GEBE or Staton?

Warner

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I've narrowed my kit choice down to two vendors. I'm currently leaning toward one over the other though. I would be going with a 2 stroke engine
(40cc Tanaka with the GEBE and 43cc Mitsubishi with the Staton). I would use the Chain drive kit from Staton, WITHOUT the expensive NuVinci deal. Does anyone have any opinions about or experience with either kit/vendor? GEBE was quick to get back to my first e-mail, but hasn't yet responded to my 2nd. Staton responded to my e-mail but was very brief, basically telling me to check their website or call them to discuss. So I called today and left a message with my phone number (talked to a person, not a machine) but never got a call back. So I suppose these companies are pretty busy. My first impressions of their products are as follows:

GEBE - Simple to install, probably less durable than the Staton kit

Staton - More difficult to install, but I REALLY like the idea of their gearbox and chain drive system - seems relatively bulletproof.


I have the bike I'm going to use for the conversion. It's been in my garage for years and I went out and put air in the tires tonight and rode it a bit...it's a pretty NICE bike actually! It's a Trek 920 Singletrack with the grip shifters. Not too heavy (32 pounds I think) and is much higher quality (made in USA) than the wal-mart stuff. Should make a good finished product! I'm going to put the narrow smoothies on it to make it really roll good. I bet it'll be fast with either kit that I go with!


Looking forward to all of your opinions!

Warner
 
i have dealt with both. both are honest brokers. i just wish staton had reviews posted like gebe. from input to output i believe there is inherently more parasitis power loss in the gerabox than in the belt and ring. i have no figures to prove it either way.. mitch
 
i have dealt with both. both are honest brokers. i just wish staton had reviews posted like gebe. from input to output i believe there is inherently more parasitis power loss in the gerabox than in the belt and ring. i have no figures to prove it either way.. mitch

Oh, I'm SURE that is the case.....no doubt about it. Belt systems are always more efficient than chain and sprockets - look at the belt driven motorcycles. The only reason you don't see more of them is because HD owns most of the patents on them. I think Kawasaki has one too....but it was on a smaller bike so probably a non-factor in the big scheme of things. I just think it's probably worth it to sacrifice a bit of power loss for a bulletproof drive system. I also like how it COMPLETELY free-wheels when you are pedaling....meaning you could actually RIDE the bike just the same as if it didn't have the engine on it (albeit about 20 pounds heavier)


Warner


PS - Thanks for the response!
 
I am biased because I already spent my money,,But~
The "belt" is Kevlar composite. Real tuff stuff. I forsee no problems
running a low hp motor. However the total free-wheel, I am somewhat envious of.
Up to 7 or 8 mph the gebe feels like a free-wheel. Faster than that and you start
to feel some resistance.
Hope that helps.
 
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I am biased because I already spent my money,,But~
The "belt" is Kevlar composite. Real tuff stuff. I forsee no problems
running a low hp motor. However the total free-wheel, I am somewhat envious of.
Up to 7 or 8 mph the gebe feels much like a free-wheel. Faster than that and you start
to feel it.
Hope that helps.

I was THIS close to ordering the GEBE kit. And at the end of the day I think that EITHER of them would be more than adequate. But they are the same cost and I am thinking that you are getting more hardware and (possibly engineering) with the Staton kit. And also a LOT more pain in the *** installing it, I bet. The weak link (to my thinking, anyway) was not the belt on the GEBE kit...that's fine....it was the way that ring mounts to the spokes. Not only does it look kinda' hokey to me, but I kept finding reports of broken spokes and such. I also read a few posts about the 40cc Tanaka being a little bit too powerful for their system. They have possibly (probably) corrected that by now though. I'm just thinking out loud here.....but love to hear feedback and opinions on this. I certainly have NOT made up my mind either way yet......


Warner
 
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Go Staton if you want something that will outlast the bike itself. It was a bit difficult to install but not overly so. The system is incredibly well thought out and it's easy to work on and maintain. It is heavier than probably any other rackmount kit but every extra pound is extra durability on this thing. I bought a staton because the roads and trails around here are rough on a motorized bike. The pavement is all uneven and we have tons of hills. Statons kit will turn your bike into more of a lightweight moped rather than a motor assist. With some prep work I found their kit accepted paint to match my bike really well too. Be sure to sand everything well if you plan on painting it though as I'm pretty sure all the metal is galvanized. So it shouldn't rust either if you decide not to paint like most people.
 
Go Staton if you want something that will outlast the bike itself. It was a bit difficult to install but not overly so. The system is incredibly well thought out and it's easy to work on and maintain. It is heavier than probably any other rackmount kit but every extra pound is extra durability on this thing. I bought a staton because the roads and trails around here are rough on a motorized bike. The pavement is all uneven and we have tons of hills. Statons kit will turn your bike into more of a lightweight moped rather than a motor assist. With some prep work I found their kit accepted paint to match my bike really well too. Be sure to sand everything well if you plan on painting it though as I'm pretty sure all the metal is galvanized. So it shouldn't rust either if you decide not to paint like most people.

Thanks for the response. I'm leaning (heavily!) towards the Staton kit. I think my base Trek 920 singletrack mountian bike will make a GREAT base to start with (although I may put shocks on the front - the rigid rear is pretty much non-negotiable but I think I'll be okay). As I mentioned in another post, I used to race BMX (younger days) and more recently was a competitive inline speedskater (10 years ago....wow, has it really been that long???). I could lose 10 pounds to make me happy, but I'm still capable of becoming fit (I'm not so far gone that it's hopeless in other words! Haha!). I'm going to order some smoothie tires (probably 1.4") for the bike...those big 2.1 knobbies would be loud and definitely not roll as well as some street tires. I went and looked some of your posts and saw your bike...REALLY nice job you did with that! I have some of the same ideas you did...with the bag on the opposite side of the engine to make the weight (and appearance) more balanced...the mirror, the extra fuel bottle.....all good stuff! You're also using the same engine that I'm considering...the Mitsu. Have you been happy with the engine so far? What are your top and cruising speeds?

Thanks again for the response,

Warner
 
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I'm riding Bell Kevlar 26x1.75 comfort bike tires from wallyworld right now. They're definitely tough little suckers however they're a little thin when off-roading for me so my next set will probably be 26x1.95 or more with another fairly smooth tread pattern. I chose those ones over knobbies because I knew it would make it easier for pedaling, somewhat better acceleration and better MPG but I would not want to be riding on anything thinner at 25-30mph.
The Mitsubishi has been a great little engine so far with only 190mi on it I don't believe its totally broken in, I'm about half way through my second gallon of gas with a 30:1 oil mix. After this gallon I'm going to move to the recommended 40:1 mix which im sure will give me even more power than I have now. Starting is pretty easy usually 2-4 pulls cold and 1 when its warm. It vibrates very little for a 2 stroke its incredibly smooth and very quiet for 2-stroke too. This thing isn't going to give you a headache or annoy the neighbors. My family says they usually can't even hear me when I pull in or leave. It seems to have a relatively flat torque curve similar to 4-strokes so theres a bit more torque at high rpm but not so much that you have to keep the engine there to enjoy a good amount of power. My top speed is 32 on the flat with the engine peaking but I usually cruise 25-28mph on the flat so the engine can just hum along. I know Staton asks what you want your top speed to be when you order the left side driven chain kits so you probably want anywhere between 27-30mph top speed depending on how hilly your area is. I needed the nuvinci because its just too darn hilly here to find any "perfect" fixed gear ratio.
 
I'm riding Bell Kevlar 26x1.75 comfort bike tires from wallyworld right now. They're definitely tough little suckers however they're a little thin when off-roading for me so my next set will probably be 26x1.95 or more with another fairly smooth tread pattern. I chose those ones over knobbies because I knew it would make it easier for pedaling, somewhat better acceleration and better MPG but I would not want to be riding on anything thinner at 25-30mph.
The Mitsubishi has been a great little engine so far with only 190mi on it I don't believe its totally broken in, I'm about half way through my second gallon of gas with a 30:1 oil mix. After this gallon I'm going to move to the recommended 40:1 mix which im sure will give me even more power than I have now. Starting is pretty easy usually 2-4 pulls cold and 1 when its warm. It vibrates very little for a 2 stroke its incredibly smooth and very quiet for 2-stroke too. This thing isn't going to give you a headache or annoy the neighbors. My family says they usually can't even hear me when I pull in or leave. It seems to have a relatively flat torque curve similar to 4-strokes so theres a bit more torque at high rpm but not so much that you have to keep the engine there to enjoy a good amount of power. My top speed is 32 on the flat with the engine peaking but I usually cruise 25-28mph on the flat so the engine can just hum along. I know Staton asks what you want your top speed to be when you order the left side driven chain kits so you probably want anywhere between 27-30mph top speed depending on how hilly your area is. I needed the nuvinci because its just too darn hilly here to find any "perfect" fixed gear ratio.

Thanks. I live in the Chicago area, so it's basically flat. I would be building this for my 20 mile (each way - 40 miles total) commute to and from work. I will definitely be doing a good amount of pedaling, so I'd be okay with a taller gear to give me a bit more top speed if I have the option. Yeah, I've heard good things about the Mitsu engine. At 2.2 HP, I think it's got plenty of power! I won't go with the NuVinci setup - expensive and I really don't think I'd benefit much from it with my intended use and type of terrain (essentially flat). My biggest two challenges now are:

1 - Convincing my wife, who thinks I'm crazy. I need to sell at least one toy (I'm thinking the go-kart is going!) before she'll even entertain the idea.

2 - Planning out a safe route to work. People here are crazy drivers. I think it's imperative to have one of those flashing tail lights and probably reflective tape on the bike.


I DO think what I'm planning is feasible. I think I'll have to budget about an hour to get to work, but with our traffic here my best case scenario in the car takes me 30 minutes, and worst case can actually take me an hour if something is going on with traffic. The thought of being able to pull right up to the front of every light makes me all happy inside! Hahaha!

Thanks again for the reply,

Warner
 
The weak link (to my thinking, anyway) was not the belt on the GEBE kit...that's fine....it was the way that ring mounts to the spokes. Not only does it look kinda' hokey to me, but I kept finding reports of broken spokes and such. I also read a few posts about the 40cc Tanaka being a little bit too powerful for their system. They have possibly (probably) corrected that by now though.
I don't recall ever reading any posts about the ring tearing thru spokes. Not saying it's never happened, tho...

I was considering a GEBE kit at one point, but I think my first actual build will be a Staton one day. I'm partial to rack-mounted 2-strokes that can freewheel so you can coast smoothly & don't have to mess with a clutch.

I'll definitely be saving up for the NuVinci, tho (it's gonna take me a few months at least). I will never buy a bike with derailers ever again. It's either a BMX or Nuvinci's CVP hub. Problem with using most internally geared hubs is that they can't handle the torque of these engines. But the NuVinci is special. Due to the way it's designed, you can smoothly shift input/output ratios of just the engine, just pedal-power, or both of them combined. It's not just for hills & bridges, but for pedaling too!! I've always had problems with derailers, even when adjusting them... but nothing slips or jerks with NuVinci. Ahh.... maybe for Christmas.
 
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