Chain Drive ... how loud is yours?

[LI-ghtcycle]

Heya all, I am considering a possible 2 stage chain drive with jack shaft, and my biggest question is how loud are they? I have seen where some talk about being annoyed by the loud noise their chain drive makes, and one of the huge draws to E-Bikes is the lack of loud noises.

Can anyone direct me to youtube videos of their chain drives? If it's no louder than a RC motor or most geared hub motors I can live with that.

Thanks! 8)

 

[Thud]

The whine of an outrunner is the major source of noise in all my chain drives.
Aj, has the best video demostraighting the sound level.
Also, I think the video make it seem louder than it really is. I'll let some one else comment on that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz5vjsQiEPc&feature=player_embedded

That said. Chain drives do make noise. I guess its up to the operator what is acceptable. Frankly, I was a bit suprised at how much niose was generated with my bikes on the 1st few builds. Nothing I would call stealthly.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Good to know! I'm not really looking for stealth per say, but if I'm not turning heads along the bike paths because of the noise, that's a good indicator for me, because even though it's totally legal to have a E-Bike on the path, if the public's perception is that I am using a "motorized vehicle" on the path, it's going to do more harm than good. Not worried about the lycras being up-set that I am "cheating" but that the general public might think I'm doing something obnoxious at best or illegal. Granted most any E-Bike worth riding is going to exceed the legal power limits, but as long as I'm not blasting down the path at 30 MPH+ sounding like a motorcycle, I don't think anyone is going to mind. :wink:

 

[dumbass]

As a general rule small sprockets tend to make a lot more noise then larger sprocket.....so stay away from say 9t through maybe 14t in a 1/2" pitch. They will be the loadest. I run twin gearhead motors through independent chains/freewheels to a jackshaft to the rear wheel with a third chain. Personally I don't feel my chains or freewheels make anymore noise then my crank chain/freewheel does. That said however, my motor gear boxes announce my presence. I can tell ya I could never sneek up on anyone. But when coasting my jack shaft, chains and freewheels are always turning and there isn't anymore noise then a standard bike. So all my noise is coming from my gearhead motors.

Bob

 

[def215]

as dumbass said, smaller sprockets make more racket. on my chain drive, i run a 6t on the motor and a 48t on the wheel in 1/2 in. pitch and its pretty loud. as was said, larger sprockets will reduce noise levels. i run this combo because i really wanted to gear it down a lot. but after a while, i got used to it.

 

[torqueon]

Sheet metel guards and such will amplifie the noise as well

 

[amberwolf]

The actual chain drive on CrazyBike2 was pretty quiet, but the gearbox of the powerchair motor that was bolted to the plate welded to the bottom of the bike frames made some racket under load. If I had the motor vibration-isolated from the frame, that would probably be lessened a lot; I put a rubber mat (from an Apple Mac Plus' harddisk-mounting pad) between the gearbox and frame and it helped; I'd just need to isolate the bolts from the frame the same way to complete that.

 

[Hillhater]

Noise from the chain drive will depend not just on the sprocket size ( smaller sprockets = noisy) but also on the actual chain speed.
so, high speed primary drives from a small motor sprocket will make much more noise than final chain drives back to the rear hub freewheel.
My chain driven, 1200W, Aprilia enjoy has effectively a "silent" chain drive because all the motor reduction is done in a enclosed gearbox in the bottom bracket. The chain runs at "normal" peddle speed and the only real noise is when the chain moves from one sprocket to another on the derailleur.

 

[MrBoots]

Coming from a hub motor, I took some time getting used to the whine of an RC outrunner. I always thought my bike was on the noisy side but I had a friend test ride while I followed in a car with the window noise (without the radio on) and it wasn't even audible over the road noise until I pulled up next to it. All the time I surprise pedestrians on the sidewalk when I pass them because they couldn't detect me beforehand. However in secluded areas without vehicles like a bike path, the noise is audible - on par with a child's powerwheel vehicle or something but not overbearing. In my vid below, I don't find the noise level bothersome at all - I actually think it's cool in a turbo-spooling sort of way.

[youtube]zOsmaEAi-E0[/youtube]

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Very Kewl Vid Mrboots!

Glad to see another all-weather E-Biker! No frost on the ground for us lately, I'm really curious to try out my new Schwalbe Big Apples on some slick stuff (nothing too serious, or I will get ice spikers for that).

I don't mind the sound of the motor at all, I was just curious since some people seem to indicate that their chain drive was noisy.

I'll probably be pushing 2000W up hill fully loaded with the touring/cargo bike I am building, but only at around normal 20ish bike speed, not looking for speed just torque and simplicity.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Noise from the chain drive will depend not just on the sprocket size ( smaller sprockets = noisy) but also on the actual chain speed.
so, high speed primary drives from a small motor sprocket will make much more noise than final chain drives back to the rear hub freewheel.
My chain driven, 1200W, Aprilia enjoy has effectively a "silent" chain drive because all the motor reduction is done in a enclosed gearbox in the bottom bracket. The chain runs at "normal" peddle speed and the only real noise is when the chain moves from one sprocket to another on the derailleur.

Good to know, thanks! I will probably be able to use a standard 18T freewheel (wanting to run dual freewheels, 16T & 18T or there abouts so that I can always switch to the 18T and use the pedaling chain in case of electrical/mechanical problems with the drive. 8)

 

[neptronix]

Hm, i wouldn't say chain drive is simple then.. reliable though!
Think about it.. spokes will break on a hub.. gears and clutches will break on a geared hub motor..
As for your friction drive, well it hasn't been a cakewalk for you

But a freewheel, gears, and chains.. have been shown to be extremely reliable.

My currie bike is loud as hell but ya know.. i actually like it! Sorta like the difference between driving a prius and a car with a nice sounding exhaust. It 'feels' faster and the sound is a nice feedback.

Yeah, trails could be a problem if you're floggin' your motor, hehe..

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Well, in that case just get an Ezip trails then! :lol:

Don't get me wrong, I love my friction drive, I just pushed it way beyond it's design's limits initially, and had it out of alignment.

And yes, it's more complicated to build up a chain drive, however, I mean simple as in a simple 2-stage chain drive with jack shaft. :wink:

As long as all the parts that will wear the most can be bought at a local bike shop while I am touring, it will serve my purpose. 8)

 

[neptronix]

Screw an eZip!!!!

Although i must say, nice, elegant system! But the weight of the bike is crazy, and brushed motors are a no-no. And too bad it can't handle much more power either.

I know it is spendy, but maybe a recumpence RC drive is for you.