motorized road bike build

H

haxing

New Member
what are some of the downfalls for putting an engine kit on one of the road bikes? i just want to be aware of what can happen or how i can prevent them when doing my first build :)
 
road bikes are built to be light and skinny rims are not usually strong enough to handle the torque the motor puts on the spokes. That being said I've seen a dude put 12g spokes on his road bike rims. good luck
 

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I have to agree with Max Power that the rims and tires would be one of the biggest issues on a road bike. Another factor to consider is what material the frame is made from and tube diameter and thickness. These engines tend to vibrate pretty much and thin wall aluminum, titanium or composite frames even when backed up can get damaged.

Since they have thin tires they usually have less clearance between the rim and frame and there can be chain clearance issues that could also cause damage.
 
Why do you want to use a road bike?

I think a mountain bike is a more natural fit. It has bigger tires and often has front suspension.
 
I think the clearance on the Freespirit would be the biggest problem- it probably has steel 26 x 1 3/8 rims- it's the chain clearance- I started to put a 50 cc on a Schwinn traveler- I think the frame and 27 inch wheels were fine- but the top tube was sooooo short that any kind of normal pedal was eliminated by the tank in the way- the cahin stay clearance in the back was a problem- so I went with a cruiser with 700 c wheels instead-
 
with that being said, ill guess ill find me a mountain bike lol, and this road bike i have, the cable runs through the top tube frame so puttin a tank on top wouldn't be an issue so i thought that'll be cool... Then i saw the pictures you posted.. pretty scary looking haha. Anyways thanks for your input =)
 
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