The

Shimano , originally and later , is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company for cycling components, fishing tackles and rowing equipment, who also produced golf supplies until 2005 and snowboarding gear until 2008. Named after founder Shozaburo ...

Front Freewheel (FFS) was a proprietary

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

drivetrain design of the 1970s that placed a freewheel between the pedal cranks and the front

chainring The crankset (in the US) or chainset (in the UK), is the component of a bicycle drivetrain that converts the reciprocating motion of the rider's legs into rotational motion used to drive the chain or belt, which in turn drives the rear whee ...

s — enabling the rider to shift gears while coasting. FFS rear freewheel is different than a standard freewheel because it's "stiff" with more friction than a normal rear freewheel. It will slip if necessary however, to stop the chain in the event of, for example, a clothing tangle — which could otherwise lead to injuries of the leg by the drivetrain, crashing of the bicycle, or both. FFS marketing followed Shimano's then-current path of beginning with lower-cost implementations of the system using low tech and usually heavier materials. The resulting system was substantially heavier than the standard freewheel and, in any event, did not penetrate the market noticeably, although

Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Osaka P ...

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

Schwinn The Schwinn Bicycle Company is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets bicycles under the eponymous brand name. The company was originally founded by Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1948) in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manuf ...

, and

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

briefly equipped bicycles with FFS. The late Sheldon Brown called FFS a "solution in search of a problem." Non-proprietary front freewheels can currently be found on bikes used for

bike trials riding Mountain bike trials, also known as observed trials, is a discipline of mountain biking in which the rider attempts to pass through an obstacle course without setting foot to ground. Derived from motorcycle trials, it originated in Catalonia, Sp ...

, such as the

Honda RN-01 G-cross The Honda RN-01 G-Cross is a mountain bike produced by Honda specifically for downhill racing events. Honda is not a manufacturer of bicycles and this bike is not commercially available to the general public. It was introduced in the 2004 racing s ...

. Such a system allows for the use of cheaper fixed-gear rear hubs instead of cassette hubs, lower gear ratios, and increased ground clearance at the bottom bracket.

References

{{reflist Bicycle parts