Boy, you guys are harsh. Just so happens I've got a mountain bike and my OFNA Dominator downstairs. So I checked it out.....yes, it turned the flywheel. Don't believe me? Here's some proof (I couldn't take a picture of it 'cause the chassis blocked the view, but here's proof nonetheless):

Holmes,
First, you show the flywheel perpendicular to the bicycle tire. In reality, it has to be parallel to the bike tire to make contact and be able to turn the flywheel.
Second, you show the diameter of the bicycle tire as 2 1/2". A bicycle tire/wheel is more like 26" in diameter or having a radius of 13" inches. Unless the cutout is large, or the flywheel actually extends below the chassis, you will be hard-pressed (pun intended) to make contact with the flywheel and the bicycle tire.
Yours truly,
Dr. Watson (lol)

Boy, you guys just don't wanna believe this do you?

Yes, the flywheel is perpendicular to the bicycle tire. It is also tangent(what you called parallel) to the bicycle tire. It all depends on which direction you're looking at it.

The bicycle tire has a cross-sectional diameter of about 2 1/2". It has a radial diameter of about 26". I'll admit that the first drawing wasn't 100% clear.....although I'd give it a 95.

But besides all that.....I went down and put my car up to my bike before I went to the trouble of drawing all these pictures. It does work, there is contact. It might not work for all cars/trucks, but it does with my Dominator.

Elementary my dear Watson....

props to you nitroholmes...(holmes...how ironic...watson...hah!) i cant believe there are ppl here sayin the man didnt start it with his bicycle...grow up ppl...why on EARTH would he say he did if he didnt...does that sound like sumthin someone would make up? gimme a break...

nice diagrams my friend..lol

Alright now that we've verified it works.. exactly how do you do it.. Do you lay it on and then start peddling or do you peddle and then put the flywheel on... does the flywheel need to be modified?

Thanks

Bike upside down.........crank pedals with your hands. Get the bike wheel going at a good speed and touch the flywheel to it.

:thumbup: Vroom vroom!!

I don't know if you'll have to modify your setup....it all depends on how much clearance there is around your flywheel.

i still reckon it is utter bulls#*t lol

i think it would work but my flywheel cutout is too small

Im not saying that the mountain bike wheel would not turn the engine over, I am saying that most(with exceptions) of the cars do not have very big flywheel cut-outs, and mountain bike tires are pretty wide. Infact I had to dremel out my cut-out on my gt so I could use my electric hand held starter which has a 3/4" wide donut on it.

Holmes,
Sorry about that drawing. I didn't know it was a cross-section. Typically diagonal lines are used to depict a cross-sectional view...my mistake. I don't doubt that it is possible to use a mountain bike to start an engine on a "modern" R/C nitro car and as you say it might not work on all car/trucks. It is difficult though. The large radius of the bicycle wheel also causes a problem if the cut-out isn't large (long) enough to allow the radius of the bicycle wheel to touch the flywheel. Like I had said, "The cutout, in the chassis (pan), for the flywheel was made large enough to allow starting with an upturned bicycle wheel. Many times the cutout went right through the edge of the pan. There was plenty of room for the bicycle tire." The flywheels also extended through the chassis. This is in reference to the "old" R/C nitro cars. And yes,"One person would crank the pedals, and another person would touch the engine flywheel to the spinning bicycle tire. Started first time every time. It is funny to think of starting that way as something new."
Watson (lol)

Yep, we're basically saying the same thing....