Stanton chain drive or GEBE timing belt?

RogerS

Member
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Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Messages
58
Location
NE Ohio
If money and ease of installation was not an issue, which unit would you go with? It will be used for allternative transportation and cruising in an area that does not have steep hills. I would have to relace the wheel with either unit do to light spokes. It will be installed on a 26" mountain bike and I weigh 210 pounds.
I am personally leaning toward the Stanton inside drive with the Robin/Subaru EHO35 four stroke. There really is not much difference in cost. I was surprised that the gear and chain drive Stanton kit was less expensive
I own a machine shop so installation or custom parts is not an issue.
Looking forward to advice and installing the kit.
 
I just installed the inside drive Staton. Solid piece of machinery. Some extra thought is needed during installation to accommodate the inside drive. I bought the spoked rim and hub. That made install easy and convenient. I felt a chain drive with a free wheel hub was the proper way to drive the wheel. A belt drive with a pulley mounted to the spokes? Well...not for me. YMMV.
 
That's the way I feel too. But there sure are a lot of happy GEBE owners on this forum, you can't argue with that. Which engine did you go with?
 
the gebe is a smooth ride and torquey. And the eho35 is a good choice either way.
 
mlcorson,

I agree 100% with what you say. I too have a Staton INSIDE drive. The Inside drive set up balances the assembly more evenly over the read wheel and frame. When mounted properly, it is very solid and has excellent looks. My Super Duty Clutch mated to the Honds has exceeded my expectations. The Honda 50 is a one pull start motor with lots of torque. The gear drive is designed and manufactured as any quality piece of machinery should be. In America too.

I wanted have a little more engine than the Mitsu in case I decide to pull a trailer in the future.
 
I have both the gebe and the staton chain inside drive. The weak link of the gebe is spoke breakage and belt failure, You must buy a beefier wheel and must not over torque the belt, you need pedal on acceleration and up hills and constantly be on guard for proper belt alignment. I weigh 250# and do a lot of stop and go in traffic, and after 200 dollars worh of belts I decided to go with a chain drive. The chain drive is heavier and more drive train noise but Ionly haveto pedal from adead stop and I canmake most hills without pedalling. Also, it will completely freewheel when I let off the throttle, whereas the gebe will still be engaged deccelerating , which I believe has a negative effect on the belt. Other gebe owners have noted this.Going dow a hill freewheeling You feel like there's no motor at all. I think the gebe is better suited for relatively flat tourain in wide open areas, but for commuting into the city or hilly areas like new england, chain drive is definitely the way to go
BYW, belts are 29 dollars, chans are about 10 bucks!

I'm quite sure also that a chain will last at LEAST a thousand miles.
 
Wow $200 in GEBE belts.....:eek:

I have both the gebe and the staton chain inside drive. The weak link of the gebe is spoke breakage and belt failure, You must buy a beefier wheel and must not over torque the belt, you need pedal on acceleration and up hills and constantly be on guard for proper belt alignment. I weigh 250# and do a lot of stop and go in traffic, and after 200 dollars worh of belts I decided to go with a chain drive. .
 
Wow $200 in GEBE belts.....:eek:

Hey, I still have a belt left, and I've gone about 5000 miles, it would've cost much more if I put those miles on a car or even used the commuter rail($15 round trip to boston) , so I have no regrets, It was a good learning experience. I thought about selling the GEBE, but I'll keep it for a backup, this is my primary transportation.
 
I've said it before numerous times, but I went with the Staton chain drive for these reasons:

1 - The true freewheeling. This was a BIG deal to me. I do a fair amount of pedaling (over 8mph) and didn't want the belt dragging me down.

2 - Durability and appearance. Nobody could convince me that the Staton setup isn't more durable than a belt that attaches to a big goofy-looking (my opinon, of course) ring that mounts to the spokes. The chain on the Staton kit drives a sprocket that has no choice but to be centered on the wheel. It just seems like a much better design to me. With cost being essentially the same (and the stories I have been hearing about lead times on getting a GEBE kit) it was a no-brainer for me.

Warner
 
Well thank you everyone for your replies and advice. It confirmed what I was already thinking. I went with the EHO35 Robin/Subaru inside drive w/ 12 tooth drive sprocket and a new wheel from Staton. The freewheeling will definetly be a plus as Ohio's laws are a little vague on the subject of motored bikes. I plan to make some sort of cover for it that will look like a soft sided bag with plenty of air flow for the engine. I'll just have to keep an eye out for the police and hit the kill switch when I see them. I just placed the order and it will be shipped 09/02. Can't wait to join the ranks!
Thanks again everyone,
Roger
 
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