From Passion to Patent: Innovation on Two Wheels
Anyone who knows me knows that bicycles are one of my great passions. One that grows even stronger when it connects with my other passions: physical activity, the outdoors, mechanics, technology, and patents. This year, it also connects to the memory of one very special person, to whom I dedicate these words. A friend, a fellow cycling enthusiast, and a visionary: the late Raz Malchi.
The bicycle has come a long and revolutionary way since 1817, when it was invented by German Baron Karl von Drais, who called it the “running machine.” It looked more like a child’s balance bike, propelled by pushing one’s feet against the ground, with no pedals, no chain, and of course, no gears. Originally, designed as a human-powered alternative to horse-based transportation, it marked one of the earliest steps toward modern personal mobility.
Today, bicycles are used across an enormous range of outdoor, and even indoor, activities, and their contribution to sustainability, as well as to physical, mental, and emotional well-being, is significant.
In recent years, innovation in bicycle technology has advanced far beyond mechanical improvements. It now focuses on electrification, integrated power systems, advanced materials, digital connectivity, drivetrain and control systems, ergonomics, safety, and durability.
Two interesting recent developments I came across are Škoda’s DUOBELL and SRAM’s integrated Motor-Gearbox Unit, or MGU.
The first was created in response to a modern safety challenge: pedestrians and cyclists using noise-canceling headphones. DUOBELL uses a specific frequency range designed to penetrate the digital algorithms of noise cancellation, helping alert people on the road.
The second may redefine the future of drivetrain systems in electric mountain bikes. The invention addresses two familiar challenges in modern e-MTBs: exposed and vulnerable rear derailleurs, and rapid chain wear. SRAM’s development moves the gear system into the motor housing of the bicycle, offering a solution to both issues (US Patent App. 2025388290).
The Israeli angle, which is especially close to my heart, is connected to two important and highly deserving innovations by the late Raz Malchi, a true pioneer in the Israeli cycling community, known to many as the driving force behind Twenty Peaks™
The first is an innovative bicycle gear system designed to improve efficiency and durability for serious climbers and off-road riders (U.S. Patent No. 12,054,222).
The second transforms a bicycle trainer into a compact, multifunctional training platform by connecting a pull-rope mechanism to the trainer’s resistance unit. This enables both rowing and resistance-based pulling exercises, combining cycling technology, strength training, and smart use of space (WO2026/069309).
There is no more fitting occasion than World Bicycle Day to honor Raz’s contribution to the field he loved so deeply, and to celebrate the technology that continues to move us forward.
