Do typical trikes have a gearshift?

[Rich Grise]

I walk a lot, and have been thinking about designing a trike. The other
day, I saw some guy on the other side of the street, on a tadpole-style
trike, with the pedals and sprocket sticking out ahead.

I have an idea for a different pedal arrangement, but I want to know if
it's worth it to pursue, and it hinges on the question in the subject
line: Do typical trikes have a gearshift?

10-speed bikes, of course, have the derailleurs; but if you make an
emergency stop in high gear, you have to screw around with it to get
it back to low gear so that you can get going again. Are trikes like
that?

My invention is a pedal-power transmission system that doesn't depend on
derailleurs, and you can shift from high to low without having to be
in motion.

So, if there are trikes with a gearshift that's _not_ derailleurs, I'd
like to hear about it.

BTW, my idea isn't gears, either, but if there are any out there, I'd
like to see some examples so I can compare parameters and stuff.

Thanks!
Rich

 

[Peter Clinch]

Rich Grise wrote:

> I have an idea for a different pedal arrangement, but I want to know if
> it's worth it to pursue, and it hinges on the question in the subject
> line: Do typical trikes have a gearshift?

Almost always, yes, though there are plenty of possibilities /how/.

> 10-speed bikes, of course, have the derailleurs; but if you make an
> emergency stop in high gear, you have to screw around with it to get
> it back to low gear so that you can get going again. Are trikes like
> that?
>
> My invention is a pedal-power transmission system that doesn't depend on
> derailleurs, and you can shift from high to low without having to be
> in motion.
>
> So, if there are trikes with a gearshift that's _not_ derailleurs, I'd
> like to hear about it.

Epicyclic hub gear systems are nothing new, but often have limited
range. The Rohloff Speedhub is a notable exception, and is
available as a standard option on several recumbent trikes from the
factory, and could be fitted to many others. It gives a 520%
overall gearing range, and can be changed while stood still as well
as while you're going. The catch is they have a very big price
tag, but since recumbent trikes tend not to be cheap to start with,
and tend to be ridden by folks willing to spend $$$s on cycling,
they're more common in the recumbent world than you might think.

Another way used to overcome the changing when stopped problem is
the DualDrive, which mounts a rear derailleur on a 3 speed hub
rather than use it in conjunction with a front derailleur. So
while the rear sprockets can't be changed when moved, you can still
change the hub epicyclic. Another advantage is it maintains a
smoother chainline than a front derailleur, with all the rear
sprockets easily available in each of the 3 hub-selected gears.

And another way would be a Schlumpf bottom bracket mounted over or
under drive, which is a twin speed system changed with a heel
button at the crank centre. The Mountain Drive gears you down 2.5
times, the Super Speed Drive gears you up 2.5 times, so if you're
on the "big" range you can gear down quite dramatically at standstill.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Curtis L. Russell]

On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:57:41 GMT, Rich Grise <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>So, if there are trikes with a gearshift that's _not_ derailleurs, I'd
>like to hear about it.

Well, you can get them with the automatics already available for bikes
in general. The Greenspeed, among others, uses the Rohloff and others
use the Shimano. I'd guess the Rohloff holds the edge, only because
trikes aren't all that cheap in general, so why not?

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

 

[DougC]

Rich Grise wrote:
>
> I have an idea for a different pedal arrangement, but I want to know if
> it's worth it to pursue, and it hinges on the question in the subject
> line: Do typical trikes have a gearshift?
>
> 10-speed bikes, of course, have the derailleurs; but if you make an
> emergency stop in high gear, you have to screw around with it to get
> it back to low gear so that you can get going again. Are trikes like
> that?....

Most trikes come with regular-style derailleurs,,,,,

>
> My invention is a pedal-power transmission system that doesn't depend on
> derailleurs, and you can shift from high to low without having to be
> in motion....
>

But on MOST bicycles of any type, you can mount geared hubs of some
type--which allow shifting without moving. There are geared hubs with 3,
7 and 14 speeds.
-However-
Geared hubs aren't real popular on US bikes at all, and it's my
understanding that they're not real popular on European long-distance /
touring bikes either.

On short-range city bikes is where they seem to be of most use, because
you have to frequently stop unexpectedly for traffic events--and being
able to change into lower gears while stopped is handy.
~

 

[Rich Grise]

On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:57:41 +0000, Rich Grise wrote:

> I walk a lot, and have been thinking about designing a trike. The other
> day, I saw some guy on the other side of the street, on a tadpole-style
> trike, with the pedals and sprocket sticking out ahead.
>
> I have an idea for a different pedal arrangement, but I want to know if
> it's worth it to pursue, and it hinges on the question in the subject
> line: Do typical trikes have a gearshift?

Thanks for the info, Peter, Curtis, and Doug. What I need to do is make
my new invention cheaper than a gear hub. I'll have to look up "epicyclic,"
but I have an idea what it means already.

Another show-stopper might be a reverse gear, or do they all depend on
the Fred Flintstone Reverse scheme? ;-)

Thanks!
Rich

 

[Peter Clinch]

Rich Grise wrote:

> Another show-stopper might be a reverse gear, or do they all depend on
> the Fred Flintstone Reverse scheme? ;-)

The Scooterbike Urban trike has a reverse gear: see
http://kinetics.org.uk/html/urban_trike.shtml

And I guess someone, somewhere, must be running a trike as a fixie!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[gotbent]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Rich Grise wrote:
>
>> Another show-stopper might be a reverse gear, or do they all depend on
>> the Fred Flintstone Reverse scheme? ;-)
>
> The Scooterbike Urban trike has a reverse gear: see
> http://kinetics.org.uk/html/urban_trike.shtml
>
> And I guess someone, somewhere, must be running a trike as a fixie!
>
> Pete.
> --
> Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
> Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
> Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
> net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

I saw some pictures of what appears to be a unique to England racing
tricycle. They look a bit like a regular diamond frame grafted to a rear
axle a couple feet long and sport a couple of 27 inchish rear wheels. I
don't remember if they were fixies or not, but why not go with the weirdness
all the way. I recall that a lot of body english was needed to turn at any
speed higher than full stop and I don't recall any kind of mechanical
brakes. Not that my memory is so hot and the images were from decades ago,
and I'm way too lazy to google.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

 

[DougC]

gotbent wrote:
>
> I saw some pictures of what appears to be a unique to England racing
> tricycle. They look a bit like a regular diamond frame grafted to a rear
> axle a couple feet long and sport a couple of 27 inchish rear wheels. I
> don't remember if they were fixies or not, but why not go with the weirdness
> all the way. I recall that a lot of body english was needed to turn at any
> speed higher than full stop and I don't recall any kind of mechanical
> brakes. Not that my memory is so hot and the images were from decades ago,
> and I'm way too lazy to google.
>
>
>

Here's one page:
> http://www.cb1.com/~john/Exercise/delta-trike.html

There's someone in Britain still selling them, though not doing
international shipping.

If you're really interested, look back a bit or ask in the
rec.bicycle.tech NG,,, Brandt or somebody was posting some links about
these a while ago.
~

 

[Peter Clinch]

gotbent wrote:

> I saw some pictures of what appears to be a unique to England racing
> tricycle. They look a bit like a regular diamond frame grafted to a rear
> axle a couple feet long and sport a couple of 27 inchish rear wheels.

*The* quintessential upright British trikes are Longstaffs: see
http://www.longstaffcycles.co.uk/

Although certainly rare and unusual, they are (like all Longstaffs,
including the 'bent they used to do) very well regarded bits of kit.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman]

On Apr 20, 2:57 pm, Rich Grise wrote:
> ...
> 10-speed bikes, of course, have the derailleurs; but if you make an
> emergency stop in high gear, you have to screw around with it to get
> it back to low gear so that you can get going again....

"Humans are not Peterbilt trucks..." - Jobst Brandt

10-speed bikes went out (except at the very low end) by the early
1980's. However, now 10-speed refers to the road bicycle systems from
Campagnolo, Shimano and SRAM that have rear cassettes with 10 cogs
combined with double or triple front chainwheels.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

 

[Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman]

On Apr 20, 3:14 pm, Medical Physics IT Officer Peter Clinch wrote:
> ...
> Epicyclic hub gear systems are nothing new, but often have limited
> range. The Rohloff Speedhub is a notable exception, and is
> available as a standard option on several recumbent trikes from the
> factory, and could be fitted to many others. It gives a 520%
> overall gearing range, and can be changed while stood still as well
> as while you're going. The catch is they have a very big price
> tag, but since recumbent trikes tend not to be cheap to start with,
> and tend to be ridden by folks willing to spend $$$s on cycling,
> they're more common in the recumbent world than you might think.
> ....
> And another way would be a Schlumpf bottom bracket mounted over or
> under drive, which is a twin speed system changed with a heel
> button at the crank centre. The Mountain Drive gears you down 2.5
> times, the Super Speed Drive gears you up 2.5 times, so if you're
> on the "big" range you can gear down quite dramatically at standstill.

Several trikes combine the Rohloff hub and Schlumpf bottom bracket.

Medical Physics IT Officer Peter Clinch neglects to mention the third
member of the "family", the Schlumpf Speed Drive [1] which has a
1.65:1 ratio.

[1] <http://www.schlumpf.ch/sd_engl.htm>.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

 

[Peter Poulsen]

"Rich Grise" <[email protected]> skrev i en meddelelse
news[email protected]...

> 10-speed bikes, of course, have the derailleurs; but if you make an
> emergency stop in high gear, you have to screw around with it to get
> it back to low gear so that you can get going again. Are trikes like
> that?

Ever heard of the Leitra trike? As a standard it combines a rear derailleur
with an internal 3 speed hub.

Note the fairing when checking out this site:

www.leitra.dk

Peter Poulsen

 

[DougC]

Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman wrote:
> ....
> Several trikes combine the Rohloff hub and Schlumpf bottom bracket.
> ....

I took a bit of interest in the Rohlhoff hub lately. Or at least, I was
interested until I saw what a Rohlhoff /costs/....

But anyway-

I read where people opined that using the Rohlhoff with the Mt Drive was
not recommended as it would impact the Rohlhoff's durability.

I was quite surprised to see (on their own website, no less) that
Rohlhoff does not recommend using their hub with *either* of the
Schlumph drives.
~

 

[Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman]

On Apr 21, 7:29 pm, DougC wrote:
> Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman wrote:
>
> > ....
> > Several trikes combine the Rohloff hub and Schlumpf bottom bracket.
> > ....
>
> I took a bit of interest in the Rohlhoff hub lately. Or at least, I was
> interested until I saw what a Rohlhoff /costs/....
>
> But anyway-
>
> I read where people opined that using the Rohlhoff with the Mt Drive was
> not recommended as it would impact the Rohlhoff's durability.
>
> I was quite surprised to see (on their own website, no less) that
> Rohlhoff does not recommend using their hub with *either* of the
> Schlumph drives.

Rohloff does not appear to prohibit the use of the Schlumpf Speed
Drive [2] with its 1:1.65 overdrive ratio, only the Mountain Drive and
High Speed Drive.

[1] <http://www.rohloff.de/index.php?
id=308&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=416&tx_ttnews[backPid]=289&cHash=000f1ebb36&L=1>.
[2] <http://www.schlumpf.ch/sd_engl.htm>.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...

> "Humans are not Peterbilt trucks..." - Jobst Brandt

I reckon the human engine has pretty similar characteristics to a truck
diesel. Lots of torque low down but a fairly limited rev range. This
being the reason that both bicycles and heavy trucks tend to have lots
of gears.

Now, shall I commute on the fixer on Tuesday

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Jack Hackett for Pope, next time!

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...

> I saw some pictures of what appears to be a unique to England racing
> tricycle. They look a bit like a regular diamond frame grafted to a rear
> axle a couple feet long and sport a couple of 27 inchish rear wheels. I
> don't remember if they were fixies or not, but why not go with the weirdness
> all the way.

All the ones I've ever seen have had disraeli gears, but I'm sure there
must be at least one lunatic running a fixer version.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Jack Hackett for Pope, next time!