Been commuting for 5 months now

B.K. Hosken

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Jun 4, 2008
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I figured I would chime in. I've been riding my Rans Recumbent with a GX-35 Honda powered Staton friction drive to work and it's been great! I only drive 7 miles to and from work, so it's only 20 min by bike, 15 min by car.

The GX-35 is not really powerful, so top speed is about 26-27mph. I have proven to myself that it's a realistic efficient way to get around, so I just ordered a new Staton friction drive with the Mitsubishi TLE-43, should give a top speed of 36-37. That's about as fast as I want to go on a bike...
 
Did you order a 1 1/2" roller? Without it, your top end will be limited to about 30.
 
Did you order a 1 1/2" roller? Without it, your top end will be limited to about 30.

That's almost correct. AT 30mph, engine speed is 8300rpm. High up in the power curve, but The Mits engine still has enough oomph to go faster.

I've been commuting on a 12-mile roundtrip to work four days weekly.

I run both of my Mitsubishi engines to extreme rpm. Pushing over 300 pounds at 38mph, front engine with 1.375" roller is SCREAMING at 10,500rpm.
Rear engine w/1.5" spindle is comfortable at 9600rpm with its ADA S1 expansion pipe.:giggle:

Front engine used to beg for mercy w/1.25" roller at 35mph (11,250rpm). :eek:

Mind you, this WOT punishment is just for short intervals on a 2-mile stretch of highway. This is to keep up with traffic while commuting to work.

At the end of that punishment, engines and I are all friends, humming along towards home at 25mph (6900rpm and 6300rpm).

But then again it'd be more of a strain using one Mitsubishi engine.

Staton states on his website that 40mph is possible with 1.5" roller and lightweight rider.

That's at 10,300rpm.
 
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Hmmm, I got the 1.375" roller.

I figured I didn't want to go faster than 35-37mph, so I got the 1.375" roller. Maybe I shoudl get the 1.5" and just don't use all the GO that the motor has?
 
I guess just see how it goes with the 1.375". We're only talking about .125" difference, and power may still be a limiting factor. My friction setup is on a Trek mountain bike. Perhaps the better aerodynamics of the Rans will give you more top end.
 
Run What You Got!

:unsure:The 1.3375 roller is a wise choice if you keep at 30mph or below.

At that speed your engine will be ALIVE and peaked. But more important your low and midrange will be very strong. There is a HUGE difference in throttle response as compared to a 1.5" spindle.

I replaced my 1.125" roller with a 1.5" spindle on "The Dragon Lady" when it had one engine. It changed the bike's personality into a very mellow cruiser.

With a 1.5" roller it's like a highway gear. Offthrottle response is sluggish; midrange shows promise, topend flies. The engine never screams or protests. It just hums along.

You need to pedal with 1.5" at low speed. If you can pedal in midrange and high end, the 1.5" is a great option for commuting on flat ground.

FWIW, "The Dragon Lady" and I weigh in at 300lbs. Aerodynamics is challenged with a full front basket and me using a raincoat.

The friction roller on my front engine was changed very recently from 1.25" to 1.375". The low end and midrange power loss wasn't noticeable. High end was a bit less brutal for the engine, but rpms were still WAY over redline.

The front engine SCREAMS for mercy at 38mph; at that speed the rear engine is past redline but still pushing the bike.

I ordered the 1.5" roller for the front engine. Both engines will now have the same spindle. They should produce good low end/midrange and awesome top end...

especially when the two engines will have expansion pipes(exhaust).:devilish:


In 30 minutes I will be commuting six miles to work.

It's like a 25-minute amusement ride! Thoroughly enjoyable, even if it rains.
 
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Just received the STaton Mitsu TLE43 kit, will hopefully put it on tomorrow...more POWER ARH ARH ARH.
 
You'll like the Mitsubishi engine. It's relatively quiet, docile, reliable and powerful.

With the 1.375" roller, it'd be a nice comparison to a Chevy 327 engine with 4.11 gears.:)
 
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Well, I got it on the bike. It's got a bit more power but I expected a LOT more. It's quieter than the 4 cycle Honda GX35, though Anyway, I'm hoping it needs to break in a bit before it has all the power it should, but I'm running it on a recumbent bike and I'm 225 pounds, and right now it's topping out at 30mph. I'm not impressed so far. I expected 35-37mph.
 
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