Right on, Bennybmn...the 530 chain off the jackshaft is directly connected to a sprocket which attaches to the friction roller. I never seen one before either and nobody would tell so I made my own. Unlike the others, I tell everything. :-) This ain't new technology...bush hogs and fertolizer spreading equipment, polishing machines (industrial) and many other areas have used friction drive for years. Mine is an aluminum roller contoured to the radius of the 280 tire and bonded with rubber...soft compound much like what is used for retreading tires. I had some old coal mine industrial supply hands in my area (big coal country)bond the rubber and they assured me it was durable and would not be a problem. After all, they moves thousands of tons of coal via belt conveyors with the same bonded rubber on steel rollers and all I'm doing is hauling my big butt down the road. ;-) It's pretty cool and it was for the engineering challenge of it and I am glad to say it works well and it is rideable. The track on the rear tire is 6 inches wide so I've got a lot of coverage for traction vs a small dolly wheel which I heard a big name builder used on a Discovery Channel bike.
Oh yeah...the rear brake...a 7" rotor was placed on the opposing side of the roller under the seat to slow the roller down so the rear brake is hidden as well. 7" is not big enough for a "normal" bike but it is sufficient here because I went with dual 6 piston Hawg Halter brakes up front on the 23" wheel.
