Cheap and Easy Drive Roller
- Thread starter cannonball2
- Start date
Been toying with the idea of a milti-speed hub drive, would be cool! Use a front fork as the basis of the drive/mount too.
Take an old sturmey(as a roller it can be a used old hub).
Grind one or both spoke flanges down.
purchase 3 inches of 2 1/4 radiator hose from your local oil-filter service shop.
Remove any oil fitting from the hub body and press on the radiator hose.
I secured it with glue, but it always wore out rather quickly.
Running without a hose/rubber worked too.
The spoke flanges may dig along your tread, so watch out for that where you leave it on.
Grinding down the flange to the body, careful! Leave at least 1/16 of the flange and smooth it over. You will grind through into the hub cavity.
I had some 4 stroke tecumsa engine with a range up to about 3300 rpms. The hub actually gave the sucker some life.
Grind one or both spoke flanges down.
purchase 3 inches of 2 1/4 radiator hose from your local oil-filter service shop.
Remove any oil fitting from the hub body and press on the radiator hose.
I secured it with glue, but it always wore out rather quickly.
Running without a hose/rubber worked too.
The spoke flanges may dig along your tread, so watch out for that where you leave it on.
Grinding down the flange to the body, careful! Leave at least 1/16 of the flange and smooth it over. You will grind through into the hub cavity.
I had some 4 stroke tecumsa engine with a range up to about 3300 rpms. The hub actually gave the sucker some life.
OK, Im back on line after a lightning hit took out the computers. Thoughts on the oak roller. Doesnt work well for a big bore high torque engine. Drives beautifully until I encounter a pretty good hill. Begins to slip as the power to climb the hill is applied. The rubber roller never does this. So for my applications Im staying with the rubber roller. IF a person lived in the flats or nearly so, or they have an engine of limited power that cant break the roller loose, I cant think of a better roller. Cheap and easy to make, and should last forever. Im disappointed because of the ease of ratio change they offered, they slide right off the shaft for a quick change out. Im going to Tractor Supply to buy a 6x4' horse stall mat. Should be a life time supply. Be happy to sell the raw mat or cut rollers(if I have the saw size) for a very reasonable price if anyone needs any.
CB,
Would you be willing to try something since you already have the wood roller made?
Try a saw kerf about every 1/8" or 1/4" or so across the roller around its whole surface. That may add the needed grip.
WC
Would you be willing to try something since you already have the wood roller made?
Try a saw kerf about every 1/8" or 1/4" or so across the roller around its whole surface. That may add the needed grip.
WC
I had thought about that, but just went back to the rubber roller. I will do that sometime over the weekend and see if it makes a difference.. I actually put a piece of 3M anti skid tape(the sandpaper type not the bathroom kind) on the roller, worked great. The tape and the adhiesve were up to the job, but felt it might be too hard on the tire, somehow driving the tire with carborundum is against my nature. The rubber grips as well and loves the tire. Ill give the slots a shot for ya.
Wayne C, tried the slotted roller, not any noticible difference. Im not much of a wood worker, so used my metal cutting band saw, the kerf is too small. I think what would work is 1/4" slots maybe every 3/8" to make kind of a "paddle". This would allow the tire to expand into the roller maybe. I guess you would use a dado blade? My Velosolex clone has a segmented drive roller that bites very well, has a bit of abrasive on it though.
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CB,
Thanks for that info. Yeah, looking at the pic the slotting would probably need to be more spaced out as you say. Thanks for trying tho. I'd be interested in a rubber roller @2.5"Dia. I have a Tractor Supply near me. I see from their website the cheapest mat the sell is $14. I haven't checked with the store to see if they stock it. If they don't, how much would you want for a roller? It needs to be wide enough to turn a 2.125 balloon tire.
WC
Thanks for that info. Yeah, looking at the pic the slotting would probably need to be more spaced out as you say. Thanks for trying tho. I'd be interested in a rubber roller @2.5"Dia. I have a Tractor Supply near me. I see from their website the cheapest mat the sell is $14. I haven't checked with the store to see if they stock it. If they don't, how much would you want for a roller? It needs to be wide enough to turn a 2.125 balloon tire.
WC
The mat I have been using is $40 for a 4x6' and is in stock. Will try to get one tomorrow. It takes 3 discs to drive the 2.125 tire. The closest saw I have is a 2.5" which makes a 2.4" roller due to the kerf. How about $5 shipped? If you want the center drilled let me know what size. The product description says it has been vulcanized, which is probably why it seems so tough and long wearing..
Thanks Cannonball2
Both those numbers sound good to me. Let me check 1st with my local TS and see if they stock the mat. If not I'll PM you with the particulars. Don't know the shaft size yet--may be 5/8 or 3/4 depending on what I can line up. Or I'll just drill it when I get it all together. But the 2.4 would give me 10.16:1 according to my figures. That should work.
WC
Both those numbers sound good to me. Let me check 1st with my local TS and see if they stock the mat. If not I'll PM you with the particulars. Don't know the shaft size yet--may be 5/8 or 3/4 depending on what I can line up. Or I'll just drill it when I get it all together. But the 2.4 would give me 10.16:1 according to my figures. That should work.
WC
Hey mat man, so far you are the closest to me I live just south of Monroe. Be glad to cut the discs for you. PM me for the info.
If anyboby wants either raw mat or roller discs please contact me via PM. I am going to keep probably half the mat, but there is still plenty of rollers in the other half.
Latest in the roller saga. Another prototype Being in a drought the first half of the year coinsided with my getting into the FD thing. Now that the heavens have opened, I can see the short commings inherent to the design. The rubber rollers drive marginally when wet. If you avoid high throttle you can still ease along, hills complicate matters even more. I have heard the knurled steel rollers will drive in the rain. I have a bike with one and am going to give it a try. Still I like the ability to make my own from whats around. Now I am searching for a "rain roller". Just whipped this up and and waiting for a brewing thunderstorm to the north to hopefully give it a try. This is a roller cut from a common fir 2x4. I have contact cemented a section of sanding belt to it. Just got back from a long round about with big hills. Worked great and stayed together. The tire on the Mongoose is now just shy of 1kmi, and nearing the end, so didnt mind experimenting on it. Looks like the roller might be working it some. Intentions are to have alternate rollers. To run the rubber roller as they work so well and are easy on the tire. To have the other roller if I get stuck out and a rain comes up. I dont intentionally ride in the rain, but some times I am miles from home and need to get there. If this works have plans for a more weather proof version.
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Just a thought. Some years back I had a couple of little bike bug motors which were friction drive against the front wheel. Replacement rollers were no longer available as the motors had not been made for decades. A couple people made rollers from skateboard wheels pressed onto the original core. I made mine from epoxy in a mold. I made two versions. One was just the epoxy and found that JB Weld made a very good and durable wheel, if on the expensive side. I made a second version for wet conditions by mixing in sand from the lake bottom where I live... sifted out the bigger grains and mixed the small stuff into the epoxy before it set up. It worked very well... no slipping, but of course if you left that roller on all the time it tended to wear out tires. The key was in just using it when the weather called for it. I'm trying to remember what I used for a mold. I think it was a plastic bird seed container, a little bigger around than a frozen juice can. I glued the end of the core to the bottom of the container before pouring in the epoxy. Probably some sort of bondo type epoxy for auto body work would be much less expensive than JBWeld. At that time I could get it in big containers, but all I see now are the little tubes. You have no doubt already figured out something better for yourself. The difficulty with the bike bug drive roller was that you had to have that original core to fit on the engine shaft.
SB
SB
Howdy CB2,
What grit is that? I wrapped a worn out Staton roller with a 60 grit belt sander once and it ate my tire in one outing! And it was a dry day. That last pic shows what the beginnings look like. I was on a 30 mile jaunt and had to stop and get home like I was riding on eggs. Maybe a 40 grit or bigger might not be so bad but like you said, sandpaper and rubber tires...? Not a fan. I'll still wait for your rubber one and hope the clouds stay away. Like you, I don't look to ride in the rain; always check the weather charts before heading out to work. But in FL, ya can pop up a storm on one block and be out of it on the next. I still think grooving them across might be the answer. I'm looking for a link and pic of a black steel roller some go-ped riders use that's built that way and they swear it doesn't slip when wet. BUT, its only available in a small (7/8 or 1") size. If I find the link or pic I'll post it here.
Meanwhile keep chopping away at it!
Thanks for your efforts and reporting.
WC
What grit is that? I wrapped a worn out Staton roller with a 60 grit belt sander once and it ate my tire in one outing! And it was a dry day. That last pic shows what the beginnings look like. I was on a 30 mile jaunt and had to stop and get home like I was riding on eggs. Maybe a 40 grit or bigger might not be so bad but like you said, sandpaper and rubber tires...? Not a fan. I'll still wait for your rubber one and hope the clouds stay away. Like you, I don't look to ride in the rain; always check the weather charts before heading out to work. But in FL, ya can pop up a storm on one block and be out of it on the next. I still think grooving them across might be the answer. I'm looking for a link and pic of a black steel roller some go-ped riders use that's built that way and they swear it doesn't slip when wet. BUT, its only available in a small (7/8 or 1") size. If I find the link or pic I'll post it here.
Meanwhile keep chopping away at it!
Thanks for your efforts and reporting.
WC
This thing works great in the rain. We got a frog strangler around 7pm. I rode it through puddles, up hills with water running down, pulled like it was dry. You could actually drop the clutch and the engine would choke, no slippage! The grit as I rember is 120. It is a good alternative roller. The rubber roller is probably the best as far as grip and tire wear in the dry. but if you can quickly change a roller, which I can, then one of these needs to be in the bag in case you get caught. I imagine its too hard on tires to use constantly, but for wet riding its tops!
Heh, good stuff, overcoming the ol' demon of riding friction drives in the wet goes on, lol. Problem is it's just going against the mechanics of friction to lubricate it as is the case with a tire picking up water. A little more down pressure on the roller and a light touch feathering the throttle helps, but hills and acceleration become problematic.
Living in a place where it rains a lot, I've tried many. Steel in any config, fluted, knurled, smooth, slip when wet for the same reason you squirt a little water under a handlebar grip to get it off. Wood, smooth or slotted will slip. Polyvinyl rollers slip. The most practical I think is the rubber idea and about the best traction, rubber on rubber, and it doesn't over wear the tire.
I tried going with more aggressive surfaces, and increased the tire wear especially if you leave them on for very long when the roads dry. I've tried the sanding belts, emory cloth lasted longer, the paper backed fell apart pretty quick but neither lasted very long. Tried mixing paste epoxy with new aquarium sand and coating a steel roller with it, worked pretty good but still slipped riding in rain though it is a halfway decent solution to building up a worn roller. About the best aggressive roller for non-slip was aggregate stone grinding wheels, something about their porosity that water doesn't inhibit or cause them to slip. Of course, they are the most abusive of all on tires.
left to right: 3 wood, 1 polyvinyl, 2 stone
I do think the rubber on rubber is about the best, and the idea of quick change rollers is a plus. That and pick your weather as best you can, lol.
Living in a place where it rains a lot, I've tried many. Steel in any config, fluted, knurled, smooth, slip when wet for the same reason you squirt a little water under a handlebar grip to get it off. Wood, smooth or slotted will slip. Polyvinyl rollers slip. The most practical I think is the rubber idea and about the best traction, rubber on rubber, and it doesn't over wear the tire.
I tried going with more aggressive surfaces, and increased the tire wear especially if you leave them on for very long when the roads dry. I've tried the sanding belts, emory cloth lasted longer, the paper backed fell apart pretty quick but neither lasted very long. Tried mixing paste epoxy with new aquarium sand and coating a steel roller with it, worked pretty good but still slipped riding in rain though it is a halfway decent solution to building up a worn roller. About the best aggressive roller for non-slip was aggregate stone grinding wheels, something about their porosity that water doesn't inhibit or cause them to slip. Of course, they are the most abusive of all on tires.
left to right: 3 wood, 1 polyvinyl, 2 stone
I do think the rubber on rubber is about the best, and the idea of quick change rollers is a plus. That and pick your weather as best you can, lol.
Great post Happyvalley. Its nice to have some input on your past ideas. I havent had a chance to look the tire and roller over this morning to see the results. But it seems obvious that for all weather riding two types of rollers are probably gonna be required.. Wayne Cs idea of a paddle type roller bears some investigation. The roller on my Solex engine clone has just such. I have an old Velosolex I am redoing and its roller is a carborundum type roller. The bike had seen heavy useage as verified by the exhaust and crud build up on it, yet the drive tire still had tread and was so dry rotted it appeared to maybe have been original. Who knows, but I have not seen in the Velo circles complaints of tire wear. Maybe its the tire compound, they are Michelins, which on cars were renown for long wear. So My next idea is maybe a studded roller, easy to make with a wooden unit. We will see!
Hers a pic of the Solex roller, appears to be some sort of cast metal with very fine abrasive in it. I have run one of these a few hundred miles on my 24" Macargi Rover(BGF/Hongdu thread) with no noticible tire wear. Cant say about rain. I examined the tire and roller I rode in the rain yesterday. The roller held together, the sanding belt was still very firmly bonded after all that water. The tire looked the same as before the run, about 4mi. I was wrong on the grit being 120, it was 50! Still one thing I can assure you of is this roller will positively drve you in the rain, even in standing water. A better roller would be one that has been finished in polyurethane to seal it, then has industrial non skid tape applied to it. That stuff has a tough urethane glue, and is completely waterproof. For now the sanding belt roller is going into my bike bag in case I get caught out. Back to the tried and true rubber roller. Still pondering a wet/dry capable roller thats easy to make.
