stevegor

Has anyone built a SS with a Schlumpff speed drive? This would effectively give you a 2 speed bike, while not corrupting the pure look....just asking. For's and against's opinions welcome.

elTwitcho

Nice title.

First I've heard of them, how do they work?

A few people have used a product that gives two cogs at the rear hub (surly dingle) allowing more than one gearing option, but I've got no experience with that myself

zacked

I would guess that no one has used a schlumpf because they are quite expensive ($600). They are a very cool product, though, a planetary bottom bracket that you shift by kicking a button on the crank with your heel.

The new truvativ hammerschmidt is a similar product, that is just as expensive.

stevegor

Go to www.schlumpf.cd and click on "welcome" then on bicycle parts or simply google "schlumpf" and follow the prompts

The idea of a 2 ratio planetary gear BB is brilliant, a lower gear for spinning and climbing and a higher gear for keeping up with the roadies, (the answer to the other thread?) And again, you dont have to change the pure uncomplicated SS look....BRILLIANT.

Palaber

hi, i tought of this before. dont know if anyone has already done it. schlumpf aprently make a special fixed gear version and you can even get a 165mm crank. hammerschmidt wont work fixed as far as i know but for a freewheel ss it should be fine.

LWaB

Yes, it is available commercially on a couple of unusual folding bikes
https://www.cyclelicio.us/2008/09/two-speed-strida.html
https://ridethisbike.com/products/P-C...lding-bike.htm

nashcommguy

The website is www.schlumpf.ch/ The price is high, but it looks like a well made product. Looks as though one can order any size chainring up to 70t. From what I could understand if I wanted to approximate a 48x16t top end I'd have to get a 'Speed Drive' system w/a 29t chainring and run it in 2nd gear unless climbing. So, it would go from a low of 29x16t to a high of 48x16t. That's quite a jump. But, like you've said having the lower gear to go to when climbing w/o having to lose the clean lines of an ss...brilliant.

When I was a kid someone down the street had a 'kick back' shifting system that would go to a lower gear. Then you'd 'kick back' again to go into the higher gear. This system was used w/a coaster brake. It wouldn't shift when applying the brake in a sudden stop situation like skidding. It worked really well as I rode the bike several times. The gear separation felt like the difference between the 1st and 3d gears on an old Sturmey-Archer 3 sp.

Sixty Fiver

It was probably a Bendix 2 speed "kicker" that has a two speed planetary drive in the rear hub... I have two of these that I want to build up into modern wheels.

These Bendix hubs were only produced for a few years and any stock bike that has one will probably be a pre 1960 as I think their last year of production was 1959.

conor

**** yes.

doctrine

Yes, I have.



Became fascinated with the Schlumpf drive and decided I had to have one. I have the Mountain drive (2.5x reduction instead of 1.65x increase), on my Rita but of course the same concept. I have not taken it out on any trails yet, but in theory the 2.5x reduction should provide nice bailout gear. It makes for a pretty big gearing jump, so the Speed drive version for a street bike sounds about right (and don't think I haven't thought about putting together something like that!) Only real against would be the cost. Also if you tend to peddle with your heels pointing in it is possible to hit the shift button inadvertently.

Another angle:




...and the money shot!

doctrine

Dang, you beat me by 1 minute for the first pic!

Nice looking bike, btw.

nashcommguy

Yeah, I remember 'Bendix' on the brake arm that attached to the chainstay on the left. I think the bike was a Murray...but I DO remember the color was turquoise w/chrome trim. Dual lights in the front w/a rack and taillights. Had a reflector on the rear fender w/white rhinestone studded mudflaps. Had a horn, too. This was around 67/68 and I remember that it was my friend's older brother's bike who'd gone into the Armed Services and never came back to get it, so his younger brother rode it. The 1960 date would make sense then. I had a Raleigh 3 sp. Removed the fenders and flipped the hbrs up-side-down...thought I was the ****! He always left his bike 'full dress'. Though I tried to talk him into stripping it down he wouldn't go for it...said his bro would kill 'im if he did that.

Sorry for the 'thread drift' OP.

nashcommguy

Yes, nice looking bike. What's the company? Website? Any other info? The url calls it a 'Super Commuter' from the pic. Looks like a Brooks saddle. Love the fenders.

Zullwick

Wow, I like that idea. It's the best of both worlds basically, nice clean look and maintenance, but still good at going uphill.

How much does it weight? I'd imagine it's pretty dense.

Hirohsima

If you don't need a wide range in your ratios, I would suggest a White Industries DOS ENO FW with a road double. I run this. I run a 16/19 with a 45/42 chainring. I have to get off the bike to swap gears but it maintains the same simplicity of a SS, and since the tooth count is the same front to rear, your wheel position stays the same so your rear brake stays aligned.

Its not what you were asking, but it does 90% of what the setup you are working on, probably weighs less, costs way less, but is arguable not as cool. But the gear ratio range, again in much narrower than you were looking at.

Sixty Fiver

Drift happens... I was thinking that this bike might get the red banded kicker. The Schlumpff would look out of place here methinks.



I do have a project that would be awesome with the Schlumpff though... hmmmm...

stevegor

Thanks guys for the responses.

I was thinking this all out while out on my morning ride the other day, my nicely lugged 9 spd 70's steel framed steed eating up the miles, humming that infectious, addictive tune it makes when it's happy....and I pondered on another way of attacking my Sat morning hammerfest ride with "something completely different" other than my 8 spd Raleigh 20, my Specialized roadie, my......

MIN 

cool concept - it couldn't possibly as efficient as a direct chain drive though. all the planetary gears slow things down. not necessarily a concern with a mtb on 2.3" tires, but a real concern if you are doing a double century on a road bike.

curious to see if they publish numbers on drivetrain drag loss.

nashcommguy

Oh yeah, now yer tawkin'! Looks like a singlespeed w/a coaster brake, yes? One piece crank? What kind of frame is that? Horizontal dropouts? As long as the spoke count between the hub and rim is the same, you're in. Well, I've heard of people successfully doing mismatched hub/rim sets, but have never tried it myself.

Maybe a set of SKS Raceblades for wet roads? But, then again why guild the lily? Sweet ride. Nice goin'.

conor

company is independent fabrication (also known as indy fab or if, hence the url). i believe the frame is a mix of reynolds 853 and true temper ox platinum. fenders are from honjo. the bag is a custom bailey works. white industries eno hubs laced to velocity blunts, which are actually 29er rims.

um, that's most of the info i can remember.

www.ifbikes.com

conor

this sounds kind of morbid.

nashcommguy

Oh yeah...it does. Bad choice of words. Umm, he came back from the service. Just didn't move back home w/his family. Got his own place in town. Must've outgrown the bike and gave it to his lil' bro w/conditions. That should clarify things.

I've been familiar w/IF for a number of years. Wasn't thinking when I looked at the URL. Didn't they just go through a change in leadership/direction recently? I recall a documentary of some sort where IF had reached the point of 'boutique saturation' and some wanted to go big and some wanted to stay small. Heated discussions as I remember. They were discussing shutting down the operation entirely. Obviously, they didn't.

W/that frameset and those comps the bike must be in the 3000.00US price range. Didn't find it on the website, so it must be a 'concept' or special order bike. Either way it's STILL a nice looking ride.

conor

i'm lucky enough to live in cambridge, mere miles from if homebase. about a week before nahbs, they held a show down the street, and this was one of the bikes they brought to it. (other bikes included the crown pursuit bike, the china pursuit bike, the hummingbird track bike, the cherry veneer roadie, among others.) if i remember correctly, it went like this: a builder takes on a project bike, and builds it. i believe he said that he hasn't had a chance to ride it, and is just taking it from show to show for a while (but don't quote me).

it was gorgeous up close.

i wish i'd brought (owned) a camera. all y'all'd be lookin' at some gorgeous bikes right now.