Allen

I'm in the process of building a heavy hauling touring bike. Does anyone have any experience with Schlumpf planetary drives? It replaces your bottom bracket and cranks, and I'm going to match it with a Rohloff hub. I'm going to be putting it on a DF, but I'm betting ya'll recumbent guys would have more experience with them.


Thanks,

--A

bentbaggerlen

If your woried about the warrenty on the hub...
Using a mountain drive (2.5:1 reduction) with a Rohloff will void the warrenty on the Rohloff hub. As the input is too low. But... I've built two bikes with the same drive and have not had any problems yet, and one of them is a tandem. Funny but they were both DFs not bents. Or just go ahead and don't tell them should you have any problems

One of the owners had me remove the Mountain drive because she could not shift it unless she uncliped due to her small feet.

Allen

Thanks,
I did not know that about the warranty. Not real concerned about it, but very good to know. I'll look at the gear ratios and see if I would prefer to use a small chain ring and a speed drive...
How was it to use? Not in function, but how did it feel?

again thanks,

--A

Dr.Deltron

There is a flapper device that is mounted between the pedal & the crank that makes it so you don't have to hit the little dust cap button. I think Hostelle Shoppe has them for about $35. Works great on my Greenspeed!

Dr.Deltron

The first time I rode my Greenspeed w/MTNDrive, it felt like something was broken. I was test riding around my house and there aren't any hills and the Schlumph was in low. I headed back to the house to see what needed adjusting. When I got to my driveway (small uphill), I suddenly got a connected feeling. I realized just how low LOW was! 2.5-1 reduction makes for some serious "granny" low gears. Turns out everything was fine, I just needed to be going uphill!

A good friend of mine has a Greenspeed also and he has the Rohloff/Schlumph transmision. Works great and feels like any other bicycle tranny. Only thing that feels "weird" is the fact that the twist shifter for the Rohloff never seems to reach the end of the throw. You just keep twisting & twisting.
He really likes the set-up because he likes to ride fire roads, and with the Rohloff/Schlumph combo there are no deraileurs and so the chain isn't flapping around over the rough terrain.
But be prepared to answer questions. Most people want to know why he has a "single speed" trike!
When they find out that it has 28 speeds, weeeeell, more questions!
Originally he had wanted the MTN drive, but when he got it, it had the Speedrive instead. I'm guessing from a previous post that Greenspeeds decision was based on the voiding of Rohloff warranty if used in combination with a MTN Drive. I'll have to let him know that. Thanks!

Allen

Thanks Doc,
I'm building my new frame for fire/ranger roads. I'm thinking I'm going to go with a speed drive/rohloff combo instead of the mountain drive, because of the warranty issues. I hung a rohloff on my current frame, and I do get a bunch of questions. "That's a 3 speed?", and "Why do you want to tour on a single speed?" are common ones.
Again thanks for the responses,
--A

meb

Why not use a derailer system with the mountain drive to get low ratios and avoid overpowering the high priced Rohloff if you need something that low?

Alternatively, SRAM has guides on their sites for mating the Schlumpf with their internal gear hubs.

Allen

I tend to do my build-ups a part at a time, and the Rohloff hub was the first part I bought.
My experience with SRAM hubs has been poor, but to their credit that experience prompted me into buying my first Rohloff hub. The first SRAM hub (SRAM 5 speed) I had would constantly skip out of its top gear no matter how it was adjusted. I replaced it with a SRAM 7 with a drum brake, It would skip gears, but only occasionally, however its fatal problem was the drum brake, would over a period of miles, lock up, leaving me stranded. Out of frustration I stepped up to the Rohloff, and it's been the best performing piece of equipment I've ever hung on a bicycle.

--A

Dr.Deltron

The Mountain Drive IS the low geared version! 2.5-1 Reduction.
Speed Drive is 2.5-1 overdrive. Very HIGH gears!
Just a note of carification.

Dr.Deltron

I meant cLarification!
Carification is a whole different matter! Ooops

bentbaggerlen

We tried the flipper crank arms but it was still too hard for her, she would run off the road looking for the flipper with her heal.

I would love to see some photos of your trike

Dr.Deltron

Here's a few I have. Hope they aren't tooo big!

After riding a GTT for 4 years, when I got the GTX, I renamed it Ferrari. Because that's what it felt like compared to the tandem. I stuck a Camp QR cover over the bar end shifter and added a Record rear deraileur that has Bullseye pulleys on it. I lost the index feature, but I'm a
roadie from way back so it doesn't matter too much to me to friction shift. Can't have anything but Italian parts on a "Ferrari" ya know! Also have a Campagnolo lapel pin on the leading edge of the seat.
Next on the list of Italianising it are to have the Schlumphs etched with Campy logos and to paint the seat with the Ferrari logo. More pics when those are done.

Enjoy! Ciao bello, Dr. D

bentbaggerlen

Nice...that must be one of those rare Ferrari's built under license in Astraila...
What is the square peg for sticking out of the dropout?

"but I'm a roadie from way back so it doesn't matter too much to me to friction shift" LOL!

When I was building up our last tandem (Longbikes Gulfstream) I needed a pair of bar end shifters, this was during the Shimano shortages and the only shifters I could find was a pair of NOS Sun-tour shifters, (best touring barcon ever IMHO) found them in a little shop in RI in the back room under years of piled upped bike shop history.

After I built up the bike the wife and I were riding on Cape Cod and we stopped at a small shop. The head "mechanic" came out to check out the bike and he was amazed by the shifters, silent, no clicks, no stops... He asked me all about the "new" shifters... He had never seen bar cons, let alone friction shifters... What will they think of next? A two speed kick back hub? I felt really really old right about then.

Dr.Deltron

Yes, I think Enzo was on vacation down under when he stopped by a local bike shop and....

The square peg? That's a FOOT peg!

I have 3 small children who ride along with me sometimes. 2 in the Burley trailer (not shown) and whoever wins the straw draw, gets to ride on the rack! You woudn't believe how much howling there is from the losers sometimes!
They ALL want to ride up with Papi!

meb

A further clarification- the speed drive is a 1.65:1 overdrive.

palmersperry

Correct, the speed drive is 1.65:1 overdrive. To get a 2.5:1 overdrive you need the High Speed Drive.

Dr.Deltron

Thanks for the clarification! My bad on the previous notes!

and now I have to inform a friend of mine who just got a Speed Drive!

meb

Unfortunately, the high speed drive does not permit changing to larger chainrings nor double chainrings like the mountain and speed drive. And there are very large chainrings available for the mountain and speed drive.

The unicycle hub drive is also a 1.65:1 overdrive.