# Custom Hub Manufacturers?



## benwitt11 (May 1, 2005)

I am starting a project that will likely require a set of custom hubs. Short of drawing up Solid Works designs and sourcing a machine shop, has anyone had as experience with anything like this from industry suppliers?

Thank you, 
Ben


----------



## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

benwitt11 said:


> I am starting a project that will likely require a set of custom hubs. Short of drawing up Solid Works designs and sourcing a machine shop, has anyone had as experience with anything like this from industry suppliers?
> 
> Thank you,
> Ben


Will this be a one-off hub?


----------



## benwitt11 (May 1, 2005)

Yes.


----------



## DWF (Jan 12, 2004)

benwitt11 said:


> Yes.


Phil. They'll work with you to mod one of their existing designs. Otherwise you're talking major cash outlay.


----------



## Bryguy17 (May 19, 2007)

also talk to hadley. I think they've made a hub to fit every spec and industry standard ever created, so they might be able to help you mod a hub to fit your needs. they also do their work in house, which can't hurt. nice people to boot.


----------



## smdubovsky (Apr 27, 2007)

DWF said:


> Phil. They'll work with you to mod one of their existing designs.


Really? Thats pretty cool. Ben, let us know what you find. I think it would be neat to have a decent 150mm SS hub (well, not run as true SS but a 1x6 or 2x6 type design)


----------



## Clockwork Bikes (Jun 17, 2006)

Joytech makes a lot of the high-end hubs for small companies.


----------



## benwitt11 (May 1, 2005)

Thank you for the replies. I'll give Phil a shout and start there. Profile Racing also comes to mind. They make a 135mm, disc compatible fixed gear hub that may work as modified per below.

What I need is basically a 135mm SS type hub with a 10 or 12mm thru axle. The hub needs to be standard disc bolts on the proper side, with provisions for a cog to be mounted in mirrored position on the drive side. The drive side needs to be a six bolt pattern, but probably spaced in a larger way, or made out of a quite solid size. The bolts on the drive side need to be somewhere around the 10mm size, which is another point of the issue. This hub needs to stand up to a 10 hp motor with unimpressive torque numbers. 

I wonder about trying a standard bolt on single speed hub with a 10mm axle driving through a White freewheel or a traditional fixed gear cog set up. I'm not sure the pawls of the free wheel or the threads on a standard fixed gear hub would stand up to that kind of power. Perhaps if the hub were stainless instead of aluminum? The hub flanges would preferably be in the 90-100 mm range to end up with 250mm or so spokes 3x laced to a 26" wheel.

I don't know of any such hub that exists, but it's kind of got to be close to this for this project to work. The hub is currently the sticking point, everything else should be pretty easy in time.

I know a truly one off hub would be very expensive, I would ideally like to be able to make an existing design work in some way. This would be a really cool project, it's dead without figuring this out though.


----------



## Blaster1200 (Feb 20, 2004)

You might also check to see what people are doing here: Motorized Bicycle: Engine Kit Forum

PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE INSTALLATION

Also found this dual disc front hub: Front Hub - Dual Disc Black - Cycles U.S. LLC/Choppers U.S.

Find out what these guys are doing (there are many variations of these bikes):


----------



## benwitt11 (May 1, 2005)

Perfect, thank you. The hub above would work very nicely. Now to track it down!


----------



## dbohemian (Mar 25, 2007)

Blaster1200 said:


> Find out what these guys are doing (there are many variations of these bikes):


As an 30 year motorcycle rider. Raced MX, currently have a street bike the concept of motorized bicycles like that completely baffles me.

I get it if you have a DUI and got to ride something under 50cc but these things are the worst of everything rolled up into one package. Then if they actually spend good money on them like that example there its just a affirmation of P.T. Barnum's comment that there is a sucker born every minute.


----------



## benwitt11 (May 1, 2005)

dbohemian said:


> As an 30 year motorcycle rider. Raced MX, currently have a street bike the concept of motorized bicycles like that completely baffles me.


I would like to build an 19-teens style board track style bike with modern bicycle parts and a reliable engine. That's quantitatively different than a lot of the motorized bicycle type of things rolling around. There is a lot there that makes me wonder as well. Having ridden street bikes for years this would be a project combining a little motorhead work, custom bike frame craftsmanship and design, modern bicycle parts, and would offer what I think would be a unique riding experience. I'm still trying to sus out the possibility of even making this possible. The rear hub is the major sticking point for me here.


----------



## jay_ntwr (Feb 15, 2008)

dbohemian said:


> As an 30 year motorcycle rider. Raced MX, currently have a street bike the concept of motorized bicycles like that completely baffles me.


Are you kidding me? I just looked into this for fun and found this:
GRUBEE SkyHawk GT2B 48cc (Black Finish) Bike Engine Kit - Wholesale GRUBEE SkyHawk GT2B 48cc (Black Finish) Bike Engine Kits

So for the price of half of a Brooks saddle, I can have everything to make a bike into a really cool neighborhood cruiser/grocery getter/beer store runner? That's sort of slick I think. Still goofy and totally not necessary, granted, but it would be fun if you had the room for an extra bike I think.

So I get where you are coming from, but now I want to convert my Electra Straight 8 into one of my own frames with one of these silly little engines on it just for fun.


----------



## dbohemian (Mar 25, 2007)

jay_ntwr said:


> So I get where you are coming from, but now I want to convert my Electra Straight 8 into one of my own frames with one of these silly little engines on it just for fun.


I get where you are coming from too. They would probably be fun for a short time.

We have a ton of those around here. Noisy, slow assed things that belch smoke all over. Brakes suck. Engines break more than they run. They pretty much suck. I actually worked on a project making a nice little transmission for a 48cc subaru 4-stroke engine for these things. I got paid. Customer couldn't really sell it because 100 dollars just for the tranny attachement was considered too much by most of these people.

I also have the hots for real good electric drives like the Ecospeed (Yes, I know it WAY more expensive) but I see that as the future not 2-stroke gas powered POS's.

I know I have strange views. A bicycle to me should either be pedal powered, electric assist for cargo/transpo or a motorcycle shoul have so much HP that it tears your arms out of their sockets. For me there is no in-between


----------



## jay_ntwr (Feb 15, 2008)

dbohemian said:


> I get where you are coming from too. They would probably be fun for a short time.
> 
> Noisy, slow assed things that belch smoke all over.


You know, Dave, that's enough for me right there. I knew we probably agreed on this but I couldn't see the downside until you just pointed it out.

I'd looked at electric hubs a while back and rode one for a couple of days to/from home to work but the $1k barrier for entry proved too much for me to handle just for the novelty. Thanks for getting my mind back off of this idea. It'll save me some time and money.


----------



## Blaster1200 (Feb 20, 2004)

Although the one I posted a picture of is not a 2-stroke, it's a 4 stroke. 4-strokes are no more reliable than a 2-stroke, and the reliability of each depends on the user and maintenance.

As for the usefullness, they fall into the same catagory as hopped up 50s. It's a toy. And toys do have their place.

However, in some areas, because it has pedals, it's considered a moped. Mopeds often have different requirements, such as you don't need a motorcycle license to drive one on the street. And in some cases, I don't believe it requires any registration. 

Having rambled all that, I'd only want one for about an hour, then I'd be done with it.


----------



## boomn (Jul 6, 2007)

Blaster1200 said:


> Although the one I posted a picture of is not a 2-stroke, it's a 4 stroke. 4-strokes are no more reliable than a 2-stroke, and the reliability of each depends on the user and maintenance.
> 
> As for the usefullness, they fall into the same catagory as hopped up 50s. It's a toy. And toys do have their place.
> 
> ...


Maybe microturbines are the answer you're looking for


----------

