Trike chains

[anotherkiwi]

I have a question about trike chains.

Why is there only one chain which goes all the way from the front chainset to the rear cassete/hub?

Couldn't one divide the chain in two with a couple of cogs mounted to an axle under the front of the seat?

1. OK there is loss of efficiency in the bearings of the axle holding the two central cogs but little loss in the case of sealed ball bearings.
2. There is a gearing problem in the case of casettes but none in the case of a hub gearbox where the central sprockets are the same size as the one on the hub.

What is my point? A longer wheelbase trike with more storage space behind the seat or, why not, a two seater with only one set of pedals (the electric motor compensating for the "lazy" passenger).

Cheers

Tony

 

[flecc]

Some designs use an intermediate idler sprocket to deflect the chain path for similar reasons. In another variant, a Cyclone or similar motor is placed part way down the chain path to add drive power at an intermediate stage.
.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Andrew (Oxydrive)made a cargo trike with the drop-outs in front of the rear axle with the derailleur on one side and a sprocket bolted to the disc fitting on the other side of the motor. The sprocket then had a short chain to the rear axle. This allowed the possibility to change the ratio for more torque and less speed.