By way of introduction

[Singleshot]

Hi everybody. New member here, just signed up after lurking for a while. I found this forum while searching for plans to build a tandem recumbent trike, which is the latest assignment I have received from my beloved better half.
We are avid cyclists, although I am considerably more avid than she, and in the interest of continuing this activity together into our old age, I accepted this challenge.
We have an upright tandem, but she hates it, so I have to look for other riding partners if I want to ride that one.
I have a solo 2 wheel recumbent that I ride quite a bit, so I'm not new to the recumbent scene.
I am the former owner of a bike shop, so the mechanical build up will be within my realm of expertise, including building of the wheels.
What is new to me is the welding and fabricating, and I am looking forward to learning and aquiring new skills (and tools,mmm,tooools!) as I progress through this project.
I purchased the plans for the Loderunner II, and my project will be based on this design with some modifiations.
I plan to build a single drive train with independent pedalling built in and gear it through a 14 speed Rohloff mid drive. I have a plan formulated in my mind to work this out, but I'm sure I'll be discussing details of this with you all as I progress.
Dan

[KoolKat]

Hi Dan, welcome. Sounds like you fit right in! :sunny:

[jimFPU]

What kind of LWB is that in your avatar?

[Odd Man Out]

Welcome Welcome

Mmmmmm Rohloff...

[savarin]

Welcome Welcome

Mmmmmm Rohloff...

Yeah! you and me both.

[fultondp]

Keep it up and we'll have to report you for posting bike porn! :antlers: :antlers: :antlers:

Darren

(Some of these guys need to get out more!)

[Singleshot]

What kind of LWB is that in your avatar?

That is a Quetzal that I bought new about 10 years ago. Here is a photo stream that shows the makeover project that made it what it is now.
http://cid-c5aa741102f41823.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/My%20Bikes/Building%20the%20Quetzal%20recumbent
Dan

[Singleshot]

Welcome Welcome

Mmmmmm Rohloff...
Yeah. I have 2 of them now, so I know it will work well in this project.
Dan

[Odd Man Out]

Yeah. I have 2 of them now, so I know it will work well in this project.
Dan

Excellent! Maybe you can answer a Q I have. I am seriously thinking about putting two on two Warrior trikes I am building. I have done a lot of research on them and know quite a bit but I have never ridden one...

Would you happen to know what the gear range is? I know the info out there says it has a 526% range and that it compares to a 27 speed mountain bike but that really doesn't tell me much. It is kind of like a virgin trying to find out what sex is like by reading about it -- it ain't gonna happen...

I guess my bottom line question is this; would you recommend the Rohloff for a trike that was going to be ridden across the entire United States? Remember I would be crossing mountain ranges and carrying up to 60 pounds of equipment. Is the Rohloff geared low enough???
Thanks for any input.

P.S. am also thinking about incorporating a Schlumph speed drive as well (I would really like to put the mountain drive on but Rohloff says this is a no go) -- any thoughts on this as well??
Thanks again and to any with Rohloff experience, please join in.

[PeterT]

I have a Rohloff to use on my next build, (AU$2000 sitting on my shelf!), and from what I can glean, it will basically cover all Der gears from 38/13 (chainring/sprocket) to 54/17. It has an inner gear ratio ranging from 0.279 to 1.467.

PeterT

[bambuko]

That is a Quetzal that I bought new about 10 years ago. Here is a photo stream that shows the makeover project...
thanks Dan for that!
Can you recall please what was the size of the main tube on Quetzal?
And (if you don't mind personal question :cheesy: ) how heavy was the rider?
Any practical personal experiences will help with the decision on my next project.
thanks
Chris

[jimFPU]

Quetzal...new to me. Nice (re)build! And please quit using that R*****f porn around here!:rolleyes4:

Actually I if could afford one I'd have one...no more cassettes or derailuer...

[Singleshot]

Excellent! Maybe you can answer a Q I have. I am seriously thinking about putting two on two Warrior trikes I am building. I have done a lot of research on them and know quite a bit but I have never ridden one...

Would you happen to know what the gear range is? I know the info out there says it has a 526% range and that it compares to a 27 speed mountain bike but that really doesn't tell me much. It is kind of like a virgin trying to find out what sex is like by reading about it -- it ain't gonna happen...

I guess my bottom line question is this; would you recommend the Rohloff for a trike that was going to be ridden across the entire United States? Remember I would be crossing mountain ranges and carrying up to 60 pounds of equipment. Is the Rohloff geared low enough???
Thanks for any input.

P.S. am also thinking about incorporating a Schlumph speed drive as well (I would really like to put the mountain drive on but Rohloff says this is a no go) -- any thoughts on this as well??
Thanks again and to any with Rohloff experience, please join in.
Actually, the ratio range is not quite what you would get with a 44/22 chainring an an 11/34 cassette. I don't have the numbers right at hand, and I'm scheduled kinda tight right now so I don't have the time to look it up, but I think I worked it out to be comparable to a 44/22 with a 12/32 in back.
The big thing you have to watch is the input ratio, particularly with a heavy rig. Rohloff says not to go less than 2.4 to 1 and higher than that with big loads. Small wheels make this easier to accomplish.

[Singleshot]

thanks Dan for that!
Can you recall please what was the size of the main tube on Quetzal?
And (if you don't mind personal question :cheesy: ) how heavy was the rider?
Any practical personal experiences will help with the decision on my next project.
thanks
Chris
The main tube is a bit under 2". I've measured it, and I forget right now the exact size. Rider weight runs between 240 and 250.

[Singleshot]

Quetzal...new to me. Nice (re)build! And please quit using that R*****f porn around here!:rolleyes4:

Actually I if could afford one I'd have one...no more cassettes or derailuer...
Yeah. My whole fleet is gearhubs. Rohloff, Sram, Nexus and SA.

[jimFPU]

So what's the cheapest to the most expensive? Does performance associate with price? (Not always is that true, so I ask...)

[John Lewis]

Yeah. My whole fleet is gearhubs. Rohloff, Sram, Nexus and SA.

How have you found the Sram? WE have them on our trikes and I've just had to rebuild them all. A little spiral spring that holds the pawls in place had failed in each case. Of course you can't buy the spring so I had to purchase the whole little assembly at $50 aud each. Probably around 8000km on one and half that on the other two.

John Lewis

[Singleshot]

How have you found the Sram? WE have them on our trikes and I've just had to rebuild them all. A little spiral spring that holds the pawls in place had failed in each case. Of course you can't buy the spring so I had to purchase the whole little assembly at $50 aud each. Probably around 8000km on one and half that on the other two.

John Lewis
I hope Sram has better small parts support where you are than they do in North America. I had a Sachs Super 7 that had a broken circlip that holds the carrier unit on the axle, and I couldn't even get that let alone replacement springs, pawls and other small parts. (And I owned a bike shop at the time.)I spoke directly to Sram about it, and they told me they do not import gearhub parts to North America and furthermore, what have I got against derailleurs?????
It was more of the same when I went to Sram's product development centre in Colorado Springs for service training a couple of years ago. Any question about gearhubs was met with the reply,"next question"?
I am using an iMotion 9 speed in one of my bikes, and I have to say from a performance point of view, it is totally inferior to either the Shimano Nexus or Alfine, and priced quite a bit higher.
The shifting is clunky, the hub is very noisy in the higher gears. I'm not talking about that pleasing (to me at least) tick tick tick you get from a Sturmey Archer in overdrive gears. No this thing sounds more like an angry nest of hornets.
No data yet on how durable they are. Who knows, they may last forever, but for my money,I'd go Shimano. I sold dozens of Nexus and Alfine equpped bikes, and did a fair number of aftermarket conversions with them, and they are just unbeatable value in the 300% ratio range. They shift like nothing else, even beats the Rohloff in that regard, and they are virtually silent.
Oh, and you can get small parts and service support.

[Singleshot]

So what's the cheapest to the most expensive? Does performance associate with price? (Not always is that true, so I ask...)
Well, cheapest is Sturmey Archer of course. It's great for it's intended purpose. I have one of the current production 5 speed hubs in my all season commuter, and for around town or leisure riding, as long as the hills aren't too big, it's fantastic.
The disconnect between price and performance is definitely between Sram and Shimano. The Sram iMotion 9 speed retails at more than $100 more than the Shimano, and unless it will last forever, it's just not in the game. It has a little more ratio coverage than the Nexus 8, but hardly enough to notice.
Of course, what can you say about Rohloff except,it's king of the heap for sure.
Dan

[jimFPU]

Thanks Dan.

[Odd Man Out]

For those of you interested in all things internally geared...
I found on the Schlumpf website (if you're not familiar with Schlumpf -- you are in for a treat) a downloadable Excel spreadsheet that has most all the internally geared hubs with gear inches and much other info listed for each gear. You can input specific front and back chainrings/cogs and see the changes that ensue. It even has detailed info on the Rohloff and NuVinci CVT. Good stuff:
http://www.schlumpf.ch/sd_engl.htm

[locolarry]

Welcome, Singleshot!
I have a Quetzal C-105 that I bought used in North Carolina. I still ride it..It was my first 'Bent. I've been toying with the idea of mod-ing into a trike...
Larry

[Singleshot]

Welcome, Singleshot!
I have a Quetzal C-105 that I bought used in North Carolina. I still ride it..It was my first 'Bent. I've been toying with the idea of mod-ing into a trike...
Larry

Hi Larry
There was a kit available to convert the Quetzal to a delta trike at one time. I think it might have been made by Quetzal as I remember it being on their web site. Of course, the 105 and 120 models are no longer made. After Procycle bought them out, they produced them for a while, then they put the Quetzal brand on a semi recumbent model. I don't know if the brand is still alive.
My only recumbent experience prior to buying this one was a SWB I rented for a road trip. The Quetzal is so much more stable and controllable by comparison.
I love the thing. The Rohloff has all the gear range I need. I don't miss having 105 speeds.
Dan