Jackshaft SBP Shift Kit

[Skyliner70cc]

Ghost,
MBer's living paycheck to paycheck probably buy the Dax China made clone for 1/2 price. Offering a $20-$25 OPTION isn't going to hurt anyone and I'm fairly certain they will sell like hotcakes.

I'll start a poll and see how many folks would be interested in buying a chain tensioner for $25 bucks. SBP is a great product but not your fault bike chains can't handle the power.

Thanks,
Drew

We haven't stalled, we just don't see it as a necessity. Maybe a nice to have or convenience but when 90% of the MB population is living paycheck to paycheck we would rather get something that is good quality and may take 5 minutes of maintenance every few hours of use rather than making something so expensive no one could afford it. There is a drawback to having something too good in that one becomes complacent if there is never anything to maintain and will begin to ignore the other basic maintenance items required on bicycles like tires pressure, brakes, chain lubrication and nuts and bolts in general. We will revisit this as maybe an aftermarket part or option.

As far as the tetra chain wheel, we (SBP) has nothing to do with that. I know Fabian and I have had many email exchanges on the merits of front derailleurs and multiple front chainrings. I still say that for most peoples application they are more hassle than they are worth. Now please understand that what Fabian does is outside the norm for most of us, he hauls stuff around that would make my little China girl cringe which is why he needs a larger range of gears but for most people there just isn't an advantage to using a front derailleur.

 

[Fabian]

I've been banging on about chain tensioners incorporated into the SickBikeparts shift kit for ages - in the end, i had to design my own, and they are still operating flawlessly and unchanged in design for the last 2 years.

My chain tensioners also take out a noticeable amount of vibration from loose chains whirring around the system.

 

[Fabian]

@ Skyliner

The reason why i designed my chain tensioners is that i became totally sick and tired of having to tighten the chain tension every 3 hours, and every 2 hours if traveling on a dirt road that constantly had dust thrown onto the jackshaft chain; significantly increasing the wear rate and correspondingly the chain slackness.
With the chain slackness came the issues of the chain throwing itself from the drive sprockets.

Oh how my life changed for the better once i designed and installed my (left hand side and right hand side) chain tensioners. I could actually go on a 6 or 8 hour bike ride and not have to stop 3 or 4 times to pull out my tools and fiddle about; adjusting the d.a.m.n chain tension.

 

[Fabian]

Even if the chain tensioners were listed as a $50 each, the people who use their bike as essential transport and require it to be reliable; sans constant fiddling, would be happy to pay for a decent set of chain tensioners incorporated into the Shift kit design.

Those people who would not be prepared to pay for the tensioners would eventually succumb to greater sense and reason and buy a tensioner set after getting so sick and tired of the constant fiddling.

 

[Fabian]

Now as far as the Tetra Chainwheel system goes, the link (below) gives good explanation as to why the option of mega low range gears is essential; being relatively easy to incorporate into the standard Shift Kit design, as SickBikeParts sells all of the optional sprockets, required to do the conversion. Making a front derailleur work is the really tricky part, requiring modifications to be made to a standard derailleur, and it must be of a specific design.

Unfortunately the photos don't do justice as to the murderous steepness of the summit ski slope, but if you look down the valley, you can see my starting point.
I attacked the mountain by trucking my way up the steepest parts.

Without a Tetra Chainwheel System, this kind of adventure touring is impossible on a standard shift kit:


http://motorizedbikeforum.the-talk.net/t208-hill-climb-with-bob-ibex-trailer

 

[Fabian]

I still say that the SickBikeParts shift kit is the best thing since sliced bread (with over 40,000 kilometers on my bike) but to achieve a good level of user friendliness it needs a few modifications for use on an every day basis and lots of miles put through the jackshaft system; as in 200 - 300 miles per week.

For light duty work and a bit of recreational work here and there, the standard kit is quite acceptable, but even so, a person would not look back after installing a set of chain tensioners, and would wonder why they didn't do it from the beginning.

 

[Skyliner70cc]

I still say that the SickBikeParts shift kit is the best thing since sliced bread (with over 40,000 kilometers on my bike) but to achieve a good level of user friendliness it needs a few modifications for use on an every day basis and lots of miles put through the jackshaft system; as in 200 - 300 miles per week.

For light duty work and a bit of recreational work here and there, the standard kit is quite acceptable, but even so, a person would not look back after installing a set of chain tensioners, and would wonder why they didn't do it from the beginning.

Fabian, I'll IM you. I really need a chain tensioner and am to the point willing to pay whatever it takes to get at least get a right side chain tensioner.

 

[Fabian]

Believe me Skyliner, that's the level of desperation i had to sink to before necessity became the mother of invention.

I honestly feel for your depth of despair, and i'm sure you are not the only person in this situation.

I'll have to pull my chain tensioners off and give them to an engineer/fabricator to get a set made up for you. I only say this because i don't have access to a lathe anymore.

Life would be so much easier if SickBikeParts just made a set of chain tensioners for their product - i have no idea why there is so much resistance on their behalf, considering i was easily able to integrate my chain tensioners into their design, as an add on accessory item, and i'm not even a qualified engineer.

 

[MotorBicycleRacing]

Believe me Skyliner, that's the level of desperation i had to sink to before necessity became the mother of invention.

I honestly feel for your depth of despair, and i'm sure you are not the only person in this situation.

I'll have to pull my chain tensioners off and give them to an engineer/fabricator to get a set made up for you. I only say this because i don't have access to a lathe anymore.

Life would be so much easier if SickBikeParts just made a set of chain tensioners for their product - i have no idea why there is so much resistance on their behalf, considering i was easily able to integrate my chain tensioners into their design, as an add on accessory item, and i'm not even a qualified engineer.

Oh such drama from the fabulous fabian.

Do ya have a pic of your chain tensioner?

 

[Fabian]

You become a good method actor when your jackshaft chain keeps misbehaving "badly" over non geometry related issues.
The chain tension issue of the SickBikeParts kit really developed my method acting skills; i can't think of how many huge tantrums i've thrown over the chain tension issue; throwing things in all directions.

Fortunately this inspired me to fix the d.a.m.n problem, because after desperation and despair, you have nowhere else left to go!

Just do a google seach for my chain tensioners under "SickBikeParts chain tensioner" - they are easy to find on the web