friction drive bicycle crawls

[Tallen09161990]

i just built a friction drive bicycle and i am having a major issue every time i go and ride it i give it throttle and all it pretty much does is crawl.. i could even have it at full throttle and it still crawls do i not have something setup right what am i doing wrong?

 

[2old2learn]

From what company did you obtain your friction drive components? I'd be contacting them for advice.

 

[Tallen09161990]

i bought it from roadbug motors

 

[2old2learn]

Some of our friction drive members will need to chime in. My first thoughts are that the friction drive may not be adjusted correctly and is either too tight against the tire or too loose and slipping against the tire.

 

[Tallen09161990]

2old i have a theory i have the throttle cable hooked up fine so thats not the issue the only other thing is that i am using a 1 inch roller and with me weighing 240 lbs i think the roller doesnt support my weight so thats why its crawling then again i could be wrong

 

[2old2learn]

Ive not ridden a friction drive yet so my knowledge of them is limited, although I do have a Staton Inc friction drive power head attachment in a box that I took off my Honda GXH50 motor that I mounted on my 29er mountain bike, and now powering it through the pedal axle so I could use all 21 speeds available to the bike. This enables me to climb the steepest road and when down on the flats I can go fairly fast in my 21st gear setting.

 

[occchopperfl]

Some of our friction drive members will need to chime in. My first thoughts are that the friction drive may not be adjusted correctly and is either too tight against the tire or too loose and slipping against the tire.

I have a FD Bike, and yes, slipping seems to be your issue. For my kit, you have to add 1/4 - 3/8 inch worth of pressure on the rear wheel, then lock the u drive channel in place. (I have the BMP Kit.)

 

[troyg]

To check for slipping, (engine off) fasten your FD down on the tire with the amount of pressure you normally do, grab the middle of your handlebars (stem) or lay your chest on your seat, grab the shaft of the FD (gloved hand), turn the shaft to make the bike go forward while fighting the motion with your weight.If it spins on the tire you need more pressure, only add to where you can't spin the shaft by hand.
If that's not the problem, I've noticed with mine that bent steel channels aren't perfectly straight, with the shaft lifted off the tire, you should be able to spin the shaft and it turns a few revolutions, not come to an almost instant stop.