Anyone ever considered using a Shaft Driven Bicycle?

[Youngbird]

I looked at the 3D animations and renderings of the above mentioned shaft drive setup. I think the deletion of the pedals and the addition of a jackshaft(SBP or otherwise) would make it a doable project w/o too much engineering. If you want to keep the pedals then a freewheel front chainring would need to be figured in somehow. That could get real time consuming and maybe expensive. My vote is delete the pedals(DE doesnt require them). If you are a "purist" look elsewhere.

 

[Pablo]

I know a guy with a shaft drive bike. Just by foot power he regularly shears the shaft and breaks gears. That alone kinda make my mind stay away....but it's a bit of a tough nut (read: expensive) to indeed get the power to the shaft AND keep the pedals.......still it would be very cool.

 

[wheelbender6]

You will have a tough time adapting a sprocket to a Nexus hub if you plan to let the motor drive a chain. (Some drive sprockets mount to a 6 bolt disk pattern, like the Alfine hub).

They sell small ultralight aircraft engines (on Ebay) that look similar to the flat twins in BMW motorcycles. The crankshaft runs parallel to the frame top tube, so you may be able to adapt one of those mills to a shaft driven bike more easily.

If you build this, you will be like Tina Turner:
"We never, ever do anything nice; and easy" - Rollin on the River

 

[srdavo]

Mike asked me to help clarify his question. He is NOT concerned with running engine power through the driveshaft.

Please! Please! Please! I am NOT asking that the "shaft" be attached to the Motor in any way. just the use of this type of Bicycle Frame as the carrier that the Motor would be attached / mounted on. Your positive feedback will be appreciated.

Now we're getting somewhere.

I know a guy with a shaft drive bike. Just by foot power he regularly shears the shaft and breaks gears. That alone kinda make my mind stay away...

possible maintenance issue

You will have a tough time adapting a sprocket to a Nexus hub if you plan to let the motor drive a chain. (Some drive sprockets mount to a 6 bolt disk pattern, like the Alfine hub).

so it would be possible to use a traditional GEBE belt drive or a friction drive set up.

Please! Please! Please! I am NOT asking that the "shaft" be attached to the Motor in any way just the use of this type of Bicycle Frame as the carrier that the Motor would be attached / mounted on. Your positive feedback will be appreciated.

 

[Youngbird]

I dont see what the difference would be if its a shaft drive frame or wind powered. As long as the frame is of good structural quality and the two drive lines stay completely isolated from one another it wont matter. If as GhostO says the shafts are prone to break easily even under pedal power, well then I would leave it alone just on principal.

 

[Alaskavan]

I guess it comes down to: No obvious advantages to using a shaft-drive frame, and a few possible problems.

 

[oldguy]

Chainless drive

Several months ago I bought my wife a chainless bike. Runs great. Since I have a GEBE set up, I would say that just sticking a GEBE on it would work fine. Since you have not intention of using the bike gearing as part of the drive there should be no problems. Advantage is that you have no chain drive or deraillier parts to get in the way of the work. Good luck. I may power the better halfs bike.