwinds before and the best I had been able to do was about one hour and five minutes.

I rode five 100-plus mile days and a little over 5,000 miles in 2004. All five of the centuries were on the Rotor Cranks and four of them were back-to-back centuries. In each case I felt I had more left in my legs at the end of the ride than I would have with regular cranks. This was a huge help when riding the back-to-back centuries. On the Door County Century, I averaged 19.1 mph for 105 miles. I never felt that the Rotor cranks were a disadvantage and I will be riding with them again.

At Volae, we want to give every advantage to our riders, so it only made sense to offer the Rotor System as a factory upgrade on our recumbents. Feel free to call and we'll be happy to share our experiences combining these revolutionary cranks with our revolutionary bikes.

-Rolf Garthus
Volae President

HOLY SMOKES! Grin equals rush equals freedom! Speed and comfort with the responsiveness of a skateboard. I rode ten miles around my neighborhood in sneakers before staying up all night to install accessories and dial in the fit. Like my aerobatic airplane, you wear this bike. But honest, not twitchy. Ride is firm but not jarring, softer than I expected.

I'm writing a book, "The Rail Gun Chronicles" about this bike and my experiences with it. Be calling you soon for an interview with the makers - if you don't mind. This bike has made cycling possible for me again and the experience of buying and riding it has exceeded my wildest expectations in every way!