How to get started?

[Darksoul]

Well, I'm just looking for a project to get me into engines, so adding a motor to my bicycle sounds like a great deal to me.

I'm not looking for much speed, 10-20MPH. It should be able to do at least 7-10MPH uphill.

So, I'm thinking electric. It sounds easier to install and because I'm not planning on going past 20MPH I should be able to get a fair amount of miles before the battery dies.

Is there any guides for this, or even starting kits?.

I would like to include a throttle, a power monitor and a speed monitor.

Does the bike have to have X gears for these to work?. My bike is a mountain bike with a lot of gears.

Thanks a bunch!.

[Finfan]

Do a search on electric bicycle kits and you should find the majority of the sellers rather quickly. The main drawback is that the electric kits are more expensive and the battery packs are a wear item. They will have to be replaced periodically. The cheapest are the SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) batteries. They must be recharged after every use. The Lithium Ion and Phosphate batteries are more forgiving and last longer but are ungodly expensive as in $800+ for a bicycle size pack. So look, research, and decide.

[Bikeguy Joe]

Or mount up a weed wacker engine (see the DIY forum here).