Alt Bike Culture - Tall Bike: 4-1/2 frames, 6 wheels, friction drive

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA
chainstrainer
03-10-09, 02:48 PM
Got this off a bike blog. One comment noted the rider braced himself at stops by grabbing hold of the overhead signal lights. Clever use of friction drive.

chainstrainer
03-10-09, 02:49 PM
Here it is:
jtwilson
03-10-09, 05:47 PM
:eek:

I wonder what his dismount record is like?

:injured:

Amazing sight.

chainstrainer
03-10-09, 09:44 PM
No helmet, no parachute, no ladder but plenty of balls.

I can't recall many six-wheeled bikes where five were drive wheels powered by one rider.
okcdirtbag
03-15-09, 04:59 AM
ok i may be wrong but looking at the pic it appears to have drive side on both sides, what's the chain line set up on this rig? got any better pics?
ianjk
03-15-09, 05:10 PM
If it is friction drive, the chain will only run to the top rear wheel, which will then turn the rest of the wheels down to the final drive wheel.
chainstrainer
03-15-09, 10:47 PM
Sorry, I've got no other pics. It is hard to see detail, now that you mention it. I can see a chain wheel at the top frame but I don't see the chain or rear sprocket. I see another chain wheel at the bottom frame and what looks like a chain and rear sprocket but no connection with the rider's pedals topside. I also spy what looks like a seventh wheel: small, white and on left side - it may be a stabilizer, sort of a single trainer wheel. How does this thing get pedaled? Maybe it just coasts?
kemmer
04-04-09, 08:53 PM
It looks like there might be a chain running down the left hand side like on a tandem, and another chain to the rear wheel on the bottom right hand side.
dokydoky
04-06-09, 12:14 AM
I think there is a chain running down to that crankset in the middle, and then a chain running from the left of that to the left hand side of the crankset at the bottom, which then drives the bottom wheel on the right. So all the friction stuff is really just for show... Oh well.