Left side drivetrain

[41DX]

I just picked up a set of tandem cranks off the local CL. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is a left side drive. Anybody here done it before? Fixed gear the only option? ideas? Thoughts? Special hubs? I got this really cool old bike from Monster Metal a while back. Been sitting on it waiting for direction, I think it has horizontal dropouts. Do I need to scan a few fixie forums for beta on how to do this,,,,

Could be a trainwreck or could be cool.
Thanks,
T

 

[karfer67]

there are bmx freewheels out there that are lsd. other than that fixed is the only way which my pedals are way too low for when i turn

 

[Chainsaw]

I'm glad to find this thread.
I've gotta Trike build that I wanna do where I need both rear wheels to be driven and freewheeled.
Can I take and just flip one rim over and then put a left side drive on it. That way I'd have both wheels driven, left and right. Or would I have a problem of some sort?

 

[NLCTVWguy]

You'd need the right kind of hub to take the reverse freewheel, of course, one that wouldn't unscrew when you pedal forward.

I have an idea what you're trying to come up with and as far as the drive is concerned, it'll work fine mechanically. It may be a problem getting the drive outboard far enough to drive the wheels- a pair of jackshafts would do it though (one left, one right, each driving a wheel and ending inboard near the original frame dropouts.)

I had an old powered lawnmower with a drive like this and it worked fine. On a corner, the outboard wheel would freewheel faster than the inboard one. Had two sprockets with ratchets in them, one out at each wheel, all driven from a cross shaft under the motor. operation of a machine like that is pretty seamless.

I've wanted to figure out how to have a narrow trike, with one nut of each rear wheel bolted to the rear dropouts from the outside... I'm sure it would be tippy but I just want to build it to be weird and different. It would need some kind of outer frame or dropout to support the outboard end of each wheel... and I envisioned a drive system like what you're describing.

I think you need a cassette type freewheel to get the left hand freewheel to work...

Good luck, let us know what you come up with.

--Rob

I'm glad to find this thread.
I've gotta Trike build that I wanna do where I need both rear wheels to be driven and freewheeled.
Can I take and just flip one rim over and then put a left side drive on it. That way I'd have both wheels driven, left and right. Or would I have a problem of some sort?

 

[Chainsaw]

Thanks Rob, We were thinking along the same lines. I just wasn't too sure of my brain. I just got off the phone with a friend of mine whose got a little more knowledge than me on this subject. He pretty much said the same as your reply. I'm gonna try to get this idea started in the next couple of months. Once started I'll keep you guys up to date on the build.
Thanks for your input! 8)

 

[Chainsaw]

Hey Rob, how's this for a narrow rearend?

The trike also leans into the turns! It's the brainchild of a guy outta Ontario, Canada. His name is Jensen. I met him at an HPV race in Waterford, Michigan this last summer. He had some problems but the little thing was FAST! Very cool guy and very friendly. I wish that I'd taken more pics of the setup. Very simple though.

Sorry I didn't mean to hijack this thread, but it does kinda go along with what I'm considering on the build with the dual drive.

 

[X-RAY]

a "narrow trike" idea im working on, i had the same idea ( bolt each wheel to the outside of dropouts). then i threw the crank in and realized i needed to extend the frame to get the wheels away from the crank. its a little 16 incher, maybe your bike has enough clearance between crank and wheels. i havent finished mine yet, but i like the idea of the dual drive/ freewheel in the turn idea.

 

[OCD]

Chainy: Have a look at how SicNic did just that on his air ride trike. Use a jackshaft with 2 sprockets running to a freewheel adapter on each axle, that way one side will freewheel around corners. 8)

 

[X-RAY]

my plan was to use the stock coaster hub in the stock dropouts, then extend the frame back to the wheels new location. possibly a belt drive from coaster hub to rear axle. that way the brakes are already done. but, i dont think the rear freewheels would play well with the coaster. is there that much difference between driving one wheel vs. both(spool-style)?

 

[xHOBOPHOBIAx]

maby put a single speed freewheel
on backwards... would be hard to remove, but it might work.

 

[Bendix]

I just picked up a set of tandem cranks off the local CL. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is a left side drive. Anybody here done it before? Fixed gear the only option? ideas? Thoughts? Special hubs? I got this really cool old bike from Monster Metal a while back. Been sitting on it waiting for direction, I think it has horizontal dropouts. Do I need to scan a few fixie forums for beta on how to do this,,,,

Could be a trainwreck or could be cool.
Thanks,
T

a bmx hub for left side drive (this was briefly popular with the skatepark riders so they wouldn't destroy their drivetrains grinding on the right side- now they just use tiny sprockets) and a left side drive bmx freewheel would probably be the simplest. assuming you can find a hub with 36 holes and use a handbrake........it would make some folks look twice, that's for sure!

 

[socal_jack]

How about dual drive? Skyrider did this last year using a bmx hub.

http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=18734&p=190421&hilit=dual+drive#p190421