Tell me why I shouldn't buy Staton friction drive

[Donald M. Haney]

me 2

I just ordered a R/S friction kit last night. David told me it would ship right away. I went with friction for many of the same reasons as you TWalker. Can't wait to play. I'll probably add a tank soon tho!

"It may not be practical, but it's very dangerous!"

Don

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

I started out with 1.6hp Subaru/Staton friction drive on my 20" Dahon folder. It was the perfect match. Then I installed Mits 2.2hp and gear chain drive for more power and performance. Mechanical problems and handling issues forced me to remove the Staton gear chain system and give the bike away. Then I exchanged the electric drive on my Raleigh girlie cruiser for the Mits engine with 1.125" spindle and friction drive. An expansion chamber cured the engine's high end problems, and a 1.5" roller dropped the rpms and raised top speed into the 30's. Now I run outa road before the engine screams bloody murder.

Of course low end suffered, but there's enough torque and I have no problem pedaling off from the start. Even the medium hill near home can be conquered with a running start. I'll probably change to 1.375" roller for more revs and torque.

With GEBE's problems with belt and spokes, I'd never consider that kit.

Funny how these little friction drive kits keeps popping up on the bikes.

 

[SirJakesus]

They're simple and work well. I think friction drive is here to stay unless somebody finds an easier, more universal and more reliable way of motorizing a bike.

 

[pumpbuilder]

Friction Drive FTW. Mine pulls 6%-8% grade w/o pedaling. How steep is Swiss Chalet?

 

[duivendyk]

You can get up just about any hill with a NuVinci drive,maybe slowly,but that's basically a matter of engine size (power).Friction drive is definitely a bad idea.

 

[SirJakesus]

My staton friction will get up just about any reasonable hill here with some pedaling. I don't dare try to climb very steep and long hills because I know I'll either be pedaling my arse off all the way up or the clutch will have a very short life. NuVinci can definitely climb anything with ease even without pedaling at all.
It all depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for simple and lightweight the nuvinci fails miserably but if you need versatility the friction drive is going to lag way behind. They both have their place in the MB world but each for their own reasons. I love both systems.

 

[pumpbuilder]

Man, I really disagree with both of the last two posts.

To start with there are two types of Friction Drives. Manuals and Automatics. In a reverse of Automobiles Automatics have clutch's and may or may not have a lever to raise and lower them, e.g. DE does and Island Hopper does not.

A Friction Drive with a manual just has the engagment lever. This is what I use. I like it better then the Auto I had not because of clutch issues, [The DE has a Lifetime Guarantee on their clutch, they build their own.] but because I can "bump start" after I pedal it up a few MPH so I can turn off the motor at stop lights for better MPG, its about 3-5 MPH faster, and its quieter.

I cannot comment about the versitility of the NuVinci as I have never tried one but if I can change my gearing on my friction drive in 1-2 mins from speed bike @ 1.75" or 2" gearing to a 1" that would almost climb a tree thats pretty versitle when you also consider I can move it from bike to bike in less then 2 hours.... Thats why I love them. I could take this kit from this 20" tire and with longer legs, [I would of had to order them.] can move it to a 24" or larger wheel bike. No new belts, no special chains, no special wheel or spokes, just a good thorn resistant tire.

And yes, it does work in the rain just fine, not that I like to ride in the rain mind you, lol. Friction drive however is not for folks who want extreame speeds. While it can be done with them its not what they were designed for, the chain & sproket types are better for that. I will agree that both systems have their place but I will never go non friction, or non Dimension Edge as they have never left me stranded with 16 years of useage.

 

[duivendyk]

I have to admit that I don't know from personal experience how a friction drive performs going uphill in the rain.So I stand corrected.It's one thing changing rollers once in a while depending on the local topography,but I can hardly imagine enjoying riding on the Blueridge Parkway with all kind of climbs,long hills,short ones ,steep ones etc,having to change rollers all the time.But this could well be an extreme case.
As far as the wet traction is concerned,provided there is enough downward force on the roller, there ought to be enough friction for it to keep from slipping on the tire,after all you can ride a bicycle in the rain without skidding around.I have never quite figured out how thse roller based systems apply enough downward force on the roller.Is there some synergistic effect ?, that with increasing engine torque the roller is wedged more forcefully downward? Otherwise I think they are very attractive,simple, light. and versatile.I would imagine that the centtrifugal clutch variety would be a lot easier to use in city traffic than the DE type.

 

[pumpbuilder]

I think you are laboring from some misconceptions. If I was traveling on the Blueridge and wanted to never pedal and was on the basic Costco Full Suspension MTN bike I would use the DE with the lifetime Centrifical Clutch and the 1.25" roller. With the Encore 43cc Mitsu I would pull all the hills at about 5-10 MPH and cruise on the flats at about 20-25 mph and never pedal. ***If I am starting at the exact bottom of a hill I will have to pedal up to about 5 MPH.*** No gear changes required.

Now lets say instead I want more speed and am willing to pedal a little bit. Now I put on a 1.5" or larger roller. That will pull me up all the 4% grades w/o pedaling at all and depending on my weight and gear and such might do the 5% grades as well, the 6% grades I will have to help a little with but my cruising speed on the flats will be in the mid 30's.

One of the keys to the DE system is it always automatically adjusts the tension or downward force of the drive roller, it is exclusive to the DE system. I have never figured out how the others do it as well but don't worry about it because I got something that works but I have seen the other ones that you tighten bolts down and such.... the auto tension feature is why these work so great on full suspension bikes and that leads me to my next example....

Lets say instead of cruising you want to go do some desert or off road cruising. Not really needing uber high speeds there so then I do a change to my 1" and carry the bad weather one in case it gets sloppy. Now my top speed is only about 15-18 but I can do it w/o worrying about belt or chain flex etc and other issues that folks say to be careful of.

The common misconception is that DE does not offer a centrifical clutch model. They do offer one and they build their own clutch's as the ones that are available on the market are "cheap junk" to quote Rob. He also builds his own PTO's because the "free" ones that come with the motors are not long life ones.

Stanton, GEBE, insert name here, may make fine kits but based on the comments etc on the problems users have I think DE makes a better kit. Its the only kit I know of that can do all of those things listed above well. I know Rob machines a bunch of his own parts and who else do you know that has been making kits since 92 that's still in business?

Now as I don't use the centrifical clutch model myself I would have to pedal to about 5 MPH before engaging the engine but that is because I want to have to pedal a little even when I am feeling extra lazy and I get slightly higher speeds.

 

[SirJakesus]

Agreed duive. Where I live there is rarely a place where the ground is level. You're constantly climbing and descending all types of hills. If I'm on my Nuvinci driven bike I can go anywhere no problem with just a twist of the shifter to change my gearing to suit the terrain. I also have the ability to go on a long ride and pedal as much or as little as I want regardless of the areas topography, road or trail conditions. Sure a small roller would climb just about anything the nuvinci would but when it levels out at the top of your climb you're still inching along screaming the engine.
I also prefer centrifugal clutch to direct drive or some type of manual clutching device on a bicycle any day. It's one less thing to fiddle with when you have to push the pedals, maneuver the bike and make sure the lady in the Escalade doesn't run you over. I also don't like the extreme engine braking of direct power systems. On a motorcycle its okay because you can choose the right gear to suit you but you can't on a bike. To each his own really. I'm sure the DE systems are good since they've been in business for so long, but they're not for me.