Fox has filed a patent outlining two separate inventions that work in unison to combat the adverse effects chain tension has on a bike\u2019s rear suspension.<\/p>\n

What is pedal kickback?<\/h4>\n
The rear axle moves further away from the bottom bracket at some point through the compression of almost all mountain bike rear suspension systems<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To compensate for this, the rear-derailleur cage moves forward, feeding more chain onto the cassette<\/a>, which in turn feeds more chain into the upper span, enabling it to grow with the axle movement.<\/p>\n
The cassette can\u2019t spin faster than the wheel because the freehub<\/a>\u2018s rotation is locked to the rear-wheel rotation. This means at slow speeds, or when the rear wheel is locked up, the cassette can\u2019t provide slack to the upper of the chain.<\/p>\n
This causes the chain to move backwards, which in turn rotates the cranks backwards to allow for the chain growth required for suspension compression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is called pedal kickback. The sharp rotation of the cranks makes it feel as though the bike is overly firm and can make it harder to keep your feet in place if you ride with flat pedals<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Pedal kickback also reduces the sensitivity of the rear suspension as more force is put through the linkage.<\/p>\n
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What has Fox filed for?<\/h2>\n
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Why is Fox doing this?<\/h2>\nChain tension is a hot topic in the world of mountain biking, with new frame designs and innovations created to combat this issue.<\/p>\n