What does the Miragedrive idler do?

I was recently sailing and due to a running repair the idler was disconnected. This didn't impact on the drive at all so I'm wondering what it's function is aside from looking good

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Cheers

Jeff
AI (2016)

Great question. When you push on one pedal, the idler transfers some of the force to the other drum, so both drums "pull" the fins. This makes the action smoother and reduces peak stresses on the individual components. It works without the idler, but your cable/chains and other parts will fail faster.

Thanks Roadrunner for your comprehensive answer. There were all sorts of theories when we discussed this; a money spinner, a hypnotizer or fascinator, a safety feature as an attention grabber to keep you looking forward

_________________
Cheers

Jeff
AI (2016)