2old

Read Sheldon Brown, but pretty sure the "middle" gear of an IGH three-speed is direct drive, so should be strong enough for the power you'll be able to generate but looks like a dynamite conversion. If you want to ride off road, some cyclocross tires will turn the bike into a competent sled.

kracksmith

Super thanks for the Sheldon Brown IGH and you're right, 2nd gear is direct drive.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/interna...html#sprockets

kracksmith

ok guys i finally got it together and so far with my 3spd gearing i can get top speed of 37mph. it could go faster if i had more gearing such as a 8spd
there are somethings i still need t tweak and clean up a bit though.

2old

Excellent for a first (or any) conversion.

cat0020

Stay on top of your spoke tension, rigid frame with 37 mph operation sometimes need stout wheels/tires.

kracksmith

the vdo is 37mph

today hit 41mph but no video

kracksmith

Went riding around more today, I need hydraulic braking. The mechanical ones isn't cutting it. What do you guys recommend?

2old

Shimano hydraulics have been by far the best brakes I've used with Magura second.

cat0020

Brakes, who needs them, they only slow you down.
Personally, I try to use the brakes as little as possible.
For hydraulic brakes, the type of brake pads & rotors that you use can affect the performance significantly, according to your conditions.
One type of brake pads & rotor may work well for high speed or low speed, heavy braking or constant braking, wet or dry, etc...
It is difficult to suggest what to use without knowing your specific conditions.

When you combine high speed, hard braking.. you're bound to test the limits of your spokes.
As mentioned before, stay on top of your spoke tension.

2old

Equally important to the brand of brakes (you might go to endless sphere or MTBR for other opinions) is the size of the rotor since heat dissipation is a factor. I use 140 mm on my cross bike since it's light and even with my 175 pounds isn't difficult to stop. 180 mm are employed on my MTB since sometimes the terrain is steep and speeds much higher. Your bike is capable of much higher speeds in general so you might go to 203 mm rotors and downhill-type brakes (look st Shimano Saint or equivalent). I prefer Shimano since they've always worked well for me (even the lowest end MT200's) and use mineral oil instead of more caustic varieties of fluid.

kracksmith

Great suggestions about the type and size of the brakes and to keep up with the spoke tensions.

I do plan to get a 8spd to go faster therefore it's best I upgrade the rim/tire/spoke/brake as a package upgrade. Bigger rotor with hydraulic brakes and thicker/stronger spokes plus to get wider rim to have wider tires.

2old

Considering the speed your bike is capable of, you might consider moped wheels. That way you'll be able to mount tires that are more attuned to high speeds. Endless sphere has threads related to the use of moped (in some cases motorcycle) wheels for "e-bikes". One aspect if you investigate this is that bicycle wheel size is defined by the OD of the tire while motorcycle by the OD of the rim. Thus a 26" bicycle tire is the same size (I forget exactly) as a 17 or 19 motorcycle tire.

cat0020

I don't think his bike has enough clearance for moped wheels/tires combo.
It's not just the OD that matters when it comes to fitting wheels onto your bicycle frame.
More rugged wheels/tires combo will likely affect your motor's performance.
I would just replace the tires to wider profile when they wear out and stay on top of the spoke tension.
Speed is fun, but get old pretty quick, too; especially when you start to wear out wheels.
All of the sudden, cast wheels might not be such bad idea.

kracksmith

yea i don't think i want to get moped rims and tires size. I also don't want to get sur ron size tires too which is 2.75 - 3" wide. both of those probably won't fit anyways. I prefer it to look like a bicycle tire still, so I'm thinking 2 or 2.25 max.

I will just need to hunt a 26" rim and a heavier duty spoke for it. then maybe 180mm rotor. then i'll feel safe to get hydraulic braking

klevin

This project sounded insanely risky from the get go. Now I see a video of the guy going fast with no helmet. I realized he's not insane. He just wants to be an organ donor! He doesn't need to worry about better braking. That would be counter-productive.
Wonder how long it will be before the first catastrophic failure? We'll probably never know because he'll be in no position to give us an update. You need functioning grey matter in order to do that.

kracksmith

Thanks for your concerns, can you also post a recommendation to this guy riding with no helmet too?

klevin

Already did in post 40.
In my youth, I listened to the debates on motorcycle helmets and how folks should have the right to scramble their brains if they so chose, that it was none of the business of the rest of society. Fair enough. But the rest of society pays the bills for the lifelong care for these folks, so it seems fair to me that the rest of society should have a say so.
Same thing for these insane bike riders. There's a bit of a quid pro quo here, at least to me.

cat0020

After 20+ years of motorcycling and four decades of pedaling, I sometimes choose to ride without a helmet, too.
Luckily, my state doesn't have helmet law.
I feel people should be allow to choose how much risk they are willing to take while operating vehicles.
There will always be those who don't know better until they get hurt, whether "rest of society pay for the bills for lifelong care" is a bit of a stretch.

Personally, I feel eye protection should be prioritized before helmet, since the chance of catching something with your eyes and then losing the ability to control is likely worse outcome than just crashing with helmet on.

klevin

So you'd be willing to waive any right to medical care, disability income and such if you have a "stretch" head injury? Are you an organ donor?

cat0020

I pay into Medicare, Disability insurance and more for the last 30+ years; I am entitled to those coverages that I paid into.
By the time I get to qualify for Medicare likely they would run out of money already.

I've been an organ/blood donor for over 30 years, even through the pandemic; but that's not the topic of this thread.

kracksmith

Guys like Klevin seems so negative and sour from this thread. Give people more motivation for things and if they did something wrong, correct them but not in how you guys say things. Your wife probably can't stand you guys being so negative all the time and your types never will change. People will be people and they make mistakes, some learn over time, some fall to rock bottom to learn, and some learn proactively. Everybody has a different time line when it comes to learning. There are better words to use when it comes to structural criticism.

cat0020

Just as there will always be those who want to go faster, there will always be those who criticize, no matter what you are trying to do.
Know your risk and operate knowing what you're risking is all you can do.
Check those spokes regularly before you go on a "speed run".

I can't seem to find many pictures of Arnold riding his ebikes with helmet on.
Maybe he isn't going as fast.
https://electricbikereview.com/forum...rs-bike.35668/