Knockoff Hobie mirage drive chains… suck!

Other than maybe 5 miles of use last year just to test it out, today was the first time I used this fake Hobie Mirage drive chain. It failed after 1 mile of use, and I was not even pushing hard. It looks like it pulled out of the fitting, as opposed to a cable break. Lame!!!

Thanks for the report on the cables. Cable and connecter need more than a crimp for strength. Maybe SS welding if possible?

Bummer and thanks for the update on this product.

I like the washer blocking the cable from sliding off. Does that happen a lot prior to adding that? I haven't see mine slip off ever unless it's loosely tightened.

I like the washer blocking the cable from sliding off. Does that happen a lot prior to adding that? I haven't see mine slip off ever unless it's loosely tightened.

There is a lot of discussion on the Hobie forum about how to tension the cables. One guy (goes by Roadrunner on the forum) did some convincing experiments to show that the tension should be loose. When I make it as loose as he suggests, sometimes they slip off (seems to depend on the individual cable, as some never slip and some slip frequently). The washer is a simple fix to prevent the slippage…

Ugh, that's frustrating. Seems like pretty much all the moving pieces  fail onto these drives somewhat regularly. I've broken like three cables and the spine shaft. Others have stripped the sprockets, broken fin masts, snapped pedal shafts, etc.

Thinking about the engineering of the whole drive, it seems like there are a lot of opposing forces at play. I think this is ultimately what leads to the breakage that a lot of people experience. My next drive is gonna be a propeller style - less pieces to break.

Are these chains significantly cheaper? Perhaps carry an extra pair in your toolkit?

Reach out to the seller on amazon, they will send you new ones I think they have a new version now (I had the same issue)

At least the sheathing looks sturdier on the new ones.

Thank you Mark.

Here you can see that the cable pulled out, as I'd thought was the case.

The cable is thicker than on the Hobie original, which I'd thought was a good thing. But, now I have my doubts. I suspect it's harder to make a solid connection to the cable.