Mountain or Cruise?

[thedude]

Hello everyone!! I am trying to decide whether i should use a cruiser or mountain bike, and was hoping you all would give me your opinions and ideas. The engine i decided to purchase is the 49cc 4G T-Belt Hua Sheng engine kit. I have a choice between two bike, 26'' Men's Schwinn Point Beach Cruiser Bike (26" Schwinn Cruiser, Men's Beach Point Bicycle - Walmart.com) and a 19" Rockhopper my neighbor is selling. Either bike would cost about the same. I will be using it for daily transportation to and from work (7-8 miles daily) plus pleasure riding. I live in a slightly hilly urban city.

Thank you,
thedude

 

[F_Rod81]

Hello and welcome to the forum. When you start your build you have to ask yourself a few questions before hand. . .

- whats my style (cruiser or Mt. bike)
- How will I ride ? (on or off road / both)

I would consider the Rockhopper first, it is more that likely a chromoly frame which is stronger then anything from walmart. Everything should be able to bolt right up to the rockhopper. The cruiser may require a little ingenuity, possibly having to use a large front motor mount and open up the rear sprocket hole to fit over the coaster brake. Nothing major, just speed bumps. Keep us informed!

 

[oldtimer54]

I vote for the mountain bike. If you ever want you can upgrade it with a shift kit and it will be a much stronger motorized bike when your done.

 

[The_Aleman]

I would go with the Rockhopper, as it's frame and components would no doubt be higher quality than any Walmart bike.

However, I would advise you do more homework to make sure the Rockhopper can fit the HS and 4G without any clearance problems. You're going with, IMO, a great drivetrain, but it's nowhere near as compact as a typical 2-stroke setup. Specifically, engine height can be a problem.

My HS and 4G measures roughly 9"L, 9.5"H, 9.5"W. Yours will be 1.5" wider since you're using the regular 4G, not the narrower Honda-style one that I have.

 

[wheelbender6]

Welcome to the forum. The mountain bike will steer quicker, ride stiffer and come with strong brakes. The cruiser sits lower, rides a bit smoother with the longer wheelbase. I put my motor on a mountain bike first, and later transferred it to a cruiser for a smoother ride.

 

[thedude]

Hey, thanks for all the input. I havent been on a bike since I was a kid on a BMX, so it seemed natural for me to choose mountain bike. But I always thought cruisers looked so cool and comfortable, which began the downfall in my choosing a bike. I'm trying to think what will be better long term, using the bicycle as a replacement for a car(no license, gotta be careful). I live in an urban city, so wont have the choice of actual offroading much. I will be using it mostly as a daily ride, to and from work as well as everywhere else. As for the frame/hardware, I figured since it was a Schwinn, it would be the same no matter where i bought it? But they have an alluminum and steel version of the same cruiser. I measured the rockhopper to fit a 9x9 square, since the engine is not quite square I'm pretty sure it will fit. Does anybody by chance no what the angle of operation for these engines is? Does the shiftkit work with the T-belt drivetrain? I would think it will but the manual only specifically states the stage 2 and 3 drivetrains.

Any further advice or experience is much appreciated, thanks.

 

[The_Aleman]

Walmart Schwinns aren't necessarily of the same quality as a higher-end Schwinn cruiser. For one, they are already a low-end model. Two, they might use inferior small parts compared to the same model sold elsewhere (yes, it's happened). Three, they are assembled by a guy who gets paid based on how many he can assemble in a day. Quality is likely the last thing on the assembler's mind, and it's probably not on yours either if you're thinking about buying a Walmart bicycle. Let alone putting a motor on it. Expect to rebuild all the bearings and upgrade parts immediately.

According to the manual for the Honda GXH50 that the Huasheng is largely based on, the motor can be at up to a 20 degree angle. I don't think you'll have a problem there. I worried about the same thing when I built my bike, because in order for my engine to fit in my frame with the shift kit mount (it sits higher), I had to mount it at an angle. It levels out when I'm on the bike, but I was worried at first. For nothing, I found out!

Yes, the shift kit does work with the 4G. I have one, ocscully has one, and MotoMagz has one. However, we're all using the narrower 4G, the Honda-style version. You can also use the standard 4G, but you might have pedal clearance problems on the left side. The regular 4G is 1.5" wider. You can get around that with shorter crank arms or ones with more offset to them.

If you want to see how a shift-kitted 4G looks, I have a photo album on my profile page. Any more questions, we're all here to answer them!

 

[thedude]

Well I feel slightly insulted, Walmart is such a reputable company...haha =p
It wasnt really that I am looking at getting a walmart bike, I was looking at getting a schwinn and the cheapest price just happened to be at walmart. I am looking for a decent enough bike, but I am limited on money and having trouble finding a used bike that isnt rusted out or in a trash pile. That particular walmart bike would come unassembled. The rockhopper I am planning on buying, might end up costing to much as there are multiple people trying to buy it. A new quality bike seems to start at 400$+, I am trying to spend half that or less. Do you have any recomendations on where to purchase a used bike besides craigslist or ebay?
Thanks for the additional specs for the motor. Size was a concern when choosing my setup, but I need to be as quiet and legal as possible, can't afford a ticket. So I need to be as quiet and legal as possible. The ability to switch gears on a motorized bicycle is illegal in my city, so I plan on waiting a few months to make that upgrade.

 

[RandyWhite]

Personally I recommend a cruiser for around town riding. My first was a mountain bike and it got sold quick. I just bought the motor for the fourth bike I am about to build.

At the $200 range, I like some of the multispeed Schwinns available from walmart. Specifically the Clairmont and the Landmark. There are others in that range, depends on what color you like and if you want a rack. Shpould be a topic here not too long ago marking the differences. Mostly color schemes and if it comes with a rack or not.

I just ordered a Marina Fito from bikebuyers, with a $20 light for $234 shipped. Looks like a really decent bike with nice parts. Funny enough, doesn't seem anyone has ever put a motor on one of these. Couldn't find any mention of them on the site.

There are 2 schools of thought when regarding a coaster brake on cruiser, Those that like them and those that don't. You may not use the multispeed on a beach cruiser. But every one I have seen comes with front and rear brakes and no coaster to modify. Saves hassle and buying a front brake which most people will recommend.

As far as the engine fitting, I have never used anything but a 2 stoke. You'll have to check elsewhere if it will fit or not.

Good luck, and welcome to the obsession.

 

[thedude]

Thanks for the opinions about which bikes are better. After being priced out on the rockhopper, I decided to go with a cruiser bike. I think it will work out well, I kinda wanna go with alluminum even with the many warnings against it(alotta people think its fine also). Might go a lil old school with it, was thinkin about buying or even building my own custom springer forks next time I got some money.Should have everything here somewhere around this weekend...cant wait to get started.

 

[Saddletramp1200]

Welcome to THE Forum! My Point Beach has about 28,000 miles on it. Same motor, some upgrades. Bike & Motor were brand new. I love MTN bikes. Got a build going on now. Your choice, have both! I have 11 now

 

[thedude]

Hey thanks Saddletramp, last night I ordered the point beach cruiser in red and tan, gonna repaint it maroon and black after a while though. Already got 3 people very interested in them, cant wait to start showin it off. Still wanna find a mountain bike I can toss around and break without caring...so I probly will end up with at least 2...lol

 

[bluerhino13]

Brother it is honestly your choice. The only way to learn about this is to get 90% of the way through it (or have it fully assembled) and realize that particular issues about "that" bike. Always check your bearing tightness on your back wheel. I am running a 48cc Grubee Skyhawk and it is chain driven. I constantly have to check the chain tightness, or I will lose a chain. All nuts and bolts have to be checked for loosening: aka motor mounts, carburetor..ALL! I ran a Mongoose mountain bike frame and thought I was going to have to go to the doc for....well let's say it was a "pain in the butt". On that note a spring seat is optimal. I didn't like having to fight with all the cables, shifters and levers that were on the mountain bike. With the mountain bike I was hitting 30mph. I changed to a beach cruiser (old school...with a spring seat) and now am going 40 mph and the rear bearing case is larger to handle the torque of the motor. I am pleased with the cruiser...but, to each their own. My thought is: Mountain bike...too much stuff going on...it's already complex just trying to get the motor like you want it. Cruiser...Simple start, wish I had started with it a long time ago!

 

[RandyWhite]

The best part is if you decide to sell it, you can usually sell it for the cost of parts. My first bike cost me around the $400 range, and sold it for $375. Turned around and used the money to buy a different style.

Hopefully you can get as lucky.

 

[biknut]

Thanks for the opinions about which bikes are better. After being priced out on the rockhopper, I decided to go with a cruiser bike. I think it will work out well, I kinda wanna go with alluminum even with the many warnings against it(alotta people think its fine also). Might go a lil old school with it, was thinkin about buying or even building my own custom springer forks next time I got some money.Should have everything here somewhere around this weekend...cant wait to get started.

Cruisers make better looking MBs anyway. I have one of each.

 

[Saddletramp1200]

Dude and everyone else, Aircraft nuts they have a plastic ring in them will greatly reduce backing off due to vibration. Allen Head bolts are great also. Your going to need to grind the rear motor mount out to fit snug in the frame. A barrel cutter in a drill will do this. Home Depot has them. I use a steel plate against the motor on the back mount for a spacer drilled to fit over the studs up against the motor. 1/4 inch is fine. Remove the stock studs and replace them with all thread. Make a steel plate that bolts to the front on the motor mount. Replace the studs with allen bolts also. I use 2 1.5 inch U bolts to hold the front mount. Vacume hose slid over them to avoid chaffing the frame.