Mechanical efficiency of chain drive vs roller drive

GoldenMotor.com

mifletz

Member
Aug 25, 2009
86
0
6
israel
I was told that chain drive will deliver c30% more practical power to the rear wheel than roller drive.

Is this correct?
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
mifletz,
Not quite sure what you're asking. As for power delivery, a chain drive will have no slippage but there is some friction involved between the chain rollers and sprockets. The power loss do to that small amount of friction is not enough to be concerned with for our purposes therefore you can assume nearly 100% effenciency with chain drive. Compared with a frction drive, roller, which will have varying amounts of slippage depending on many factors such as tightness against the tire, tire tread design and roller design and composition, dry verses wet conditions and several others, the chain drive has its advantages. Friction drive however is comparatively simple in regards to moving parts and installation on a bicycle. I don't know it this answers your question or not. Let us know if we can help you further.
Tom
 

mifletz

Member
Aug 25, 2009
86
0
6
israel
In ideal conditions, ceteris paribus, can one therefore expect a significant difference (ie >10%) in performance (in acceleration, top speed and steep hill-climbing ability) between chain and roller drives?
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
Under those conditions the performance of the bike will ultimately depend on gear ratio, rider weight, tire size etc. If we're going to compare there are many variables to consider. Typically most friction drive bikes utilize a 4 stroke engine as opposed to the more popular 2 stroke for in-frame, chain drive set ups. The 4 stroke engines are gaining in popularity and for good reason. One of our sponsors, thatsdax.com, is a staunch supporter of the 4 stroke, rack mount friction drive and I can vouch for the smooth responsivness of that configuration as compared to my three 2 stroke chain drive bikes.
Tire wear is a consideration with the friction drive but in tests we have done it is not an unmanagable issue. Naturally you'll be replacing tires at a higher rate than you would with a chain drive but those who use friction drive feel it is a small price to pay for the simplicity of the drive system. Shalom.
Tom
 

mifletz

Member
Aug 25, 2009
86
0
6
israel
I've just taken my Robin engine off its roller drive mount and tried it on a chaindrive bicycle, and there's definitely 15-20% more power at the wheel, which makes all the difference going up steep hills. And no slip in the wet. I'm now convinced about having to change to chain.

The customs tax in Israel being 100% which I'm not prepared to pay for a chainkit shipped from the USA, so the bike shop here are going to fabricate me a mount, them all being professional metal workers who have spent their lives welding Merkava tanks!
 

mifletz

Member
Aug 25, 2009
86
0
6
israel
My question is: although this chaindrive set up is crude & brutishly Israeli, is there anything markably better or worthwhile available that would deliver better performance or be notably lighter, pending the availability of Staton's axledrive system?









 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
You might try here> bicycle engine kit, bike engine, bicycle engine, bicycle motor I've ridden most of the bikes pictured on the home page and can say they all have performed admirably. The rack mount design that incorporates a jack shaft over the rear wheel eliminates the off-center mount that you have adopted. That being said I've also ridden a friction drive that had the engine mounted off set to the rear wheel, much like yours, and could not discern any off balance tendencies.
Tom
 

mifletz

Member
Aug 25, 2009
86
0
6
israel
The road surfaces in N.Israel are so poor that my chain drive threw its chain three times too often. So I've gone back to friction drive for the moment. Although less power, friction drive is much more sturdy and reliable and tolerant of bumps. Having changed to semi-slicks has also helped considerably. I await to read a proper review of Staton's new axle kit before considering going back to a chain.
 

Buddy

New Member
Jul 7, 2009
146
0
0
Ogden, Utah
I ride over some rough roads with my rack mount Staton, the chain has never come off. With how far the chain wraps around those small Staton sprockets I don't think the chain can come off unless you let it get very loose. I've had my chain get pretty loose and it still never came off.