Nordic Track Bike

[us56456712]

A friend gave me this bike. It has a stand so you can also use it for a stationary bike. It is very unconventional. The rear brake is a cable wrapped around a double back wheel rim. All you have to do is touch it with your pinkie and it acts like an oversized hydraulic disc brake. It is so powerful that some of the spoke nipples are sheared off and some others are cracked. You hit this brake at any speed and the wheel instantly locks. I can't figure out how to make it shift. It says on the frame it has 9 speeds but I can only find one. I have tried pedaling and shifting and coasting and shifting. It rides real easy and smooth except the cable that is wrapped around the rear wheel rim rubs all the time and there is now way to remove it that I can see. Weird
Cable rear brake

Double wide rear rim to accommodate the cable wrap.

Crazy front chainwheel with a single free wheel rear.

Shift lever from the bottom of the brake lever looking from the ground skyward

Rear single speed with chain tensioner.

 

[deorman]

PDF Manual > https://www.google.com/webhp?source...espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=nordictrack+shift+mechanism

 

[us56456712]

PDF Manual > https://www.google.com/webhp?source...espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=nordictrack+shift+mechanism

Thanks. I'll have to try shifting using the PDF manual instructions. Looks cumbersome to shift, I guess you can't be in a hurry to shift. It's a neat bike but I don't know if it is worth re spoking the rear wheel as it already has stainless steel spokes, brass nipples and 3 cross lacing. There is not much to make it stronger and if you could strengthen the spokes and nipples I think it would pull the spoke nipples through the alloy rims, the brakes are that powerful.

 

[deorman]

Yeah, the whole thing looks like someone was trying too hard to be different. Kind of Rube Goldbergish.

 

[RustySprockets]

I was also offered one of these Fitness Bikes (a men's frame) about 18-months ago, but it was a real beater and missing the chain tensioner, so I passed. Yours is in much better shape. I'm usually all over quirky, and this bike is a quirky as they come.

Does your brake strap have the required kevlar bootie installed? I think that is designed to keep things cooler and not erode the rim surface nearly as fast.

<sigh> Now I'm feeling regretful that I didn't take the ride. It would have fit in so well with my AutoBike, my LandRider, and my Fuji Folder.

 

[us56456712]

I was also offered one of these Fitness Bikes (a men's frame) about 18-months ago, but it was a real beater and missing the chain tensioner, so I passed. Yours is in much better shape. I'm usually all over quirky, and this bike is a quirky as they come.

Does your brake strap have the required kevlar bootie installed? I think that is designed to keep things cooler and not erode the rim surface nearly as fast.

<sigh> Now I'm feeling regretful that I didn't take the ride. It would have fit in so well with my AutoBike, my LandRider, and my Fuji Folder.

No kevlar bootie. I think it was warn away. Did you notice if the one you passed on had broken spoke nipples in the rear wheel? The guy that has mine was BIG. I wonder if this had something to do with breaking the spoke nipples.

 

[RustySprockets]

The bike had been spray-bombed, including the rear wheel, but there wasn't any obvious breakage. From a purely academic perspective, I'd expect the spoke strain to be LESS when braking force is applied at the rim, rather than at the hub.

The kevlar sleeve may have alleviated much of the "grabbiness" of the strap brake. Can't say for sure, since the one on mine was missing, too. Good luck finding an original replacement. IT guys sometimes use a similar synthetic fiber product to armor their cabling from mice--perhaps that could serve as a substitute?

 

[user 135]

These were originally a Yankee bike then Nordic Track bought them out. It shifts using a radial gear. Interesting concept.
http://ustimes.com/Bicycle/
http://ustimes.com/Bicycle/PageTwo.html
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-06-28/features/9202270139_1_mountain-bikes-bicycle-shifted Article about the inventor

Here is a video

 

[nanac1212]

They also had a Nordic 3 wheeled adult tricycle. It was a weird 9 speed I believe. Dont know who made them. Probably imported.

Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk