Friction Drive Alignment Question

[SuperChef]

I'm putting a friction drive kit on my bike, and all has gone pretty smoothly so far. The only snag I've hit was that the rear fork was a bit too wide, causing the braces to connect with the mount at an angle.

I got it on, put it seems that the roller is a bit out of alignment.

Can I still ride with this? It makes sense to me that as long as the roller touches the entire tire and it's not a huge degree shift, it should be fine. I don't really know though.

If it helps, I plan on putting around at not much more than 15mph, about 10 miles per day. I built it so I could get to work without becoming sweaty.

 

[BigBlue]

What kit do you have? Is the bike new or used? Are the rear forks square? What is the spacing between the drop outs? Is your wheel square in the drop outs? Are the braces attached to the inside of the drop outs or the outside of the drop outs?

Those kits are pretty easy to install. With the limited photos, it looks as if your wheel is not square or your rear forks are not square. Or the front bracket isn't properly installed. it might need some adjustment, but make sure the kit is centered on the wheel before attaching the front brackets.

Here's a install video from That's Dax if you haven't watched it. The video may give you an idea of what's going on:
http://thatsdax.com/INSTALL_FRICTION_DRIVE_VIDEO.html

If you bought from Dwayne, he is very helpful if you are having problems.

Good Luck,

Chris
AKA: BigBlue

 

[Otero]

I cut spacers to length from aluminum tubing, longer or shorter
than the kit spacers to bring the roller into alignment. If the struts
rise at an angle you can fair them out a little with washers. A good
source for alu tubing,(which I use a jillion ways), is thrift store
crutches.

P.S. You might want to consider a different tire; it dosesn't look like you have
a lot of surface contact with that one.

 

[Otero]

On further inspection , I notice you don't have a quick release skewer
thru the struts but rather individual bolts set at different heights. Dat
ain't gonna work! Get a skewer. it will allow you to lever the roller
before clamping it in place.

 

[BigBlue]

On further inspection , I notice you don't have a quick release skewer
thru the struts but rather individual bolts set at different heights. Dat
ain't gonna work! Get a skewer. it will allow you to lever the roller
before clamping it in place.

Good eye. That's probably the source of the crookedness. I can also see the support on the right is higher than the support on the left. Also the support on the left is farther back than the support on the right.

Both supports should be equal height and equal distance. Using a quick release skewer will ensure that.

Chris
AKA: BigBlue

 

[Otero]

Well you also are correct that he should check the Dax install video. His kit
seems to be missing parts. From the rear it should be skewer, strut, spacer,
channel wall, channel spacer, channel wall,spacer, strut, skewer nut. The
engine mounting bolts don't look right either. I know Dax uses studs to prevent
bottoming out the bolts and stripping threads,but one has to know the procedure.
I prefer 45mm x 6mm bolts. After measuring depth, I use washers to keep them
from bottoming out.

 

[Otero]

Chef,
The tire shown will not perform well on a friction drive. Niagra Cycle Works
has a Kenda Kross XC 26" x 1.95" tire with a flat profile to match your roller
for about $20 shipped to Tenn. It's a slick bottom with Knobby edges making
it all purpose. Continental makes essentially the same tire for $44 b-4 shpg.
I suppose the later is higher quality, but the Kenda works just fine for
me. This tire will give you more surface to roller contact hence better grip.

 

[SuperChef]

Thanks for the help everyone- I'm not sure why I didn't use the quick release in the first place (just a dummy mistake I suppose). After using that, everything is aligned properly and it's almost ready to go.

I do have one more quick question. How the heck do I attach this throttle cable so it doesn't slip out? I tried using fishing line sinkers but that came with a pretty pathetic result. The Dax install video doesn't make any mention of this step...

 

[Otero]

Don't know why I dint get your last post, just happened to notice
it going thru old threads. I hope you've since resolved the throttle
issue. If not, or if you have any other Questions let me know.

 

[happycheapskate]

I had a slight problem with one of my Dax u-brackets. The holes weren't drilled equidistant from the mounting area. It wasn't too big a deal. I just sawed the u-bracket a little shorter and drilled 2 matching holes. My drive-channel was misaligned visibly but not severely, before that.

If you have the problem, that the drive roller is aligned with the plane of the wheel, but the roller is too far left or right, you can either spread the u-bracket some and use washers to re-space it (works nicely), or bend the u-bracket in a vice till it matches up.

Image of alignment trouble shooting.

The weight of the engine will sometimes torque the kit a little. Just press down firmly on the drive channel, align the engine with your hands, and clamp the quick release firmly.

The Dax kit will work fine with a variety of tires, including small-knob street treads like the one above and the one in the OP's picture, if you use proper inflation and roller pressure. Some may work better than others. I've had better luck with block-treads than with center-belt types, unless the center band is 1/2" wide or better.

Try inflating to the maximum pressure rated on the tire, and if you still seem to fight slippage on puddles or grass, drop it 10lb and re-set the roller pressure.

 

[happycheapskate]

I make my own throttle cable ends by wrapping copper wire around the cable, then soldering, and filing the soldered section to make a nice fit in the carb's cable end pocket. Dax sells the twist-grip type throttles and cable sets. I have used v-brake levers with the happy-time clutch-cable ends (brass with screw). You can also solder those in place.
I've used friction shifters as throttles, and now use a Staton hose-clamp type plastic lever and brass pieces for soldering the cable end. It was about $10 for the lever, 3 brass cable stops, and shipping.