Dimension EDGE???

[strotter]

I don't read much about this company or system. Does anybody have any experience with this friction system?? According to their web site, you can shift gears on the fly. How does this work?

 

[ibdennyak]

They are on this site.....maybe they will chime in.

 

[Happy Valley]

I don't read much about this company or system. Does anybody have any experience with this friction system?? According to their web site, you can shift gears on the fly. How does this work?

Actually, a closer reading will note they say shift on the fly, (not shift gears on the fly) meaning engage/disengage the drive assembly while underway and do so at will.

It is a single speed friction drive and their kits come with numerous roller sizes made from various materials. It's a very good system, durable and well made. Roller changes, unlike most other FDs, take only a couple minutes with one wrench and they are the only really true free-wheeling friction drive out there.....to me that alone is a huge advantage.

There are several die hard fans here who really like them and I've seen maybe one or two who didn't care for them. Check the review section.
I have one and have sold a couple more on bikes I built. The people I've sold to are very happy with the system.

 

[bbb]

Mine works great but mine is the chopper mount which is always against the tire and with a clutch like auto transmission.

 

[darwin]

I have the honda system and when its dry out it works flawlessly. Only thing that irks me about it is every time you stop you need to disengage the drive roller or the motor will die. The freewheel feature is an advantage at times. You can always start it by just pedaling a few feet then your off. At $750 for the honda system its a lil pricey but it does exactly what it says and its a dependable system. Another plus is in being able to change the drive rollers in 5 different ratios they offer with ease. Ive found the 1 1/4 wheel gives me the best all round performance for torque and speed with the honda.

 

[Zemus DE]

Yeah there is a slew of friction setups made there, and if I had my way the website would see some major revamping. The Honda does have the disadvantage of having no centrifugal clutch. The other engines(Mitsu TLE43 and R/S EHO35) can be set up with centrifugal clutches so you can just leave the system engaged when stopping without stalling the engine. But we do still use the same engagement system so you may disengage whenever you want to ride it as a bicycle with no assist or hindrance from the engine, short of the 12-14 lbs of extra weight

 

[beachcruiser]

I have the Mitsu Tle-43 Direct drive system. This set up has only 50 miles
on it and developed trouble with the roller system. It first started out as a rattling sound. I noticed you could lift the roller up and down real easy. Now
it makes a terrible racket sound. I thought maybe Happy Valley could chime in and tell me what part has gone bad and where to find a replacement part
to get the setup going again. I just had this motor setup lined out and is a strong runner after you get moving.

 

[Happy Valley]

I have the Mitsu Tle-43 Direct drive system. This set up has only 50 miles
on it and developed trouble with the roller system. It first started out as a rattling sound. I noticed you could lift the roller up and down real easy. Now
it makes a terrible racket sound. I thought maybe Happy Valley could chime in and tell me what part has gone bad and where to find a replacement part
to get the setup going again. I just had this motor setup lined out and is a strong runner after you get moving.

Howdy beachcruiser, I'd help if I can.

Guess my first thought is a question if it was bought new from DE and under warranty?

Next, I wonder if you could explain a bit more exactly where the play in the roller is? Is it the whole assembly that raises and lowers with the cable or just in the spindle that comes off the engine?

There are four bolts that hold the engine onto the housing and they have to be snug. The terrible racket you mentioned has me puzzling though. Raise the assembly and check to see if everything is tight and if there is any wobble in the roller and it turns true. I'll check back to see what you find.

I have that same set-up and it works great.. I like being able to engage/disengage the drive without getting off the bike.

 

[beachcruiser]

Howdy beachcruiser, I'd help if I can.

Guess my first thought is a question if it was bought new from DE and under warranty?

Next, I wonder if you could explain a bit more exactly where the play in the roller is? Is it the whole assembly that raises and lowers with the cable or just in the spindle that comes off the engine?

There are four bolts that hold the engine onto the housing and they have to be snug. The terrible racket you mentioned has me puzzling though. Raise the assembly and check to see if everything is tight and if there is any wobble in the roller and it turns true. I'll check back to see what you find.

I have that same set-up and it works great.. I like being able to engage/disengage the drive without getting off the bike.

Yes, I did buy this set-up new from DE ABOUT over a year ago. The DE set up just did'nt get much running time on it because of all the different motor bicycles that I use. Everything seems all in order that you mention except that the shaft can move freely up-down and back and forth. If I try to engaged the roller on the tire, it makes a terrible racket and the bicycle does
not move at all. I hope this helps because I would like to get the DE up and working properly again. It just seems that this should not of happen with a motor set-up with only 50 miles on it.

 

[Happy Valley]

Yes, I did buy this set-up new from DE ABOUT over a year ago. The DE set up just did'nt get much running time on it because of all the different motor bicycles that I use. Everything seems all in order that you mention except that the shaft can move freely up-down and back and forth. If I try to engaged the roller on the tire, it makes a terrible racket and the bicycle does
not move at all. I hope this helps because I would like to get the DE up and working properly again. It just seems that this should not of happen with a motor set-up with only 50 miles on it.

Yes, I agree. a set-up like that should offer many hundreds of miles of service.

From what you say it sounds like maybe a bearing is either shot or come loose. On the underside of the assembly of the direct drive are four bolts that go first through a square aluminum plate, then through the housing and into the engine. Within that plate and housing sits two bearings that bear the load from the roller.

One thing to note here is on the direct drive set-ups the bearings are held in place by the washers/rollers/and the nut on the shaft end. I mention this because if the rollers and washers are not made to snug up against the bearing it can come unseated. Pay attention to the washers on the inside closest to the bearings to make sure they are not hanging up on a step on the shaft and everything tightens down on the bearing.
I hope that makes sense. The automatics with centrifugal clutch have a different arrangement.

If it were mine and I couldn't figure out what was up by visual inspection, I'd remove the assembly from the bike, remove the rollers and washers and see where the play is. Next, I'd remove the four bolts and slide the engine and shaft out. I would want to make sure the shaft assembly is tight to the engine flywheel and that it is straight and running true with no burrs or anything on the shaft. Then check the two bearings and make sure they are good and turn free. If it all checks out, reassemble tightening everything back in the order it came out.

Hope this helps, let me know.