Noob From West TN

[crazymike]

Hi guys, been absorbing the forum for a couple days now and can't believe some of the bikes you put together!

I started out with all this a few days ago looking at electric bike motors (on a whim on ebay) and ran across a gas bike motor. After one or two general searches ended up here I am definitely already hooked into doing this but have finally hit a point where I think I need some advice.

As of early yesterday I had settled on using this bike for my first build because it is one of the few cruisers I have seen that has caliper brakes instead of a coaster brake.

Schwinn Clairmont

I may be incorrectly thinking that a coaster brake is the cause of most rear hub failures, is this so?

Would I be better off using a bike like the del mar that has a coaster brake so I can use the billet sprocket attachment instead of the one that squeezes the spokes? My understanding is that the bike I have chosen will not be able to use the billet sprocket adapter because It is a geared bike, I could be wrong.

I have also met some confusion on the engines. I am down to this one I think (I am aware of the 49cc law):

Jet 66cc

From what I have read on the forum here it seems that the NT carb is the one to go with for simplicity instead of the newer carb. Is that a mistake? The Jet engine has received some big thumbs up from a few on here but others say they prefer the Grubee engines. Any advice on the best engine to pick will be greatly appreciated!

Another concern that I have is about using the stock rims on the bike I am looking at. I primarily want to use the bike to cruise along in the 20 something MPH range and don't have much interest in making my bike break the sound barrier. I do not want to set myself up to get injured (now that I have read on the forum about the fenders, I fear for the kids putting videos on youtube and have even warned a couple) will it be a big mistake to run the stock rims for a while?

Where I live it is not very hilly at all but do not want any trouble taking a small hill here and there, what sprocket should I be looking at to pair with the engine?

Thanks for any advice and help given, after reading the forum for 2 days I feel like I know some of you already and have already helped me so much!

 

[Dave31]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined us.

I never had a problem with coaster brakes used them for years. I think if you do the proper maintenance you should have no problem. But I would recommend having a front brake as well with a coaster brake.

Wheels? Thats one thing I go thru faster then anything else. Its actually haunts me on some of my bikes; others not so much.

Most kits come with a 44t sprocket, moderate top speed and plenty of low end. If you really want to keep the speeds down and have some step hills a 50t will work just fine as well. 40-41t seemed to be the perfect all around gearing for some. Right now I am running a 36t on my Mt Bike. I like it, gives me plenty of top speed and if I need a little lower end I can always pedal.

 

[moonshiner]

Howdy neighbor ....

 

[crazymike]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined us.

I never had a problem with coaster brakes used them for years. I think if you do the proper maintenance you should have no problem. But I would recommend having a front brake as well with a coaster brake.

Wheels? Thats one thing I go thru faster then anything else. Its actually haunts me on some of my bikes; others not so much.

Most kits come with a 44t sprocket, moderate top speed and plenty of low end. If you really want to keep the speeds down and have some step hills a 50t will work just fine as well. 40-41t seemed to be the perfect all around gearing for some. Right now I am running a 36t on my Mt Bike. I like it, gives me plenty of top speed and if I need a little lower end I can always pedal.

I may go for a model with coaster brakes then so I can use the billet sprocket adapter and not mount to the spokes then. Was I right about not being able to use that type of adapter on a bike with gears?

Thanks for replying!

Mike

 

[biknut]

I may go for a model with coaster brakes then so I can use the billet sprocket adapter and not mount to the spokes then. Was I right about not being able to use that type of adapter on a bike with gears?

Thanks for replying!

Mike

Welcome to the forum from Dallas.

The MM hub adapter comes in a couple of sizes. One for coaster brakes, and there's another one for 3 speed hubs.

If you're not going racing the stock wheels will be alright. One way to improve them a little without much cost is to have the stock wheel trued and all the spokes tightened. If you take it to a bike shop expect to pay about $18-25 a wheel. The rear wheel benefits the most.

It's a good idea to take the hub apart and grease it with synthetic grease. For the first few hundred miles keep a close eye on the bearing end play. The bearings will losen up a lot at first.

My bike only has a coaster brake, and I'm not having any problems, but I'm a very experienced rider.

 

[crazymike]

Welcome to the forum from Dallas.

The MM hub adapter comes in a couple of sizes. One for coaster brakes, and there's another one for 3 speed hubs.

If you're not going racing the stock wheels will be alright. One way to improve them a little without much cost is to have the stock wheel trued and all the spokes tightened. If you take it to a bike shop expect to pay about $18-25 a wheel. The rear wheel benefits the most.

It's a good idea to take the hub apart and grease it with synthetic grease. For the first few hundred miles keep a close eye on the bearing end play. The bearings will losen up a lot at first.

My bike only has a coaster brake, and I'm not having any problems, but I'm a very experienced rider.

Thank you for the feedback! I actually went with a coaster brake bike (cranbrook), picked it up a couple hours ago. I went to piratecycles to buy the hub adapter but unfortunately they are showing out of stock right now so I emailed them as I really don't want to use the rag adapter that comes with the kit. Any chance that anyone on the forum has a used one to offload?

 

[biknut]

Thank you for the feedback! I actually went with a coaster brake bike (cranbrook), picked it up a couple hours ago. I went to piratecycles to buy the hub adapter but unfortunately they are showing out of stock right now so I emailed them as I really don't want to use the rag adapter that comes with the kit. Any chance that anyone on the forum has a used one to offload?

Look around, there's a few other places that sell the MM hubs besides Pirate. Pirate is great though.

 

[crazymike]

Look around, there's a few other places that sell the MM hubs besides Pirate. Pirate is great though.

I tried every dealer linked from here:

SPROCKET ADAPTER

But came up zero :/

 

[2door]

A 41 or 44T sprocket is a good choice for most applications. Either will give you good hill climbing abilities and a reasonable top speed. Rule of thumb: The smaller the sprocket the higher the top speed. The larger the sprocket the better you'll climb hills but sacrifice some speed. Think of a car with a manual transmission. The lower the gear the better it will accelerate and climb, the higher the gear the faster you can go but loose some low speed torque.
Good luck, ride safe.
Tom

 

[stinky]

Hello nice post! I'm gonna get a Clairmont too! I was wondering about a few things:

1. Does the chain clear the rear fender on the Engine side? I looked and it seemed to cover the area where
the chain would run. If you have to cut it, what do you use? Hacksaw and steady nerves?

2. To reinforce the front fender I would tack weld a steel rod inside the v, and make a bent washer to reinforce the mount.
I also wonder if you just grab the supports and gently bend them in and out if you could harden them up like that. Like bending a
paperclip till it hardens up. How do you reinforce them??

3. I read in a post that you can wrap a old innertube around the motor mounts to reduce vibration. I wonder if using
a garden hose would be better? Anyone who built one think a garden hose would fit inside the motor clamp?
Clear pvc Tubing??.

I also saw some cool posts for bikes. Here is one with a custom gas tank that looks easy to build!!!

MotoredBikes.com: Motorized Bicycle Forum - tatebikes's Album: Boardtrack inspired

Here is one that will make you drool!!!
MotoredBikes.com: Motorized Bicycle Forum - Brent Merkley's Album: Not Just Another Whizzer
Looks like a Clairmont frame.

Anyone have a link to the Springer Forks for this bike??

Oh yeah and I saw this:
Sick Bike Parts LLC - Performance parts for your motorized bicycle Kit that makes it so you can use your stock shifter!!!! COOL!!!
Check out second video of him buzzing around in traffic!!!

Cool Bikes!!! Clairmonts look the best!!