Which to buy? GEBE or friction drive?

I own a GEBE, and I have ridden a total about 500 to 600 miles on it, and I just stripped my belt. I am not impressed with it. If it does not rain much where you are, I would seriously consider friction drive.

David

MKULTRA said:

So my questions are these- I live about 40 miles east of PHX city limits. I want something that I can take reliably back and forth daily. Some of the hills out here are really knarly, as well. Which motor kit is more capable of pulling a lot of weight (with my helping, of course), up hills or along flat stretches? Or does the kit make any diff w/ respect to low-end torque? Also, which, in your opinion, is the most reliable?

Lookin forward to much learnin!

Mitch

Click to expand...

I have owned and ridden both for several hundred miles myself... the GEBE being on a heavy duty mountain bike, and the friction drive being on a cheapie walmart cruiser.

Both were powered by an EHO 35cc engine so we have a baseline to work from here....

I never had an issue with either one breaking down or failing, but I will tell you that the GEBE broke 3 spokes that were 12 gauge over the course of ~300 miles or so

No vibration on the friction drive or hands going numb at all.... The GEBE would make my hands go numb in a matter of 10 minutes or so to the point of having to hit my hands on the bars to get feeling back again

Both could easily be geared for those hills without an issue.

Never had to change a belt or a rear tire, so no cost issues either way!

Knowing what I know now, and learning the hard way... go with the friction drive first and get a feel for it before spending an even larger amount on the GEBE...

I bought 2 of those engines (Yeah!) I bought a staton front wheel drive friction kit and mounted the tanaka 33 to a cadilac fleetwood with the nuvinci hub. It looks absolutely beautiful. The reason I front mounted was because I tow my 6yr old daughter (60 plus lbs not counting her bike) on a tag along bike and I go up and down >10% inclines. I have put over 1600 miles in a couple of months. I have ridden in the rain, fog, moisture rich atmosphere (everything is wet - seat, frame, tires, grips, when beginning my ride) and I am still on my 1st tire (knock on wood). I do peddle all the time and going up the hills I peddle strong and with that being said, I have never worked up a sweat, SERIOUSLY. I got the 1in roller. Now if the police radar is correct I reach speeds of 26mph by myself easily. I am so impressed with a friction drive. I will say this again I pedal all the time and I feather the throttle to reach my speeds. Me and my bike work together. I really think that the nuvinci hub really enhances the friction drive. It smoothly increases my cadense to a point where Bike, my power, Nuvinci meld into a symphony on wheels. I don't know if I would appreciate or be able to do what I do so freely with a derailler (I could be wrong just my opinion). So my bike is heavy, my daughter is heavy (load is great), I am 185lbs -, incline is great and I have put the miles on. This is my first kit! I am totally impressed. I can say from experience that if you peddle and feather the throttle all the concerns that people have are needless. The only thing that I would do different is get the 7/8in roller because it will give even more torque because I honestly don't need the top end. And this little engine keeps getting stronger with every ride or I am getting stronger with every ride or I am becoming even more proficient with every ride or it's everything I mentioned and it's a symphony on wheels! I hope this helps. Because I was in your position just a few months ago with the same concerns (I am so dumb I took over a year "researching") and to answer your question FRICTION DRIVE 1st. Yes it can meet your needs. Then if you want something else go for it.
Miles of smiles,

MKUltra,
You could go with neither & build your own drivetrain.
I prefer to drive a rim mounted pulley & run a V-Belt.
I have 2 of them now & have never had any broken spokes or problems. Tire selection seems to be the only drawback needing to keep the drive wheel tire a bit narrower than I normally would go with, I like big tires 2.5" but have to run 1.5" for clearance.
-Lowracer-

IMO, the GEBE system is a more refined drive.
FD is basic simplicity in personal powered transport!
(I'm building a FD.)

Best
rc

MKULTRA said:

Thank you everyone, I think that it definitely makes sense to go with a Friction drive system, at least to start.

thanks again!

Click to expand...

Good Luck with your build!

I have a BikeMotorParts.com FD Kit. (I also have the chain and belt drive kit option too.) They are no longer in business btw.

I currently have my bike set up with the FD.
Trouble free, ease of use and installation.

Did you look into Staton Inc FD?
His kits are often described as "bulletproof".
USA made since 1984.
Heres the link:

http://www.staton-inc.com/store/pro...e_less_the_Engine_Made_in_the_USA-364-13.html

That's DAX has a good FD setup too.

http://thatsdax.com/

I bought a cheaper kit from Canada, and regretted it. I like the FD, but the kit wasn't all that great.


.

friction drives our the way to go. These days repair are too costly and Friction drives are much more pratical for every day use along with a good tire