gear shifting, is it possible

[ollicat]

Hey guys, newby here with a Dimension Edge Friction drive. I love what I have but after riding for a month, I got to wondering. Is there a kit out there, either chain drive or friction, that allows the motorized portion of the drive to switch gears on the fly as you ride? I think the chain driven drives I have read about require you to stop and change a sprocket if you want great torque or the opposite, want to go faster. Is there any kind of kit that would use your existing gear setup so as you switched gears, the motor's chain would also switch gears thus optimizing the motor to your speed at the time?

I hope this is all making sense. The other way I was imagining is on my friction drive, having 2 different rollers, a large one and a small one with 2 handles. Just choose the correct handle, one for hill climbing and one for flat-out speed.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks

 

[Ghost0]

The only kit available that I am aware of is our kit, but currently it is only available for the Chinese 2 stroke. We will be working on one for a 4 stroke in the coming months. If you would like to see how it is done you can click on the Sick Bike Parts link on the left side of the page.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Most friction drive units are mounted above/to the left of the rear wheel because of the direction of rotation of the engines. Would be pretty straightforward to mount two different sized rollers in a wide U channel frame, with the engine rack mounted above then and a common chain running around all three - then mount that entire assembly in a sturdy frame with a central pivot axis.

Alternatively, you could frame mount your engine (if it fits) and mount a driven chainring inboard of the pedal chainring, then drive your normally pedalled chain through that (see the ad for SickbikeParts, to the left). Although designed for use with HT type engines, I don't see why that jackshaft idea cannot be extended to a rack mounted 4 cycle engine too large to fit into the frame. Simply run a drive chain from the rack mounted engine to the jackshaft.

 

[ollicat]

Thanks for the info. The kit at Sick Bike Parts is kind of like what I was imagining. Too bad it only works with the Happy Time motor. I have a Mitsubishi TLE43 that I love.

I am imagining a rack mount system that would run a chain straight down to the sprocket and be able to shift gears using the normal hand gear shifter.

 

[loquin]

ref Kerf's Two speed Staton... A very nice piece of work.

 

[SirJakesus]

Check out the Staton NuVinci setup with TLE43. It's quite a bit heavier and more expensive than what you're used to though.

 

[ollicat]

That Staton NuVinci with the Mitsubishi TLE-43 looks like the ticket. What a cool setup. $1000 is a little steep but worth considering for my next project. I wish I were more mechanical because the installation scares me. Has anyone used this system before? Is it hard to install? How did it perform?

Thanks

 

[SirJakesus]

I have one. It's fairly difficult to install but only because you have to bend the torsion straps to fit your bike.
Its performance is great, the bike will pull you anywhere you want to go even up steep dirt trails. The shifting makes operating it a bit more technical than most other motored bike systems though however you will always keep a similar cadence to the motor so pedaling in tandem with the engine is a dream and its easy to judge if your gearing is going to be too short or long for the engine simply by shifting and pedaling a little. I have some videos on youtube if you want to see how she runs.... its fast, even with the extremely hilly terrain around here.

 

[ollicat]

Awesome! Please send me the Youtube links. It seems like a dream setup, once it is setup.

 

[ollicat]

I wish someone would offer a bike with this kit already installed. I can find my way through mechanical issues but am certainly not mechanically gifted like some these folks in this forum.