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Sram Dual Drive, good or bad solution for pedicabs and rickshaws?

There has been recently a lot of talk on the rickshaw forum about how Sram Dual Drive is suitable for pedicabs. In the past few years there has been a lot of good publicity about the system. Originally designed for urban style bicycles Sram Dual Drive has found it's application in tricycles, cargo bikes, rickshaws and pedicabs. The only problem with the system was the price and low reliability. The whole set system of Sram DualDrive costs approx £300 sterling pounds. it consists of main hub, cassette, rear dereilleur, and shifter with click box. Dual Drive comes in two versions 24 and 27speed. It mean time there was also a version for 21 speeds. Big problem with Sram DualDrive that has been applied to tricycle rickshaws was the fact of breaking after fairly short period of time. Sometimes it could lasts a year, sometime just two weeks. So the questions was is it a good or bad investment to spend the £300 for system that might break after just a few weeks.

Why Sram DualDrive breaks

The answer to that is very simple. It breaks only on some of the pedicabs. Because the system has been designed with the purpose of being used on the bicycles it is indeed very fragile. Rickshaw loaded with 4 people in total might weight up to 400kg and the hub definitely is not designed to carry such a weight. The key to the answer why the DualDrive breaks is in the ratios of the transfer hub. The qualified pedicab designer know which ratios should be used on the pedicabs in order to make them efficient and in the same reducing the stresses on the transfer hub .

Sram DualDrive transfer hub image

Who uses Sram DualDrive in work bikes

Currently Sram DualDrive is only use on the Cycles Maximus pedicabs as standard. Most of the pedicab manufacturers do not use it due to a price and reliability reasons. Maxpro Pedicabs can also offer a Sram DualDrive in their rickshaws but these comes with the additional charge.

Sram Dualdrive shifter image

Why is it so special

DualDrive operates almost as the ordinary bicycle hubs however it enables to have the option of changing three internal gears. The internal gears replace the function of the front derailleur. You can change a three gears even when you don't cycle. that particularly useful when stopping at the traffic lights. It makes it just easier to start again.