Mount GEBE on an actual rack?

[nightrider]

I've got an old GEBE and my new bike has a bolt-on derailleur hanger that has a protruding bolt, so the mounting strap won't fit over the axle. The bike does have rear rack mounting bosses, though, so I can mount an old rear rack. Is there any reason I can't mount the GEBE on the rack's shelf? Too much stress?

I'm really not happy with my GEBE. If I hadn't spent so much money on it, I would just throw it out. It pops the bearing on the gear/belt side often because the circlip doesn't stay put. The current design with the bolt-on bell housing might be better than the old bell welded to the bracket, but I'm not about to pay GEBE another $200+ just because they put out a badly designed product in the first place. Their customer service isn't good. I called to ask if there was a retaining groove for the circlip and at first the woman on the line didn't even want to let me talk to anybody. She said there was no way to tell if I was an actual customer. Would I friggin' care about that detail if I wasn't an owner? The guy she finally gave the phone to (after loudly saying "this guy is very rude"; you pay over $600 for an item that doesn't work properly then tell me you don't have a right to be upset) claimed there is a groove machined in it, but a friend who used to work in a machine shop inspected it and said he found no trace of a groove. I've tried everything I can think of including superglue and epoxy, but nothing holds that circlip in. Going to mount a thin stainless strip over the bearing next with a couple of nuts and bolts so there's no way the bearing can pop out. It's no fun taking everything apart in order to re-seat the bearing when you're 20 miles from home, and even less fun knowing it probably will pop out another 2-3 times more on the way home.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

1. Yes, try to bolt/modify the mounts onto the rear rack mounting bosses on the dropout. Other users have done that. Makes for an easier tire/wheel change.

2. Do not mount the GEBE on an actual rack.

3. Be nice.

If ya can't be civil on the phone, contact GEBE with a gentle message asking for assistance. They've seen it all, maybe can swap your defective part for another.

 

[nightrider]

I did start out civil. But when a company starts a call asking for assistance with something along the lines of "Who are you? We don't know who you are so we won't tell you anything. What's your order number?" my patience wears very thin very quickly. If you're running a business and your customer already has a problem, don't make the situation any worse than it already is. Just find out what the problem is and try to work from there. I didn't demand parts or a refund, just told her I had questions. Is that so bad? The customer isn't always right, but they pay the bills. Ticking off a customer so they never do business with you again is just plain stupid. That's common sense, and if anybody at my company acted like this woman, she would be fired. If you're going to badmouth customers, at least do so after you're off the phone. Her attitude probably cost GEBE several customers because I've had people who seemed very interested in buying one but I specifically directed them to other companies to spare them the problems I suffered.

I don't think GEBE will do anything about it because it's a few years old. I haven't even used the motor much in the last couple of years simply because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of the on-road breakdown. It sat out an entire year a while back. If I could find a bolt-on 52mm bell housing, I'd chuck that GEBE assembly into the scrap heap in an instant. It's just not well-designed.

 

[vegaspaddy]

hi nightrider,

this is how i mounted my gebe setup

http://motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=8698

hope this helps.... it was very easy to do with some aluminum blot brackets i bought at hom depo and sawed in half .... the compass X gives you a dead on center in both brackets and makes mounting easy.

the end result

http://motoredbikes.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9208&d=1216163574

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

You could have a machinist cut the groove for the circlip to fix your bearing problem.

 

[nightrider]

That's a possibility, if I can find a cooperative machine shop.

As for my feelings about GEBE, I see now that I'm not the only person who has had problems with them. The first couple of messages in Starrmans15's thread shows that others have not had favorable experiences, particularly with the woman who's apparently "Julia."

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

I've purchased a few items via online and email from GEBE and was treated very nicely.

JMO, although you might feel justified in venting your frustration and Julia might have handled the situation inappropriately, many times it's best to let stuff like this slide off your back.

Life is too short to have this encounter waste your time and energy.

Even if you're right or assume that you're right...let it go.

More than likely you've already persuaded someone here not to consider GEBE.

 

[nightrider]

You misunderstand. I'm not trying to hurt their business. That would be petty. But I am trying to let prospective buyers know that they may not get what they expect from GEBE in terms of hardware or customer service. It was an expensive lesson for me to learn.

 

[professor]

Nightrider, I have "machined" grooves in a shaft for an "O" ring with the part chucked up in a drill press using a hack saw and a file. A hand drill clamped (carefully) in a vise will also do, For a groove, all you need is the hack saw. You need to figure out how deep to go.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

with somethi

I did start out civil. But when a company starts a call asking for assistanceng along the lines of "Who are you? We don't know who you are so we won't tell you anything. What's your order number?" my patience wears very thin very quickly. If you're running a business and your customer already has a problem, don't make the situation any worse than it already is. Just find out what the problem is and try to work from there. I didn't demand parts or a refund, just told her I had questions. Is that so bad? The customer isn't always right, but they pay the bills. Ticking off a customer so they never do business with you again is just plain stupid. That's common sense, and if anybody at my company acted like this woman, she would be fired. If you're going to badmouth customers, at least do so after you're off the phone. Her attitude probably cost GEBE several customers because I've had people who seemed very interested in buying one but I specifically directed them to other companies to spare them the problems I suffered.

You misunderstand. I'm not trying to hurt their business. That would be petty. But I am trying to let prospective buyers know that they may not get what they expect from GEBE in terms of hardware or customer service. It was an expensive lesson for me to learn.

Please re-read your last sentence of the first paragraph.