South Salem Cycleworks museum bikes: Powercam Catalog

Hi, Nate Taylor here. Please reach out to me at nate@sscycleworks.com for inquiries on parts availabilities and shipping estimates.

South Salem Cycleworks Museum:
Houdaille EX Powercam catalog and literature

The Houdaille EX Powercam was a crankset designed to quickly get the rider's foot past the top of the pedal stroke where he has the least power, ideally making him a more efficient rider. The inner ring was usually 45 teeth and outer ring was usually 60 tooth.

It could be retrofitted to any standard bicycle and used very large chain rings and a cam at the center of the cranks facing the bottom bracket cup. This device theoretically allowed the effort to be reduced where the muscles were weakest and to alternately be increased where the muscles were strongest.. not altogether unlike the purpose of the Shimano Bio Pace chain rings.

Produced in the 1980s, it was popular for a short while and was used by several well-known ultra-endurance riders.