To those who said don't convert a vintage to electric....
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
To those who said don't convert a vintage to electric....
So I posted my intend build a while back, and a few said don't do it. You will die, the bike will break etc. Well after doing about 4000km on it, I'm not dead, it's not broken and it's been a ton of fun.
Initially it was 300w. That's been well and truly smashed.
Here is where It's at now.....
Initially it was 300w. That's been well and truly smashed.
Here is where It's at now.....
Last edited by spinnanz; 01-31-22 at 06:01 PM.
Likes For spinnanz:
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Berkeley CA
Posts: 2,374
Bikes: 1981 Ron Cooper, 1974 Cinelli Speciale Corsa, 2000 Gary Fisher Sugar 1, 1986 Miyata 710, 1982 Raleigh "International"
Mentioned: 87 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 841 Post(s)
Liked 911 Times
in
384 Posts
Yer gonna die!!!
Likes For davester:
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Maryland, USA
Posts: 2,009
Bikes: Drysdale/Gitane/Zeus/Masi/Falcon/Palo Alto/Raleigh
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 763 Post(s)
Liked 386 Times
in
269 Posts
Sent a link to my old-bikes-suck and e-bikes-rule friends. 
OK, now for someone to make an e-Penny Farthing.

OK, now for someone to make an e-Penny Farthing.

__________________
Larry:1958 Drysdale, 1961 Gitane Gran Sport, 1974 Zeus track, 1988 Masi Gran Corsa, 1974 Falcon, 1980 Palo Alto, 197x Raleigh Gran Sport. Susan: 1976 Windsor Profesional.
Larry:1958 Drysdale, 1961 Gitane Gran Sport, 1974 Zeus track, 1988 Masi Gran Corsa, 1974 Falcon, 1980 Palo Alto, 197x Raleigh Gran Sport. Susan: 1976 Windsor Profesional.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 3,286
Bikes: '82 Univega Competizione, '72 Motobecane Grand Record, '83 Mercian KOM Touring, '85 Univega Alpina Uno, '76 Eisentraut Limited
Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1085 Post(s)
Liked 1,191 Times
in
693 Posts
Looks like a fun conversion. Sorry to be a wet blanket, but 61kph (38mph) in the bike lane? The big dog + jogger moment seemed right out of a driver's ed video. Maybe a little less leadfooting in the future?
Likes For noobinsf:
#6
Happy With My Bike
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 1,448
Bikes: Hi-Ten bike boomers, a Trek Domane and some projects
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 546 Post(s)
Liked 1,383 Times
in
676 Posts
It's hard for me to tell... Did you save that jogger from being attacked by the woman's dog?
__________________
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Generally when passing from behind I do about 15kph past and give the bell a ring prior. Kids and dogs I take an extra wide path away from, which was pretty well shown why in the video. Generally I'm doing 45-50, depending on the particular path and number of people.
Likes For spinnanz:
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: San Jose (Willow Glen) Ca
Posts: 9,048
Bikes: 85 team Miyata (modern 5800 105) , '84 Team Miyata,(dura ace old school) 80?? SR Semi-Pro 600 Arabesque
Mentioned: 94 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1940 Post(s)
Liked 1,857 Times
in
1,092 Posts
No offence taken but I was off the throttle a full 10 seconds before being "behind" the runner and walker, at the time of passing I was doing 12kph so I don't really see an issue.
Generally when passing from behind I do about 15kph past and give the bell a ring prior. Kids and dogs I take an extra wide path away from, which was pretty well shown why in the video. Generally I'm doing 45-50, depending on the particular path and number of people.
Generally when passing from behind I do about 15kph past and give the bell a ring prior. Kids and dogs I take an extra wide path away from, which was pretty well shown why in the video. Generally I'm doing 45-50, depending on the particular path and number of people.
what are you doing for brakes to handle that speed?
This may be a fine line but I draw a big difference between pedal assist bicycles, where you have to pedal to start and keep moving, but get electric help with no throttle and hopefully a assisted top speed of 20mph or so and electric motorcycles, which pedals or not, don't need to be pedaling to start and keep going and have a throttle. the former are a great help to people who may not otherwise bike and the later should be treated like motorcycles and should not be on trails and mups at all, especially the idiot with that fat tire bike who does not slow for anyone...or the pack of one wheel riders.
__________________
Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or whole biked 57,58)
Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or whole biked 57,58)
Likes For squirtdad:
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
if this is any thing like like the mups i uses, 50 kph or 30 mph would be way too fast for safety. yours may be different, with lower traffic or less clueless people
what are you doing for brakes to handle that speed?
This may be a fine line but I draw a big difference between pedal assist bicycles, where you have to pedal to start and keep moving, but get electric help with no throttle and hopefully a assisted top speed of 20mph or so and electric motorcycles, which pedals or not, don't need to be pedaling to start and keep going and have a throttle. the former are a great help to people who may not otherwise bike and the later should be treated like motorcycles and should not be on trails and mups at all, especially the idiot with that fat tire bike who does not slow for anyone...or the pack of one wheel riders.
what are you doing for brakes to handle that speed?
This may be a fine line but I draw a big difference between pedal assist bicycles, where you have to pedal to start and keep moving, but get electric help with no throttle and hopefully a assisted top speed of 20mph or so and electric motorcycles, which pedals or not, don't need to be pedaling to start and keep going and have a throttle. the former are a great help to people who may not otherwise bike and the later should be treated like motorcycles and should not be on trails and mups at all, especially the idiot with that fat tire bike who does not slow for anyone...or the pack of one wheel riders.
As per my speed, 60kph is my maximum speed, in optimum conditions, ie smooth road, no other people, no pedestrian side roads etc.
#12
Bike Butcher of Portland
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 11,050
Bikes: It's complicated.
Mentioned: 1226 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4329 Post(s)
Liked 4,417 Times
in
1,876 Posts
60 kph (37mph) on a MUP? Too damn fast regardless if you're pedalling or pushing a throttle. It's the reason motorcycles are outlawed on MUPs (and if you can hit 60kph, it's a motorized vehicle).
Sorry man, wrong forum to be bragging about this.
Sorry man, wrong forum to be bragging about this.
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
Likes For gugie:
#13
Senior Member
Thread Starter
If you can show me passing anyone at more than 20kph, I'd accept that, but I don't.
Me passing at 12kph is far less dangerous than the dog trying to bite the runner.

#14
www.theheadbadge.com
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Southern Florida
Posts: 27,888
Bikes: https://www.theheadbadge.com
Mentioned: 102 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2085 Post(s)
Liked 3,258 Times
in
1,654 Posts
Generally agree about those speeds on an MUP in general - but every location is different, and this path, in this specific instance, was the very exception necessary to make this test safe.
In this case, the MUP had only one crossing throughout the entire speed run, and has a perfect clear sight to anything up ahead with ample opportunities to scrub speed well in advance of any problem. As we see in the video, traffic was 100% clear during the run, and he quickly cut speed during his only interaction with pedestrian traffic. Granted, 12mph might have been a bit hot to ensure the pedestrians were ready for his approach, but knowing the runner was his neighbor may have influenced it too - and, of course, his actual passing speed, as mentioned above, was 7.45mph.
It doesn't take an electric motor to ride 12 or 7.45mph on a bicycle, so if any of you curmudgeons want to blame the approach on the motor in your frenzy to pin the problem on e-bikes, I'll gladly point out the bias in your logic.
Provided any further runs are done within these boundaries, I can't particularly fault it. That looked like a good half mile of MUP with the best sightlines one can ask for short of being dead straight - pretty much impossible to accidentally buzz someone here unless you're actively trying to be a jerk. Speaking of jerks, that dog owner hasn't either trained their animal to behave around others on an MUP - or simply avoided the MUP in accordance with their dog's nature. If your pet can't behave, don't take them on the MUP.
As for fun with overvolting: Nice work, and glad to see the sturdiness of a Raleigh Sports proven yet again. The forks may be a bit weak, but that rear triangle - especially on a pre-TI model with those beefy seatstays - can take some significant torque.
I tried 36V on a 24V 8Fun (Bafang) hub drive motor once. The max speed of 18mph lept up to 29; 31mph if one pushed it. Too fast for a whippy, mono-tubed aluminum frame, but a fun experiment to try once. We don't have enough uninhabited straightaways to warrant such a machine though. That goes for cars too.
-Kurt
P.S.: If anything, someone should be talking about that good - but probably not good enough - cable barrier separating that highway from the MUP.
In this case, the MUP had only one crossing throughout the entire speed run, and has a perfect clear sight to anything up ahead with ample opportunities to scrub speed well in advance of any problem. As we see in the video, traffic was 100% clear during the run, and he quickly cut speed during his only interaction with pedestrian traffic. Granted, 12mph might have been a bit hot to ensure the pedestrians were ready for his approach, but knowing the runner was his neighbor may have influenced it too - and, of course, his actual passing speed, as mentioned above, was 7.45mph.
It doesn't take an electric motor to ride 12 or 7.45mph on a bicycle, so if any of you curmudgeons want to blame the approach on the motor in your frenzy to pin the problem on e-bikes, I'll gladly point out the bias in your logic.
Provided any further runs are done within these boundaries, I can't particularly fault it. That looked like a good half mile of MUP with the best sightlines one can ask for short of being dead straight - pretty much impossible to accidentally buzz someone here unless you're actively trying to be a jerk. Speaking of jerks, that dog owner hasn't either trained their animal to behave around others on an MUP - or simply avoided the MUP in accordance with their dog's nature. If your pet can't behave, don't take them on the MUP.
As for fun with overvolting: Nice work, and glad to see the sturdiness of a Raleigh Sports proven yet again. The forks may be a bit weak, but that rear triangle - especially on a pre-TI model with those beefy seatstays - can take some significant torque.
I tried 36V on a 24V 8Fun (Bafang) hub drive motor once. The max speed of 18mph lept up to 29; 31mph if one pushed it. Too fast for a whippy, mono-tubed aluminum frame, but a fun experiment to try once. We don't have enough uninhabited straightaways to warrant such a machine though. That goes for cars too.
-Kurt
P.S.: If anything, someone should be talking about that good - but probably not good enough - cable barrier separating that highway from the MUP.
Last edited by cudak888; 01-31-22 at 10:17 PM.
#15
Banned.
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Vegemite Island
Posts: 4,130
Bikes: 2017 Surly Troll with XT Drive Train, 2017 Merida Big Nine XT Edition, 2016 Giant Toughroad SLR 2, 1995 Trek 830
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1916 Post(s)
Liked 307 Times
in
216 Posts
So I posted my intend build a while back, and a few said don't do it. You will die, the bike will break etc. Well after doing about 4000km on it, I'm not dead, it's not broken and it's been a ton of fun.
Initially it was 300w. That's been well and truly smashed.
Here is where It's at now.....
https://youtu.be/MHPz1ovZ4Ic
Initially it was 300w. That's been well and truly smashed.
Here is where It's at now.....
https://youtu.be/MHPz1ovZ4Ic
#16
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Likes For spinnanz:
#18
Senior Member
Thread Starter
The pads last 3-6 months or so, depending on where I ride. The brakes are now modern dual pivots.
Likes For spinnanz:
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 18,188
Mentioned: 121 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2685 Post(s)
Liked 1,729 Times
in
1,270 Posts
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 18,188
Mentioned: 121 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2685 Post(s)
Liked 1,729 Times
in
1,270 Posts
Hills I've found just "OK" as it's only a single gear, which is geared quite highly. On the odd occasion I do a hill ride, I back the amps off, to around 15a. My controller isn't programable so I do this by swapping shunt resistors.
The pads last 3-6 months or so, depending on where I ride. The brakes are now modern dual pivots.
The pads last 3-6 months or so, depending on where I ride. The brakes are now modern dual pivots.
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Posts: 3,679
Bikes: 1966 Dawes Double Blue, 1976 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1975 Raleigh Sprite 27, 1980 Univega Viva Sport, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1984 Lotus Classique, 1976 Motobecane Grand Record
Mentioned: 74 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 699 Post(s)
Liked 525 Times
in
283 Posts
Interesting, if a little scary.
__________________
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
www.redclovercomponents.com
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 3,949
Bikes: 82 Medici, 2011 Richard Sachs, 2011 Milwaukee Road
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,260 Times
in
752 Posts
Wrong Forum
There must be more appropriate places to post the promotion of this idea.
MODS? Please
move this thread to the motorbike forum.
MODS? Please
move this thread to the motorbike forum.
__________________
I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.
I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.
Likes For Classtime:
#23
Full Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Upper third of the central USA
Posts: 468
Bikes: N+1
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 161 Post(s)
Liked 415 Times
in
211 Posts
It appears that you only pedal at lower speeds -- that most of your top speed run is fully motor-driven. This is not what I'd call an e-bicycle -- at best it is an e-moped.
Overclocked e-mopeds might be fun, but they're not, IMHO, e-bicycles and do not belong on MUPs -- I commute every day on a MUP, and there are a couple of commercial e-bikes that the riders have modified into high-speed e-mopeds that frequent that trail -- they are a serious menace, and are, unfortunately, creating a backlash against both bicyclists and sane, responsible people on actual e-bikes.
E-mopeds going 37 mph should be on the street, not on MUPs -- FWIW, I feel the same way about groups of young racers and wanna-be racers who ride at 20+ mph in packs on MUPs. Go find a road -- the MUP is not the place for that. Bah humbug!
The technical achievement shown here is pretty impressive, however.
As far as the C&V goes, I'm ok with that -- if you'd done this to a Confente or a 1950s Herse, on the other hand...
Overclocked e-mopeds might be fun, but they're not, IMHO, e-bicycles and do not belong on MUPs -- I commute every day on a MUP, and there are a couple of commercial e-bikes that the riders have modified into high-speed e-mopeds that frequent that trail -- they are a serious menace, and are, unfortunately, creating a backlash against both bicyclists and sane, responsible people on actual e-bikes.
E-mopeds going 37 mph should be on the street, not on MUPs -- FWIW, I feel the same way about groups of young racers and wanna-be racers who ride at 20+ mph in packs on MUPs. Go find a road -- the MUP is not the place for that. Bah humbug!

The technical achievement shown here is pretty impressive, however.

