Bicycle Mechanics - help with my drive train!

Hi I'm looking for a way to fully enclose our drive train to protect it from the elements. So far we have a rohloff speedhub and a schlumpf mountain drive, so the gearing itself is sealed from the elements. The only exposed bit now is the chain. Are there any products out there (or can you make one yourself?) to allow you to fully enclose the chain, so no sand, water, mud etc can get in? As with our gearing already fully enclosed, if we can fully enclose our chain to, it seems mantainence, longevity, redundancy might be alot easier. If theres no products out there, how easy is it to make one yourself? any designs? So far the rohloff is setup as a mid drive, running to the schlump in one direction and direct to a sprocket on the hub in the other direction, hard to explain but u can see pics at www.steppebysteppe.com.au We really want a fully enclosed drive train for maximum protection, so any help/advice would much greatly appreciated. thanks

-roger

You can search on chain case, chain cover, and chain enclosure, you might find something. I have never seen one that was truely mass market. As far as DIY, I bought a metal pie plate to enclose my chain ring once but never completed the project.

Maybe slice a couple pieces of plastic tubeing lengthwise, fabricate some brackets and hook everything together with hose clamps.

For no more bother than it is to give your chain a wipe down and a shot of lube every three weeks or so it sure seems like a lot of trouble to me.

Almost all fully enclosed chain systems are custom built for the application. If it comes from the factory fitted, its designed for that application. In your case, on the one hand, you are nothing near suitable for the only aftermarket system I know, which is the hebie chainglider. On the other, the primary drive, because of it's position, maybe easier to fabricate a cover for. The secondary drive to the wheel has other complications, due to wheel removal etc, though it is shorter. You're gonna have to design and build it yourself I'm afraid.

If anybody DIDN'T click on the OP's link, and check out their plan, and their intended mode of transportation ... you should.

Wow!

Can I go??

Since they are popular in Holland, maybe that is the place to look. They must sell replacement parts.

You might consider a shaft drive, or even contacting Strida/Ming about a belt drive.

Post to recumbent board for more experienced people.

Seems like a soft tail(s) would be better. I think rear suspension would be good at preventing "3 wheeling".

Did you consider a single front wheel? The pedicab people can't all be wrong.

Since the rear wheels are powered independently, what keeps them synchronized?

Ahh, so why is a Quike better than a tandem?

Maybe slice a couple pieces of plastic tubeing lengthwise, fabricate some brackets and hook everything together with hose clamps.

For no more bother than it is to give your chain a wipe down and a shot of lube every three weeks or so it sure seems like a lot of trouble to me.

this would work for their AMAZING machine! SO COOL.

Yeh sounds like it might have to be a custom job, visit to the hardwear store and then some testing and reconfiguring on it!

We decided against the single front wheel for more stability (we are going off track mainly, over obstacles etc) and the ackermann steering lets it turn fine. If one person pedals harder than the other (independent drive trains) it just free wheels, so its not like one side is going 25km/poh and the other is going 10km/ph and your going round in circles......we'll not that we'll intend to go very fast anyway! :) plus the steering helps correct this anyway :)

yeh a dually might have been better for stability, but we decided it just adds alot more complications and parts to break down in the design, and we want as little chance of breaking down as possible! so far we have found it just take skills and balance (leaning) to make it work, but yeh maybe nexttime we'll go for dual!

going up steep hills at very low speed and even on the flat over obstacles, we found the quad alot more a stable than a 2 wheeler. No matter how slow you pedal up a hill loaded up, it doesnt get twitchy so you dont need to worry about stability issue (towing the amount of weight we are also making tipping not so nice!). Plus with the terrain (snow and sand) we seem to float better with 4 wheels :)

but yeh keep coming with the Q's and suggestions, we need to make this baby as bombroof as possible, so any suggestions/ideas/comments on it are more than welcome! its not finalised yet,, so theres lot of room for change, improvement as i'm sure we've made alot of errors in its designs, always learning :)

-roger

www.steppebysteppe.com.au