Chainless drive
- Thread starter JayCee
- Start date
Drunkskunk
100 GW
Cute. From an engineering perspective, that is such a bad idea. The efficiency loss over a chain drive makes me die a little inside.
LewTwo
1 MW
AmenDrunkskunk said:
Also it is NOT 'the first chainless drive e-bike'.
Back around 2006 I had an Incline shaft drive bike with electric front hub.
Wish I still had it as Sussex no longer seems to be build shaft drives.
There are also a few Gates Belt drive e-bikes out there as well.
Edit: I left out the PROTANIUM SHAFT DRIVE
http://ecruiserbikes.com/our-bikes/shaft-drive/
macribs
10 MW
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2014
- Messages
- 3,702
Trouble loading page correctly so I can't see it but I found a pic in google cache.
Seems that they are using "drive by wire"? A hub in the rear and I am guessing a optical sensor and pas senors or something in the crank to tell the motor to turn?
Hm that crank housing seems oddly large, one would think it contains a gearbox judging by the size. Or it could be a tiny shaft drive from the crank housing that turns when pedals turning and running inside the swing arm, impossible to see on the one pic I found. But that would explain the large size of crank housing.
Man if they are using a hidden shaft drive and did not route the motor wires inside the swing arm they must have something dislocated or partly damaged in the head.
Did someone figure out how this work?
Seems that they are using "drive by wire"? A hub in the rear and I am guessing a optical sensor and pas senors or something in the crank to tell the motor to turn?
Hm that crank housing seems oddly large, one would think it contains a gearbox judging by the size. Or it could be a tiny shaft drive from the crank housing that turns when pedals turning and running inside the swing arm, impossible to see on the one pic I found. But that would explain the large size of crank housing.
Man if they are using a hidden shaft drive and did not route the motor wires inside the swing arm they must have something dislocated or partly damaged in the head.
Did someone figure out how this work?
Hillhater
100 TW
Nothing new here......Its just the old crank driving a generator, which then powers the hub motor.i
Efficiency losses at each stage !
Efficiency losses at each stage !
Well, there's a battery plumbed in the circuit. The pedaling seems to control speed and there's several selectable power limits/levels.Hillhater said:
I'd think pedaling this with a flat battery to be something like pedaling a moped, which is what this is, basically.
Alan B
100 GW
Connecting pedals to a generator is one great way to get pedal input information. Torque, speed, everything. Varying the load on the generator can also be useful. Not necessarily efficient, but perhaps an excellent user interface.
Might be a better system for this conveyance that you'd never really pedal:
http://www.gizmag.com/lithium-cycles-super-73-e-bike/43659/
http://www.gizmag.com/lithium-cycles-super-73-e-bike/43659/
cjh
100 W
LewTwo said:
Sussex is owned by a Chinese manufacturer and still available.
http://www.chainlessbike.com.cn/
cjh
100 W
Avitt
100 W
cjh said:
Not really a kit as much as a system, since it requires a customized and prioprietary frame design...
ES member Fitek made a series-hybrid drive. The pedals only charged the battery, only the battery powered the wheel.
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3423
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3423
LewTwo
1 MW
The Taiwan SUSSEX site is unresponsive. They also do not respond to emails.cjh said:
H'mmmm ... This is from the English version of their Chinese site:
http://www.chainlessbike.com.cn/index_en.html
"From June 1, 2015 start, Goldmann (Taicang) Machinery Co., Ltd. to take over the world welcomed the company's all business. We continue to provide you as before and high quality products and services."
There does not appear to be anyone selling bicycles with their shaft drive.
Dynamic Bicycles US no longer advertises shaft drive bicycles.
Dynamic Bicycles UK web site still shows products for sales but the latest update to their site is dated: September 2014
There is still one Sonoma shaft drive bicycle listed on Amazon (Prime) but my guess it is the last of the stock.
No apparent activity there since 2014 either.
Edit:
One listing for a 'NEW' Sonnona on ebay as well (Same model as Amazon but $100 more).
Found another listing in France: http://www.arcadecycles.eu/Urban-bicycle/velo-cygnus-1903-nex-3.html (caution: very slow responce time)
For all practical purposes I would say that they packed up their tent and went home.
EDIT 30 September 2016:
Well I have to eat my words ...
Dynacraft BSC, Inc. is marketing a couple of Sussex shaft drive bikes via Amazon .... and I purchased one.
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=83817&p=1227440#p1227440
So did Lowracerspinningmagnets said:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=15530
but I don't think there's any vids or pics up anymore.
Hillhater
100 TW
Really that is an infinately variable cadence. It uses a hub motor so transmission doesnt influence the electric drive
LewTwo
1 MW
Sometime surprising and amazing what one can find on Alibaba ...
Chainless shaft drive Ebike:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/26-aluminum-7-speeds-new-products_802943232.html?spm=a2700.7724838.0.0.d8MQt3
Chainless shaft drive Ebike:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/26-aluminum-7-speeds-new-products_802943232.html?spm=a2700.7724838.0.0.d8MQt3
Voltron
1 MW
But that's a totally different design in that the pedals are still mechanically linked to the wheel, not driving a generator to feed the battery.
Hillhater
100 TW
...but it is what LewTwo was searching for !....
LewTwo
1 MW
Yes it is but my point was that Bike2's claimVoltron said:
Is subject to question/argument (which I believe originally stated 'the first chainless drive e-bike' ... I do not usually misquote people).
Sorta of ... it is close to what I was riding in 2006 (mine had 3 Hawker 12V SLA's in the triangle and no suspension fork).Hillhater said:
