newbie please help with decision on friction,chain,or belt

[abombs1227]

I'm new to the site and would really like to start a build. My question is what are all of the pros and cons of using either a friction drive,chain drive,or belt drive?
Which way would be the least expensive?
Most reliable?
Produce fastest speed?
I'm also concerned with a chain drive not being easy to pedal as a normal bike because of the tension...is this an issue?
Any comments would help thanks

[Dave31]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined us.

[Cabinfever1977]

the chain drive are fast cheap and not to hard to peddal i hear.
i dont peddal it much,since i have a engine,but i couldnt peddal too far before either because my legs are not too strong and my knees start to hurt.

[rslavicek]

I looked at both and decided on the chain drive, based mainly on price and the completeness of the kit. I'm hoping that the clutch will reduce the drag on the chain. I just ordered the motor over the weekend so I don't have any first hand experience. The electric bike that I have does not have a clutch between the motor and the chain so that if the motor is off I am using it as a generator. I would have liked to get a 4-cycle engine. I think they are more reliable, but none of the kits I looked at were as finished as the chain drive ones and they were more expensive. I am also a pretty large rider and have to contend with some steep hills and I was concerned that the friction drive would slip. I had a friction drive back when I was a teen that rode on the front wheel, that was fifty years ago, but it was designed better than any of the friction units that I've seen so far. I'm more concerned with hill climbing ability than speed. I can hit 50 on the downhills but would be happy with 20 going up. I will post more information as I get the bike built.

[rmeloy34]

The 2 stroke chain drives are not a pedal issue,Its more about the wieght your pedaling,its only about 20 pounds but you will notice it,You can do this for about 150.00 give or take and youl have alot of fun with it.

[abombs1227]

I also forgot to ask.....I'm hoping to use a weed eater engine which runs great but the only problem is that it must be moving in order for the engine to stay running...is this a common problem with these engines??is there any way of putting it into a type of neutral for when i come to a complete stop so the engine wont stop itself?

[toker_ace]

you'll need a clutch.