Shifter Kit from www.sickbikeparts.com

Now Im confused, I believe everything runs off the same bicycle chain. So then I guess my question is how many speeds will the motor run? 7 if I have a 7 speed rear freewheel? 14 if I have 2 front chainrings and a 7 rear freewheel? Will the front deraillur be used at all or is that done with?

There is no front crank gear changing now unless of course we install a different size ring?
 
There are 2 front chainrings. One accepts the power from the jackshaft and the other drives the rear cassette. In theory you could use a front derailleur but there is no room to put it. So having said that you will have as many gears as your rear cassette. If you have a 6 speed rear cassette you will have a 6 speed bike. I know everyone gets excited thinking wow I will get a 10 speed rear cassette so I will have 10 gears, don't waste your money. In most 6, 7, 8, 9 speed cassette's the lowest gear and tallest gear are the same you just have more choices in between with more gears but in practice this is how it works. I have a 6 speed cassette. I start in 1st gear from a dead stop and then at about 15 mph I shift directly in to 3rd, at about 22 mph I shift directly into 5th and usually stay there at around 30 to 35. If I want to go a little faster or just cruise at 35 to 40 I will put it in 6th. So I am already bypassing some of the available variation with 6 speeds so to add 8 or 9 would just be overkill. I essentially ride it like a 3 speed, 1st, 3rd and 5th with an overdrive, 6th.
 
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Now Im confused, I believe everything runs off the same bicycle chain. So then I guess my question is how many speeds will the motor run? 7 if I have a 7 speed rear freewheel? 14 if I have 2 front chainrings and a 7 rear freewheel? Will the front deraillur be used at all or is that done with?

There is no front crank gear changing now unless of course we install a different size ring?

There is no front crank gear changing now unless of course we install a different size ring?[/QUOTE]

The drive shafts has a sprocket on the right that transmits power to the outer chain ring on the crank. The inner chainring on the crank is connected to the rear freewheel by the bicycle chain as per a normal bike. When you change gears the drive is effectively driving whatever rear sprocket you select. There is a freewheel installed so you don't have to pedal to keep up with the speed of the outer chainring and your legs don't disappear in a blur.
It's a great idea I first saw on a bike built a few years back by our fellow member Clive from West Australia (see attached picture). His bike was not street legal but he told me it reached a speed of 80 km\hr. It had ahis own frame construction with disc brake etc. For $199.50 this will probably prolong your engine life by more than 120% thus paying for itself. Then it can be reused on the next motor when the previous HT breaks. It also improves the reliability of the HT because it puts it under less stress. It improves journey time by increasing speed, decreases noise, and probably improves fuel consumption. It looks very nice as well. A great product hopefully made in America from good meterials. This years Oscar for best product goes to........(now just wait for the 4-stroke version)
 

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There are 2 front chainrings. One accepts the power from the jackshaft and the other drives the rear cassette. In theory you could use a front derailleur but there is no room to put it. So having said that you will have as many gears as your rear cassette. If you have a 6 speed rear cassette you will have a 6 speed bike. I know everyone gets excited thinking wow I will get a 10 speed rear cassette so I will have 10 gears, don't waste your money. In most 6, 7, 8, 9 speed cassette's the lowest gear and tallest gear are the same you just have more choices in between with more gears but in practice this is how it works. I have a 6 speed cassette. I start in 1st gear from a dead stop and then at about 15 mph I shift directly in to 3rd, at about 22 mph I shift directly into 5th and usually stay there at around 30 to 35. If I want to go a little faster or just cruise at 35 to 40 I will put it in 6th. So I am already bypassing some of the available variation with 6 speeds so to add 8 or 9 would just be overkill. I essentially ride it like a 3 speed, 1st, 3rd and 5th with an overdrive, 6th.

That bike of Clive's in the above pictures uses a hub gear which I think is a safer setup. Some people think the power of a motor will stuff up the rear hub gears but it shouldn't because the force of the engine torque is less than even I can get out of my 57 year old legs. The power of a human leg is actually immense and it is a sudden jerky power that can be much harder on the rear gears than the fairly even force of a small engine. Probably a Nuvinci would be ideal but so also would a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub which can be serviced more easily than a Shimano.
 
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