Okay, new guy here asking for the input of some experienced builders.
I am a commuter and a few months ago I purchased a Staton-Inc(.com) axle mount kit with a 4-cycle 35cc Subaru motor. I did a lot of research online to figure out what was the most reliable motor kit built with the best quality components that would be the most dependable within a reasonable price range and that was what I decided on.
For me a motorized bicycle is not a toy, it is transportation and it needs to be reliable. I was previously a human power only pedal commuter but an over ten mile ride home over hill and dale much of it uphill after a long work shift was getting to be really, really annoying so I decided to get a motor for my bike. It needed to be dependable and it needed to be legal by the Montana law code which does explicitly discuss how big of a motor and such that you can put on your bike and it is still legally a bike and is fully legal as such. The Staton-Inc axle mount kit in question filled that bill although it did end up costing more then a lot of cheaper kits out there but as I said this is transportation for me at least during the non-Winter months not so much for the cold and the snow (studded snow tires for bikes rock !!!) as for the snow plows which in the middle of a blizzard won’t see or for that matter expect or be looking for a bicyclist on the road and will come up right behind you and scoop you up and blow you out the side of their big plows right along with the snow (not fun and a long story).
So it is doing me just fine except for the fact that I currently have it mounted on my decent quality (about a $1,000 new and still probably worth $500+ now) full suspension quality components and disk brake equipped mountain bike that has been “computerized” with a rear rack and panniers and good lights front and rear and tires that aren’t as knobby but still give good traction and give less roll resistance on-road along etc. . . .
That isn’t really the best frame to mount it too especially considering it is a full suspension rig and I can feel the “tail wiggle” under full load at full speed that over time could wear out the bearing points on the rear 4-bar link points so I need to get a hard-tail frame to mount this motor system too and build up that bike specifically as a motorized commuter bike. I was thinking of buying a cheap 7-speed Steel cruiser bike (the kind with a rear 7 gear spool and V-brakes) and then build it up replacing the components over time with higher quality and customizing it to suit my needs and style:
----- The Staton-Inc. kit comes with its own high quality rear wheel and hub system so that would happen right away.
----- Throw some heavier duty pedals on if the originals aren’t up to par.
----- Change out the front wheel tube for a tough puncture resistant self sealing tube.
----- Change out the seat stem, seat mount system, and seat to one that allows better adjustment to fit my body and riding style.
----- Swap out the front handle bars for urban hybrid bike type bars that are closer to mountain bike straight bars without being true straight bars and maintaining a comfortable riding position.
----- Weld a rear cage/rack onto the rear triangle to surround and protect the motor on the left side and provide a cargo rack on the right side directly opposite the motor so that the cargo balances out the weight of the motor. Basically a hard body large pannier on the right side connected to the cage around the motor by a bar across the back behind the rear wheel with a simple “vertical hole in a horizontal steel flange” hitch point like found on the back of riding lawn mowers that a whole bunch of different types of trailers are built for and are readily available at very reasonable prices compared to trailers made for bikes and usually have stronger axles and wheels and greater hauling capacity.
----- Cut a proper drop out plate out of steel plate and then sandwich weld it on over the outside of the el-cheapo department store type rear right drop out to accept a quality rear derailer with a quality punch button shifter probably with an 8 speed spool instead of just seven.
----- Change out the front fork to one that will accept a front disk brake instead of the V type rim brakes and put in a quality front hub and wheel assembly (I like Rino-Light 48 spoke wheels so that is probably what it would be). Unfortunately, with the Staton-Inc. axle mount kit I have to keep the V rim brakes on the rear since disk brake mounting is impossible on the rear since both sides of the wheel have drove sprockets on freewheel assemblies.
----- Swap out the fenders for higher quality ones.
----- And last of all when the bearings on the bottom bracket and/or front chain ring start to get worn out put in a cartridge conversion kit with a quality 3-piece cartridge crank assembly and chain ring to completely replace the one piece crank.
Those modifications and improvements beyond the first three listed to be done as time allows and maintenance requires such that by the end basically the frame is the only major original component left.
So, the primary goal is to figure out which of the available cheaper STEEL cruiser frames is going to be the best in the long run considering over time I’m going to change out most of the other components. An aluminum alloy frame would be fine except for the fact that for a cheap frame I trust a steel frame more then an aluminum alloy frame and I want to do some welding to the rear of the frame both to modify the drop out for a quality derailer and to build a cage around the motor, cargo rack, rear trailer hitch combination out of small size lighter weight steel tubing welded onto the rear triangle and top of the seat post. Steel is a lot easier to do it yourself weld then aluminum alloy.
Most (although I admit not all) of the higher priced and higher quality cruiser frames are aluminum alloy not steel so to get a steel frame that I can weld to it is going to be one of the cheaper department store type bike brands.
Any suggestions? I’ve looked at Huffy, Pacific, Schwinn, Micargi, Fito, and Greenline offerings. All offering Men’s 26” wheel size steel frames with V-brakes and 7-speed rear gear spools.
I have been told that the present production Schwinn frames are tight for a large tall individual such as myself and are smaller then a size-19 men’s mountain bike frame which would not be ideal for me although some of that can be mitigated with a seat post and seat change. I do not know if that applies to the others as well.
Also, anyone here done any business with bikebuyers.com and have anything to say about them one way or another? I like the looks of their Fito “Red Devil” and they have what looks to be a good fork assembly for converting to disk brakes on the front in their parts section for a very reasonable price.
I am a commuter and a few months ago I purchased a Staton-Inc(.com) axle mount kit with a 4-cycle 35cc Subaru motor. I did a lot of research online to figure out what was the most reliable motor kit built with the best quality components that would be the most dependable within a reasonable price range and that was what I decided on.
For me a motorized bicycle is not a toy, it is transportation and it needs to be reliable. I was previously a human power only pedal commuter but an over ten mile ride home over hill and dale much of it uphill after a long work shift was getting to be really, really annoying so I decided to get a motor for my bike. It needed to be dependable and it needed to be legal by the Montana law code which does explicitly discuss how big of a motor and such that you can put on your bike and it is still legally a bike and is fully legal as such. The Staton-Inc axle mount kit in question filled that bill although it did end up costing more then a lot of cheaper kits out there but as I said this is transportation for me at least during the non-Winter months not so much for the cold and the snow (studded snow tires for bikes rock !!!) as for the snow plows which in the middle of a blizzard won’t see or for that matter expect or be looking for a bicyclist on the road and will come up right behind you and scoop you up and blow you out the side of their big plows right along with the snow (not fun and a long story).
So it is doing me just fine except for the fact that I currently have it mounted on my decent quality (about a $1,000 new and still probably worth $500+ now) full suspension quality components and disk brake equipped mountain bike that has been “computerized” with a rear rack and panniers and good lights front and rear and tires that aren’t as knobby but still give good traction and give less roll resistance on-road along etc. . . .
That isn’t really the best frame to mount it too especially considering it is a full suspension rig and I can feel the “tail wiggle” under full load at full speed that over time could wear out the bearing points on the rear 4-bar link points so I need to get a hard-tail frame to mount this motor system too and build up that bike specifically as a motorized commuter bike. I was thinking of buying a cheap 7-speed Steel cruiser bike (the kind with a rear 7 gear spool and V-brakes) and then build it up replacing the components over time with higher quality and customizing it to suit my needs and style:
----- The Staton-Inc. kit comes with its own high quality rear wheel and hub system so that would happen right away.
----- Throw some heavier duty pedals on if the originals aren’t up to par.
----- Change out the front wheel tube for a tough puncture resistant self sealing tube.
----- Change out the seat stem, seat mount system, and seat to one that allows better adjustment to fit my body and riding style.
----- Swap out the front handle bars for urban hybrid bike type bars that are closer to mountain bike straight bars without being true straight bars and maintaining a comfortable riding position.
----- Weld a rear cage/rack onto the rear triangle to surround and protect the motor on the left side and provide a cargo rack on the right side directly opposite the motor so that the cargo balances out the weight of the motor. Basically a hard body large pannier on the right side connected to the cage around the motor by a bar across the back behind the rear wheel with a simple “vertical hole in a horizontal steel flange” hitch point like found on the back of riding lawn mowers that a whole bunch of different types of trailers are built for and are readily available at very reasonable prices compared to trailers made for bikes and usually have stronger axles and wheels and greater hauling capacity.
----- Cut a proper drop out plate out of steel plate and then sandwich weld it on over the outside of the el-cheapo department store type rear right drop out to accept a quality rear derailer with a quality punch button shifter probably with an 8 speed spool instead of just seven.
----- Change out the front fork to one that will accept a front disk brake instead of the V type rim brakes and put in a quality front hub and wheel assembly (I like Rino-Light 48 spoke wheels so that is probably what it would be). Unfortunately, with the Staton-Inc. axle mount kit I have to keep the V rim brakes on the rear since disk brake mounting is impossible on the rear since both sides of the wheel have drove sprockets on freewheel assemblies.
----- Swap out the fenders for higher quality ones.
----- And last of all when the bearings on the bottom bracket and/or front chain ring start to get worn out put in a cartridge conversion kit with a quality 3-piece cartridge crank assembly and chain ring to completely replace the one piece crank.
Those modifications and improvements beyond the first three listed to be done as time allows and maintenance requires such that by the end basically the frame is the only major original component left.
So, the primary goal is to figure out which of the available cheaper STEEL cruiser frames is going to be the best in the long run considering over time I’m going to change out most of the other components. An aluminum alloy frame would be fine except for the fact that for a cheap frame I trust a steel frame more then an aluminum alloy frame and I want to do some welding to the rear of the frame both to modify the drop out for a quality derailer and to build a cage around the motor, cargo rack, rear trailer hitch combination out of small size lighter weight steel tubing welded onto the rear triangle and top of the seat post. Steel is a lot easier to do it yourself weld then aluminum alloy.
Most (although I admit not all) of the higher priced and higher quality cruiser frames are aluminum alloy not steel so to get a steel frame that I can weld to it is going to be one of the cheaper department store type bike brands.
Any suggestions? I’ve looked at Huffy, Pacific, Schwinn, Micargi, Fito, and Greenline offerings. All offering Men’s 26” wheel size steel frames with V-brakes and 7-speed rear gear spools.
I have been told that the present production Schwinn frames are tight for a large tall individual such as myself and are smaller then a size-19 men’s mountain bike frame which would not be ideal for me although some of that can be mitigated with a seat post and seat change. I do not know if that applies to the others as well.
Also, anyone here done any business with bikebuyers.com and have anything to say about them one way or another? I like the looks of their Fito “Red Devil” and they have what looks to be a good fork assembly for converting to disk brakes on the front in their parts section for a very reasonable price.
