The prototyping process for the High-Drive system took years. During that time, I designed all sorts of clutches, gearboxes, sprockets, pulleys, etc. Each time I settled on a design, I prototyped it. It typically didn't matter how thoughtful the design was or how long I had spent obsessing over it. Nothing was ever perfect. In some cases, the design just needed to be tweaked or wasn't quite the right fit for this kind of bike. In other cases, there were catastrophic failures. 

Each of the parts in the photo above represent a failure. Failure can be incredibly discouraging, especially for a perfectionist. But it's part of the process. Although each of these photos mark a discouraging failure in my life, they also mark a new insight, which was in every case the beginning of more progress and in turn a link in a chain of events that would eventually result in an entirely new motorization system. 

Failure is important. You learn from it. So embrace it. 

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