Kind of half read things here so some of my advice may be repeats. Sounds like you've gotten a ton of good advice already though. Folks on this forum can be counted on for that.
On lights, there are two basic types of lights for bicycles on the market. There are lights to BE SEEN with and lights to SEE with. Lights to BE SEEN with cost around $25 and have a steady on or flashing setting. They usually operate on AA or AAA batteries and last pretty long, especially on the flashing setting. These lights, of course, are to help people SEE you but they're pretty lousy at actually being able to see the road with.
Lights to SEE with are a little more costly. The generator lights are the cheapest and cost around $50 but are likely to burn out if you run your motorbike at max speed. Most of them aren't made for that much current. The other lights run off batteries but generally come with a rechargeable battery pack. They can run upwards of $100. I had a $250 set once which seems silly until you consider that they basically lit up the road like a car. These battery lights run for several hours on a charge. Of course you could always strap a flashlight to your handle bars too and buy rechargeable batteries for it, but I'd recommend getting a set of the BE SEEN lights (they have flashing red ones for the rear of the bike) to get you through the summer and look into a good quality solid light as the days shorten.
For your spokes buy a spoke tool from a bike shop. They're not too expensive and are WAY better quality than anything from Walmart.
I don't know if this has been mentioned but once you motorize your bike be sure to check every screw, bolt and nut OFTEN. Ideally every time you ride but at least once a week. Don't ignore the ones on the skewers going through your wheel hubs (the inside ones holding the bearings in, not just the outside ones holding the wheels on). Gently "pluck" your spokes to make sure they stay tight too. The vibrations of these motors have a tendency to rattle things lose.
As for where to post your "build" thread, that's up to you. If you're going to be real detailed, use one of the on-line photo journal sites like Tabloo and post the link here. If it's more sparse, then a new thread here or even adding to this thread is likely to be fine.
In any event, welcome to the hobby. Be prepared to become addicted. I've built four since I started a little over a year ago.
On lights, there are two basic types of lights for bicycles on the market. There are lights to BE SEEN with and lights to SEE with. Lights to BE SEEN with cost around $25 and have a steady on or flashing setting. They usually operate on AA or AAA batteries and last pretty long, especially on the flashing setting. These lights, of course, are to help people SEE you but they're pretty lousy at actually being able to see the road with.
Lights to SEE with are a little more costly. The generator lights are the cheapest and cost around $50 but are likely to burn out if you run your motorbike at max speed. Most of them aren't made for that much current. The other lights run off batteries but generally come with a rechargeable battery pack. They can run upwards of $100. I had a $250 set once which seems silly until you consider that they basically lit up the road like a car. These battery lights run for several hours on a charge. Of course you could always strap a flashlight to your handle bars too and buy rechargeable batteries for it, but I'd recommend getting a set of the BE SEEN lights (they have flashing red ones for the rear of the bike) to get you through the summer and look into a good quality solid light as the days shorten.
For your spokes buy a spoke tool from a bike shop. They're not too expensive and are WAY better quality than anything from Walmart.
I don't know if this has been mentioned but once you motorize your bike be sure to check every screw, bolt and nut OFTEN. Ideally every time you ride but at least once a week. Don't ignore the ones on the skewers going through your wheel hubs (the inside ones holding the bearings in, not just the outside ones holding the wheels on). Gently "pluck" your spokes to make sure they stay tight too. The vibrations of these motors have a tendency to rattle things lose.
As for where to post your "build" thread, that's up to you. If you're going to be real detailed, use one of the on-line photo journal sites like Tabloo and post the link here. If it's more sparse, then a new thread here or even adding to this thread is likely to be fine.
In any event, welcome to the hobby. Be prepared to become addicted. I've built four since I started a little over a year ago.
