Anyone have a truly freewheeling bike here?

For the guys who think friction drive fits the bill it does not. Not only the usual drawbacks of friction (like poor traction) but it does not freewheel it still is connected to your engine and will turn when you wheel turns unless your centri-clutch disengages. So unless you have a freewheeling friction roller....

Which BTW is there a freewheeling roller out there?
http://bikemotorparts.com sells a 1 1/4" diameter steel drive roller with one-way self locking bearing.

http://bikemotorparts.com/driverollers.html
 
http://bikemotorparts.com sells a 1 1/4" diameter steel drive roller with one-way self locking bearing.

http://bikemotorparts.com/driverollers.html

ahh yea, I thought I remembered seeing one somewhere.

Still to get decent freewheeling one would still need to raise it up off the tire requiring the rider to get off the bike, unless someone has a on the fly disengager. The pressure of a roller even a freewheeling one pressing 1/4-3/8 into the tire puts a significant amount of drag on the wheel.

Will need to look at why you want a freewheeling hub and a chain drive. Guess you want some lower center of gravity, and a way to customize other ways. Need to re-read this discussion again.

The reason is because after having many motorized bikes I have never had one that was a real breeze to ride as a bicycle. It has nothing to do with center of gravity.

Its about not having to have a seperate bike and motorbike for me to enjoy bicycling. I believe one could have say less than a 25LB load on the back that was somewhat unnoticeable (besides the weight) when pedaling.

It should do this without slowing down for the clutch to disenagage, without getting off the bike to disconnect anything. It should be an ideal all in one, light weight solution for bicyclers. Also it should change gears somehow. haha :giggle:

Also I live in mountains so I would love to motor up a huge hill and then just kill it and freewheel for a mile or two before I need the engine again,without the drag of a big chain, clutch or transmission, then pedal for a few miles (no engine)without struggling and hardly noticing anything but the added weight.

Where I live your either going up or down there is no in between.



Its asking a lot but I believe it what a true motorized bike should do.
 
Its asking a lot but I believe it what a true motorized bike should do.
I agree 100%.

For mountain riding... I'd definitely save up for the NuVinci kit. No doubt. The hub doesn't freewheel, but the drive shaft sprocket does. Almost the same thing, but perhaps slightly noisier?

There's the dimension edge lever to disengage the roller... but last time I checked their price was just shy of a NuVinci kit, which really does "shift on the fly".

There's the other roller that Forbisher talked about that would mostly work the same without having to mess with a lever at all. Little bit extra drag than the DE kit, but no work necessary, which is most important to me as I'd rather pay for the fuel to get less hassle.

And there is also the shifter kit, but I doubt I'll buy a chengine anytime in the next few years. Once they understand quality control... I'll hop right on.

I'd say go with NuVinci kit or the bicycle-engines.com hub with only a BMX freewheel and put a derailer on the front. Those are the only ways I'd consider building an MB right now.
 
I have yet to try one but Dimension Edge has what amounts to a manual engagement friction drive that works on the fly.

I have tried the one-way friction roller mentioned above and while hard to quantify my guess is it offers perhaps a 30% reduction in free wheel drag over a fixed roller, significant but not by any means completely free wheel.

Its asking a lot but I believe it what a true motorized bike should do.

It's what a true motorcycle should do and that's where it went though a freewheeling MB is a goal I certainly share and think it reasonable and not beyond fairly simple engineering.

Early motorcycle history was born from motorized bicycles and as transmissions and other accommodations were added weight increased to the point more power was needed....and so on.

Motorized bikes are heretofore are throwbacks to the backyard, funky, DIY contraptions. I'm glad for that though there are limitations. Complexifying MBs beyond a certain point will probably just begin a new round of the weight/power/costs cycle.
 
I agree 100%.

For mountain riding... I'd definitely save up for the NuVinci kit. No doubt. The hub doesn't freewheel, but the drive shaft sprocket does. Almost the same thing, but perhaps slightly noisier?
.

I'm willing to go the Nuvinci route I just dont know if it fits the bill. You mean the engine chain gear on the wheel is a freewheel? The engine chain doesn't have to spin when pedaling? If so thats fine.

Do pedal and engine chain operate independently. Can you coast freely without either?

Of course Nuvinci is yet another 8 LBS but....
 
I have yet to try one but Dimension Edge has what amounts to a manual engagement friction drive that works on the fly.

I can not find how to order a Dimension Edge friction system on thier web page. Has anyone ordered this item and got it to work?
 
I can not find how to order a Dimension Edge friction system on thier web page. Has anyone ordered this item and got it to work?

Search the archive here for DE, there is at least one member here and I can't remember the name but he highly touts the DE system. But I agree, always a bit puzzled at their site, another MB vendor in need of a webmaster.
 
That would be @pumpbuilder
He loves his Dimension Edge friction drive ......
and yes, i have to agree that their website is a disaster

Search the archive here for DE, there is at least one member here and I can't remember the name but he highly touts the DE system. But I agree, always a bit puzzled at their site, another MB vendor in need of a webmaster.
 
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The GGG HT setup looks pretty good, especially with our Australian laws regarding 200W power output :(

It allows some assistance (must be assistance only, not primary drive) - on a solid sprocket with a throttle restrictor etc or a 25Kph limiter (gear based) the engine becomes a brake :( With a freewheel you can pedal past it, but still have assistance up hills or getting up to speed...

I don't like cent clutches for a few reasons though - a proper clutch with a pullstart seems like a much better setup.

Cheers
Heath Young
 
I'm willing to go the Nuvinci route I just dont know if it fits the bill. You mean the engine chain gear on the wheel is a freewheel? The engine chain doesn't have to spin when pedaling? If so thats fine.
SirJakesus and duivendyk had to explain the NuVinci setup to me many times. There are no derailers, but it does shift.. without gears. Talking only about the sprockets on the hub... the pedal sprocket is a freewheel, but the engine sprocket isn't. The drive shaft sprocket (connected to the gearbox) is where the freewheel in the engine chain is located... which means the bike will definitely freewheel, but the chain will always be moving without too much extra drag. Even freewheels add a small amount of drag, but I'm *assuming* that the location of that freewheel will mean there's a bit more noise than if the chain didn't have to move (prolly not noticeable with the engine on, however). There really is no need for a front derailer as all the shifting you need is done internally in the NuVinci hub. There should be a video on it in the Crash Course.

Do pedal and engine chain operate independently. Can you coast freely without either?
You're definitely gonna coast. The coolest part about NuVinci is that you shift the output ratio based on the combined input of both pedals and/or engine. With most setups, the derailer is on one side and the sprocket is bolted on the other... your max speed tops out at the fastest speed of either engine or pedal chains. With the NuVinci, you can still pedal to (maybe past?) 30mph and still actually be able to feel resistance (work) from the pedals.

Of course Nuvinci is yet another 8 LBS but....
Sure it is, but the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. If weight were your primary concern, the Shift Kit and chengine would work, but you'll still feel the shifting between gears, there'll be a derailer that requires attention, and I highly doubt it'll be anywhere close to as reliable as Staton's kit.
 
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