Friction drive outrunner setup. New DJ bike.
- Thread starter EVTodd
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12p3phPMDC
1 kW
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- Mar 16, 2009
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Kepler
10 MW
Bugger. Can't see the video on my iPhone. Now you know why I was interested to know how your system was holding up. 
These friction drive systems are seriously under rated. I think your build and now my setup might see a few more drives hit the forum.
These friction drive systems are seriously under rated. I think your build and now my setup might see a few more drives hit the forum.Kepler said:Bugger. Can't see the video on my iPhone. Now you know why I was interested to know how your system was holding up.
That's great. I was really excited to see another rc friction drive. Hopefully people will see that friction drive can work as well as anything else if done properly. Just be ready for the naysayers!
recumpence
1 GW
Every drive style has its pros and cons. I love the "Bolt it on and go" aspect of friction drive. Very nice!
Tire choice seems more critical with friction drive. But, that is no biggie.
Matt
Tire choice seems more critical with friction drive. But, that is no biggie.
Matt
AussieJester
1 TW
recumpence said:
...can't see friction drives being too popular for those that deal with alot of wet conditions or dirt roads where knobbly tires
are a pre-requisite. For those commuting on dry 'clean' surface i can see the simplicity is a bonus, could
even mass product a bolt on kit that is easily removed for 'normal' bike operation or those winter months!
Either way very nice fabrication EVtod
are you still using this setup? I assume so with the "(knock on wood)." comment heheKiM
12p3phPMDC
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AussieJester said:recumpence said:
...can't see friction drives being too popular for those that deal with alot of wet conditions or dirt roads where knobbly tires
are a pre-requisite. For those commuting on dry 'clean' surface i can see the simplicity is a bonus, could
even mass product a bolt on kit that is easily removed for 'normal' bike operation or those winter months!
Either way very nice fabrication EVtod
KiM
AJ,
EVTodds setup is the SH%*#(T ..... It is quite simply the simplest setup there is... which makes it golden. I bet you it performs better in the wet
than you think ... :wink:
Yea, you probably can't put chains on the tire though like Doc... :lol:
enoob
1 kW
Great stuff
I really like the idea of being able to easily remove the motor/batteries/controller and have it all in a tidy backpack . be great for the boys going to school or for those occasions where the bike is going to be locked up unattended for long periods.
I believe walmart, cambodia tire and the like would do better just selling this as a kit to electrify their bike line.
no question theirs a market for a clean easy unit like this.
I really like the idea of being able to easily remove the motor/batteries/controller and have it all in a tidy backpack . be great for the boys going to school or for those occasions where the bike is going to be locked up unattended for long periods.
I believe walmart, cambodia tire and the like would do better just selling this as a kit to electrify their bike line.
no question theirs a market for a clean easy unit like this.
paultrafalgar
10 kW
With respect to friction drive in the wet, have a look at:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=9652&p=183987&hilit=capstan#p183987
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=9652&p=183987&hilit=capstan#p183987
I use my bike on gravel and dirt all the time. Haven't had a problem with it yet. I think people have the idea that dirt and rocks will fly up the tire and get stuck under the roller or something. I've personally never had that happen. Now mud would be a different story. The roller would kick that crap all over you. Doesn't sound like fun to me but then again, I don't like the idea of riding in mud anyway.
As for tire selection. I now use a beach cruiser tire on the back because they're almost flat and you get a ton on contact with the roller. They also have a lot of tread and work very well on dirt and gravel. I've also had great luck with the mountain bike tires that have treads on the outside but are fairly smooth down the center. As long as the center is smooth tire selection isn't that big of a deal.
As for tire selection. I now use a beach cruiser tire on the back because they're almost flat and you get a ton on contact with the roller. They also have a lot of tread and work very well on dirt and gravel. I've also had great luck with the mountain bike tires that have treads on the outside but are fairly smooth down the center. As long as the center is smooth tire selection isn't that big of a deal.
etard
100 kW
Kepler
10 MW
The action on your design is more progressive then mine. I like the way it smoothly adjusts its tension depending on load. My drive tends to be either fully engaged or off allthough its hard to tell when you are riding. The trade off is to either have a system that fully disenages like mine or a system with more progessive tensioning like yours and then relies on a one way bearing for free wheeling. Both sucsessfull designs, just tackled a little differently.
Kepler
10 MW
E-bike season all year down here in OZ
I just ordered myself one of these:
I want to see how far I can take friction drive and decided to start a new project with a DJ style bike. I thought this was a great deal on a nice chromoly frame.
I had originally planned on a downhill bike but I really like hardtail better so the DJ route makes more sense for me. Not to mention the fact that setting up a friction drive on a hardtail is a lot easier. I was going to spring for a couple Tidalforce frames but the old BMXer in me just has to have steel.
I want to see how far I can take friction drive and decided to start a new project with a DJ style bike. I thought this was a great deal on a nice chromoly frame.
I had originally planned on a downhill bike but I really like hardtail better so the DJ route makes more sense for me. Not to mention the fact that setting up a friction drive on a hardtail is a lot easier. I was going to spring for a couple Tidalforce frames but the old BMXer in me just has to have steel.
Kepler
10 MW
Nice looking frame. Have you decided on what gear you are going to use? Those brake mounting points might be handy to use as part of the drive support.
etard
100 kW
Ebike season all year here in SoCal too! 8)
Can't wait to see your next build Todd, your designs have always been some of my favorites. I think Kepler has a well thought out design too, and your bike looks so clean, but for simplicity and reliability Todd's seems the most solid.
That frame is very nice, once you add a drive to a bike the difference in the frame material is negligable, IMHO.
So you bought just the frame and you will build from there? That is awesome if you do, I just built my first bike from parts off eBay, Ridemonkey classified, jensonusa, performance, and of course craigslist. It has turned out much cheaper using clearence and used parts. But I also learned that you need the right tools (performance has a full kit for cheap) and some parts should not be bought used, like rear derrailluers.
Learned that the hard way...
Well good luck man, can't wait to see version three (?) The first thing I saw was those rear brake boss mounts, my DJ frame is made for both 24 and 26" wheels, is the KHS the same?
Can't wait to see your next build Todd, your designs have always been some of my favorites. I think Kepler has a well thought out design too, and your bike looks so clean, but for simplicity and reliability Todd's seems the most solid.
That frame is very nice, once you add a drive to a bike the difference in the frame material is negligable, IMHO.
So you bought just the frame and you will build from there? That is awesome if you do, I just built my first bike from parts off eBay, Ridemonkey classified, jensonusa, performance, and of course craigslist. It has turned out much cheaper using clearence and used parts. But I also learned that you need the right tools (performance has a full kit for cheap) and some parts should not be bought used, like rear derrailluers.
Learned that the hard way...Well good luck man, can't wait to see version three (?) The first thing I saw was those rear brake boss mounts, my DJ frame is made for both 24 and 26" wheels, is the KHS the same?
Thanks for the kind words etard.
I am going to build this one up from scratch. I have some parts sitting in my garage that I'll start with and upgrade as I go along. I'm probably going to go with a mix of dj and bmx styling. I want something simple, fairly tough, comfortable, and stealthy. Maybe bmx cruiser bars for a slightly more upright riding position. I'm currently thinking about either making it single speed or using bmx cranks with a single gear up front and a derailleur in the back to make it more practical when I'm not using the motor.
I will use disc brakes and plan on using the other brake mounts for something. It would be cool to integrate the motor mount with the frame somehow for an even simpler system. I'll have to do some more sketching and thinking about it.
The built up version of this bike comes with a 24" wheel in the back and a 26" in the front but everything I've read says you can run a 26" in the back (which I will). I assume that's right since it has multiple v-brake positions. Anyone have a nice set of 26" wheels with disc hubs for sale?
I am going to build this one up from scratch. I have some parts sitting in my garage that I'll start with and upgrade as I go along. I'm probably going to go with a mix of dj and bmx styling. I want something simple, fairly tough, comfortable, and stealthy. Maybe bmx cruiser bars for a slightly more upright riding position. I'm currently thinking about either making it single speed or using bmx cranks with a single gear up front and a derailleur in the back to make it more practical when I'm not using the motor.
I will use disc brakes and plan on using the other brake mounts for something. It would be cool to integrate the motor mount with the frame somehow for an even simpler system. I'll have to do some more sketching and thinking about it.
The built up version of this bike comes with a 24" wheel in the back and a 26" in the front but everything I've read says you can run a 26" in the back (which I will). I assume that's right since it has multiple v-brake positions. Anyone have a nice set of 26" wheels with disc hubs for sale?
Ok, I need some opinions. I was going to go a little cheap on some parts of this build but I've decided to spend a little more and just build the bike I've been wanting instead. Well, I went a little cheap on the forks but I can change that later.
Anyway... I'm currently looking at disc brakes and have decided to go with hydraulics instead of mechanical. I've noticed a lot of the dj guys just run one brake on the back. Are some hydraulic brakes that good? I realize if you're dirt jumping it's a little different than e-biking at 30-40 mph. I kind of like the idea though, not because it's cheaper, but because it's one less part on the bike. I'm kind of going for a minimalist dj/bmx/mountain bike here and keeping it simple really appeals to me.
Anyway... I'm currently looking at disc brakes and have decided to go with hydraulics instead of mechanical. I've noticed a lot of the dj guys just run one brake on the back. Are some hydraulic brakes that good? I realize if you're dirt jumping it's a little different than e-biking at 30-40 mph. I kind of like the idea though, not because it's cheaper, but because it's one less part on the bike. I'm kind of going for a minimalist dj/bmx/mountain bike here and keeping it simple really appeals to me.
Miles said:
That has always kinda been my thought too but I see tons of the dj bikes with only one brake and it's on the back. Like I said though, it's a totally different thing. Does anyone on here have a dj bike with just one brake?
Here's an example:
It was the first dj picture I found
Nothing like my bike but a good example! :lol:Similar threads
