3 Speed Bike

P

Paddie

Guest
I've just purchased a GruBee 49cc and intend to put it on a Nirve 3 speed cruiser. This forum is great! I'm glad I stumbled upon it. I'd appreciate any response two my several questions.
Does the 3 speed present any issues I should be concerned about when motorizing with the GruBee kit?
The bike has brake pads front and back. Any problems with braking with 2 stroke attached?
My two favorite modes of transportation are the motorcycle and the bicycle. It seemed only appropriate that I jump in to this new hobby.
The Nirve I've chosen is the Night Owl 3. Unfortunately it is on back order and I must wait until mid October.
Cheers!
 
hiya paddie...we're glad you've stumbled in, too.

i kinda wanted to move this into "introduce yourself" but i'll hope you find your way there within a few posts.

if you have a look at the captions under the forum titles, you'll see descriptions that help you get started in the right direction.

inside each area you'll see "sticky" topics at the top that say "READ THIS" or whatever...those will be your guide to how we do things 'round here...you're responsible for doing your part to help us stay organized & we try to give you the info you need to do that in those stickies.

you have until mid-october? too cool, because i know you'll have plenty of time to read, read, read the forums. try all kinds of searches about anything that comes to mind, when you come across an interesting topic post a "reply" and jump on in. i know there's a lot of discussion covering your issues with the nirve, 3-speeds, & brakes in general, so do have a look around. if you still have a question that isn't covered post it in the appropriate forum and someone will try to help.

someone with a nirve might have some bicycle-input for you here, too.

now, i don't know how much of all that you needed to know or already know, but i like to get a fresh reminder out there once in a while, anyway.

so there ya go...enjoy the 'board.
 
The main arguement against 3 speeds I've heard was how expensive the hub is to replace.

It can't be converted to axle/rackmounts, because of the cable on the sprocket side, but with our new frame-mounting experiments, we might even overcome that deficit.
 
Thanks BikeGuy ... but could you point me to any threads that discuss this? I have tried searching, but have had no luck.
 
Paddie,

This won't affect you, with your frame mount.

It was in a GEBE rant down in Rackem, where Sam tried it first, then I tried about the same time to put axlemounts on 3-speeds.

As to the cost, my bikeshop guy told me they were $75-100 for the internal hub replacement (I converted it to a single speed and gave him the 3 speed wheel/shifter back unused).

Like I mentioned, we are doing some experimenting with framemounting the rack kits, where 3 speeds might be usable.
 
Thanks BikeGuy ... but could you point me to any threads that discuss this? I have tried searching, but have had no luck.
after you've given it your best shot, it's entirely appropriate to start a new topic/question..."general discussion" is the best place to start with generics.

3-spd should not affect install beyond a simple sprocket mod. keep in mind you're going to be subjecting your components to sustained high speeds. they weren't designed for that.

brakes can be a matter of preference...fabricators and those with resources do some pretty neat things with discs & drums.

rim brakes: most riders adapt to the left-hand clutch/brake arrangement but it's clumsy, many are doing fine with a dual-pull brake lever (searchable), i've recently learned how kick-butt a (bendix) coaster-rear/rim-front system is.

mostly, tho, brakes are a matter of budget (and common sense) :cool:
 
Thanks All. And thanks Augidog. What you say makes perfect sense. I hadn't thought about 'over-speeding' my lower gears.

Also, a front-rim/coaster-rear configuration would be more elegant given the difficulty of putting two brake-pulls on the handle bars along with the left-hand clutch actuator. Hadn't thought of that one either.

I'm beginning to appreciate the one month delay on my Nirve. I'll re-think my planned configuration and search the boards on both subjects and follow-up in the general discussion area.
 
Paddie,

What makes this thread unique is there haven't been any?/many? 3 speed bikes on the forum to date, with any engine configuration.

And the two I mentioned (Sam's and mine) were both washouts.

In rackem, the solution to torque/broke spokes on the rear wheel has always been "beef up to 12 gauge".

In your research, could you find out and post whether 3 speeds can be beefed up, and if so, for how much? (I think standard is 14g, but I'm not sure).

You are right about the braking combo, some senior citizens ask me about that, older folks LIKE coaster brakes like they had in the youthful days, and there are a lot of comfortable, rust free 3 speed cruisers in the back of the barns, we just need to figure out how much modifications cost.

That information would help us rackmount folks in evaluating potentials, and also inform casual readers at the same time.

Thanks !
 
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