Safe, Easy, Practical, Friction Budget Bike Advice for N00bs...

Elmo, I noticed you specified "steel" wheels and rim brakes don't work to well when wet. Is there a difference between steel and alloy wheels and rim brakes when wet. My bike has alloys and it'll stop on a dime even when wet. It's been a long time since I've ridden with wet steel. But I do remember my 1981 Schwinn with steel wheels seemed like it was never going to stop when they got wet. Is it the difference between wheel material or newer brake pad compound ? Thanks !
 
The pads are better now but the real difference is between the steel and aluminum. I am not a sientist or a metalurgical expert but it seems to me that the aluminum rims have more friction. Most steel wheels have some kind of shiny (slick) coating on them to prevent rust.
Elmo
 
Awesome guys, thanks a lot! This is some good info. Much appreciated.

Alrighty... here's where I'm at so far:
Front and rear brakes w/ "Not-so-steel" rims so I can stop. ;)
14g SS spokes for some dragon-like reliability.
Suspension so I don't vibrate to death.
Friction drive from BMP.. or Staton. Haven't decided yet.


Before I buy that... THING(tm), I have some new curiosities that just popped up:


Lifespan of the bike, kit, and motor:

1. What would be the mileage expectancy of some of these 30cc and 50cc motors?

2. How expensive does it get to replace back tires and tubes? What kind of slicks do you guys like to use for your friction drives? And... do you get them cheap from any place special?

I guess what I'm getting at in a round about way is the total cost of ownership of this MB..... THING(tm). I'm trying to figure out all the little expenses here and there.. being frugal and sech.


P.S. 5-7, I think it would be pretty cool to have a bike that could top out at 40 miles per hour. (If I wanted to. tee hee) :whistle:

Not all the time of course. ;)
 
I am running a monster scooter 50cc 2-stroke on a BMP drive system mounted on a Cranbrook Cruiser steel framed bike. I added a front brake and that is about it. The whole deal was under $400.00 including the new bike. With the 1.25" one-way BMP drive roller it will go 33 mph and I have about 200 miles on it and no problems at all. Drive system installed in about 30 minutes and I have no evidence of any rear tire wear so far.

I looked around a while before building and read a lot and had some good advice from members here on this forum as well and I think this is about as cheap as one could build a very dependable MB, which is what I wanted to do.

My photo album is linked on my signature line and I have a video up on it running on Youtube if you check my channel. (Same name as I use here)

As many others have said on this forum long before me, it all depends on what you want/have to spend, what you want to do with it, and your riding conditions. There are compromises with every system out there that I am aware of. This is no different than many other mechanical systems and products.

Above all, be safe. 40 mph on a bike is very fast and it will take very good equipment to do that safely on a regular basis.
I realize my bike is a cheap bike and, when I am topping out at 33 I think about those cheaper components on the bicycle itself.


Bill
 
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Awesome guys, thanks a lot! This is some good info. Much appreciated.

Alrighty... here's where I'm at so far:
Front and rear brakes w/ "Not-so-steel" rims so I can stop. ;)
14g SS spokes for some dragon-like reliability.
Suspension so I don't vibrate to death.
Friction drive from BMP.. or Staton. Haven't decided yet.


Before I buy that... THING(tm), I have some new curiosities that just popped up:


Lifespan of the bike, kit, and motor:

1. What would be the mileage expectancy of some of these 30cc and 50cc motors?

2. How expensive does it get to replace back tires and tubes? What kind of slicks do you guys like to use for your friction drives? And... do you get them cheap from any place special?

I guess what I'm getting at in a round about way is the total cost of ownership of this MB..... THING(tm). I'm trying to figure out all the little expenses here and there.. being frugal and sech.


P.S. 5-7, I think it would be pretty cool to have a bike that could top out at 40 miles per hour. (If I wanted to. tee hee) :whistle:

Not all the time of course. ;)

Who said anything about topping off at 40mph? That's low.:whistle:

On our 100-mile ride around the island, Hawaii Ed and I will probably be cruising at 40mph.:giggle:
 
My opinions,
Once you get used to the friction drive & operate it properly, tire wear is not a problem. Wipe the sides of the rims down often, with alcohol, etc. to clean them & make the brakes work better. Better pads are " KOOL Salmon pads." Front brakes are a must. A better quality bike rather than a cheap WallyWorld mountain bike is better. A good used older steel frame American made bike works good. NO mountain bike tires. NO skinny tired 10 speed types. Buy one with a Japanese engine.
A good video to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRjWAi3-XEA
 
If I were trying to set up a cheap but reliable commuter, this is what I would do:

Bike: a mountain bike type which fits you well and which pedals and rides well, with a good gearing system. It can be an older steel frame. It should have a front suspension. A rear suspension would also be desirable but then the cost goes up and you have to look at it very closely to make sure you engine kit will work.

Brakes: caliper brakes will work, disk brakes preferred.

Motor kit: either Titan, GEBE or Staton 4 stroke. Based on price, the Titan would be my choice.

Fenders: must have, add them if it doesn't.

Lights: must have.

So in conclusion, to go the cheap way, find a garage sale mountain bike that rides good, with a front suspension and brakes that work well. Add a Titan kit, fenders and lights. This will be a cheap commuter that will move you at 30mph for as long as you can sit in the saddle.
 
Right On

If I were trying to set up a cheap but reliable commuter, this is what I would do:

Bike: a mountain bike type which fits you well and which pedals and rides well, with a good gearing system. It can be an older steel frame. It should have a front suspension. A rear suspension would also be desirable but then the cost goes up and you have to look at it very closely to make sure you engine kit will work.

Brakes: caliper brakes will work, disk brakes preferred.

Motor kit: either Titan, GEBE or Staton 4 stroke. Based on price, the Titan would be my choice.

Fenders: must have, add them if it doesn't.Lights: must have.

So in conclusion, to go the cheap way, find a garage sale mountain bike that rides good, with a front suspension and brakes that work well. Add a Titan kit, fenders and lights. This will be a cheap commuter that will move you at 30mph for as long as you can sit in the saddle.


This sounds like real good advice. Be careful with the fenders I have read posts on this site where crashes have happened when fenders have broken or come loose and tied the wheel up. I dont know how well they would work but I saw some for a suspension bike in a bike shop yesterday made of some kind of polymer.


Elmo
 
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Thanks everybody again! Great answers... I feel like I'm gonna drive you guys crazy with questions... but then again, if somebody else finds this thread, it may answer a lot of questions for them, so I think that's good. :) So my quest continues.. 40mph cruising... 5-7 that's hilarious! lol nice! I don't think I could do that on a bike. But then again.. who knows what one could accomplish as we ride these.... THINGS(tm).


I'm thinking of the BMP-Titan 50cc 4-stroke combo. Any thoughts, suggestions about this? Any problems with this combo?


And another question just made itself clear to me now, and that is this:

A Wally World bike. Assuming one buys a steel-framed cruiser with 12g spokes and adds a quality front brake and removes the fenders... what ELSE is there to worry about on a cheapo Wally World bike? See what I'm getting at?

I ask this because as I look at the bikes at Wally World, I sit on the cruisers and ask myself this very question. I KNOW intellectually that they are not high quality, but I wonder about what would happen if I used one (and met the above mentioned qualifications)?

I wouldn't be pedaling much, so I'm not REEEALLY worried about the pedals.
So... what's left in the long list of things that could go wrong? Could the fork break? Axel break? Something with the handlebars? Could they lock up?
See what I'm getting at?

Because I've read on numerous posts that you should buy a "good quality" bike instead of a Wally World bike.. but what exactly constitutes "good quality" from the standpoint of what we are trying to do here? If I meet the prerequisites of: steel frame, 12g spokes, good tires/tubes, good front brakes... what's left to worry about on a Wally World special? ;)

Now, ON that Wally World special, I am assuming a CRUISER bike and NOT a mountain bike. Which leads me to my next question:

I've noticed a lot of gents on this forum leaning towards mountain bikes, either in their suggestions or it's simply what they ride. So my question is:
Why suggest a mountain bike?

Is there some performance issue with the mountain bike vs a cruiser?
Is there some SAFETY issue with a mountain bike vs a cruiser?
Or... do you simply find the more comfortable than a cruiser?

The reason I'm leaning towards cruiser is because I already own a good quality mountain bike, however I find the riding position uncomfortable. My neck and wrists get tired from leaning forward, and I would like a more upright riding position. However, if there is something about this issue that I'm missing, I'm all ears... er... eyes. ;)

So.. again, is it the suspension that leads me towards mountain bikes? Are they safer to handle with an engine on them? etc. etc.

Again, thanks again to all on here who are being patient with my OCD question! lol

May we all be careful as we..... "RIDE THESE THINGS(tm)" (This means you 5-7... lol)
 
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