Build of 3 Speed Friction Drive

[rawly old]

A good 3 spd, hub is made to last for years with proper lubrication
and care. The important thing to remember is to " stop pedaling.
shift, then pedal". It's not like a friction derailleur which you pedal
through the shift; you have to pause during the shift.
Sorry, no video. I have yet to enter the 21st century.

P.S. that bike of yours looks really scary with the chainsaw bar
sticking out the back. I'd think twice before passing you.

 

[Lee_K]

No, I don't have a video. The weather will be too cold and sloppy for me to do any more rides for the next few months. I just recently got far enough on the build to ride it and only have a few miles. It has performed well so far. I will be making some changes and additions this winter and do some long rides in the spring.

I agree with Rawly about shifting, I always close the throttle before shifting and it has worked well. As far as hub strength, these comments apply to Sturmey Archer hubs from the 60's & 70's which I have disassembled, measured and evaluated for my application. Based on a 35cc Robin-Subaru which develops about 15 in-lbs of torque from 5000 to 7000 rpm.

The gears are plenty strong enough, but the speeds are higher than the original design intent. There are 4 planet gears that rotate on steel pins. They will be spinning at about 1800 rpm with a 25 pound force applied. This will be the weakest link inside the hub. I plan to disassemble and check these parts for wear after riding a season.

The other thing that causes problems is poorly adjusted shift controls. I think your idea will work really well. We would all like to see how it develops, so please start a thread when you start your build.

 

[Poupoudoum]

Hi,

On my side of the ocean it's rainny but not realy cold, I ride all year long \o/.

I received my hub today, a 70's Shimano "3S" NOS, wonderful! It looks pretty solid, but I think a really big spindle to reduce speed wont hurt.
I will start a thread as soon as I start my build, but it won't be before 6 or 12 months...

Thanks for your replies!

PS: Of course, on my bike, the chain is welded to the bar, and the teeth have been grinded off. It makes a perfect wheelie bar

 

[Ludwig II]

I see you're in Bordeaux; have any of the English immigrants got you playing cricket yet?

 

[Poupoudoum]

No never!
I don't even know the rules of this game!

 

[Ludwig II]

It will either fascinate you or horrify you, there is little middle ground.

 

[Ludwig II]

I'm actually a bit curious, you live in France, home of the restricted moped, and you're on this forum. What is the attraction for you? For me, it's the rejection both of the obsession with speed and of the uniformity, lack of identity, of modern motorcycles of any size.

 

[Poupoudoum]

Hi,

The attraction for me is the pleasure to build homemade stuff with an engine. I first started with fans when I was younger, and I finally ended putting a chainsaw on my sister's bike .
Building and improving stuff is my only motivation, I don't like to ride a factory moped.
But before that, I never really liked motorbikes... As a kid I thought that motorbikes were some kind of noisy stuff that kills people and go too fast on the road...
You're right I don't care about speed, and I don't like Japanese bikes and modern mopeds. The only modern bike I want to have is a Harley Davidson.

And I think I will enjoy putting my 3 speed hub on my bike !

 

[Ludwig II]

What you are then is the same oil stained experimenter as the rest of us. You'll have to meet me off the ferry some time with a bottle of red wine in your hand. I'll take care of it for you.

 

[Ludwig II]

Is there as much rain in Bordeaux right now as we're having in Britain? If you are, you might have to change the town's name to Sous-marin.