Done lurking around these parts, time to finally say Hi!

[soursage]

I have done my fair share share of research at this point, and now i'm getting ready to finally start collecting parts and building!
I plan on making this an everyday commuter.
I chose the Schwinn Clairmont
Now here are the concrete plans for the build that I have so far:
*In-frame 4-stroke HS 49cc
*1/8" or thicker steel struts for fenders and rear rack
*SPORTSMAN heavy duty sprocket adapter - takes the stress off the spokes and puts it on the hub, - in theory preventing wheel warp, and allowing me to keep my sweet 7-speed and awesome red rims.
*Upgrading brakes to a standard brakes, my understanding the stock on my bike are a little wider with less stopping power
*Taking off red paint around rim to increase stopping power and increase longevity of the pads
*Installing double brake lever
*Taillight, headlight, and possibly blinkers?
... and of course a bunch of tire strength, I plan to put HD tires, in my HD tires, with some HD self sealing tubes, and slime if I have too! ( I hear this works out pretty well, and figure might as well just save myself the headache from the get go.)

Now the questions and question-ables:
-I understand most the 4g tranny's have a one way bearing issue, which most of you just weld the bearings in the case and call it good to go. I'm not a welder, so naturally when I heard JB weld can be used my ears perked up. Anyone know if there is any truth to this as a more than semi-permanent option?
-That being said, once you do weld it, how bad is the resistance in normal pedaling? I'd like to keep it relatively freewheel.
-I also hear it has come in a much more reliable 100/12T version, where I hear you don't have to do this, but to my understanding lacks some umph. Anyone think these are the best best, or better yet, know anywhere these are available?
-Q-matic, should I bite? $600 is quite steep, so I guess what im asking is it really worth the extra $200 to anyone else for one of these kits? The 4g, to my understanding is quite reliable once you mod it. The idea of a freewheel does give me peace of mind though.
-Skyhawk Stage III, worth it to track down? How noisey are these things really with the case sealed and lubed?
-Finally, the last tranny option, a CVT. Now I don't know much about these, but saw a build or two. Is it possible even to have an in-frame CVT build? I only ask because i've only seen rear rack mounted engine builds.
-Considering also a spring chain tension-er, to prevent chain slap, and hopefully prolong the life of the chain.
anyone think this is a stupid upgrade?
-And I think my last question: What is the best way to power up my lights?

The community here is awesome and I look forward to the input!

 

[The_Aleman]

Welcome to the forum! You have a lot in your first post, so I'll put my replies/comments in red. Hope ya don't mind.

I have done my fair share share of research at this point, and now i'm getting ready to finally start collecting parts and building!
I plan on making this an everyday commuter.
I chose the Schwinn Clairmont
Now here are the concrete plans for the build that I have so far:
*In-frame 4-stroke HS 49cc
*1/8" or thicker steel struts for fenders and rear rack - Not necessary, they just need to be mounted correctly.

*SPORTSMAN heavy duty sprocket adapter - takes the stress off the spokes and puts it on the hub, - in theory preventing wheel warp, and allowing me to keep my sweet 7-speed and awesome red rims. - Check the hub diameter. Most sprocket adapters are made for coaster brake hubs.

*Upgrading brakes to a standard brakes, my understanding the stock on my bike are a little wider with less stopping power - What do you mean "standard brakes"? Linear-pull aka V-brakes are the best non-disc brake there is, your bike comes with them.

*Taking off red paint around rim to increase stopping power and increase longevity of the pads - Probably a good idea, as V-brakes will turn your red wheels pink. You can also try using soft-compound pads, but I dunno how well they'll work with red _painted_ wheels.

*Installing double brake lever - What for? You're not gonna have a clutch lever.

*Taillight, headlight, and possibly blinkers? - Taillight and headlight definitely needed to be in compliance in Cali. Blinkers are an aesthetic thing on these bikes IMO, hand signals tend to be much more visible.

... and of course a bunch of tire strength, I plan to put HD tires, in my HD tires, with some HD self sealing tubes, and slime if I have too! ( I hear this works out pretty well, and figure might as well just save myself the headache from the get go.) - Easy to overdo it here. If you make your wheels too heavy, they will suffer in all-around performance. A quality tire, a tire liner, Michelin Protek Max tubes, Slime should cover your wheels fine. I've put thousands and thousands of miles on Slime'd tubes, and the new Protek Max are probably the best.

Now the questions and question-ables:
-I understand most the 4g tranny's have a one way bearing issue, which most of you just weld the bearings in the case and call it good to go. I'm not a welder, so naturally when I heard JB weld can be used my ears perked up. Anyone know if there is any truth to this as a more than semi-permanent option? - According to the tech at Bicycle-Engines, JB weld will work fine in the 1-way bearings. There's also a member ("moonerdizzle") who's been dabbling around with making a solid pulley mount conversion.

-That being said, once you do weld it, how bad is the resistance in normal pedaling? I'd like to keep it relatively freewheel. There will be extra resistance, but less than that of an HT 2-stroke with clutch locked out.

-I also hear it has come in a much more reliable 100/12T version, where I hear you don't have to do this, but to my understanding lacks some umph. Anyone think these are the best best, or better yet, know anywhere these are available? - I have a 100/11 4G without 1-way, it's got plenty of "umph". A 12T is only a slightly taller ratio. As to where to get one, you picked a bad time to look as most vendors are out of stock right now. Waiting on slowboats from China.

-Q-matic, should I bite? $600 is quite steep, so I guess what im asking is it really worth the extra $200 to anyone else for one of these kits? The 4g, to my understanding is quite reliable once you mod it. The idea of a freewheel does give me peace of mind though. - If you plan on commuting reliably and want the ability to fix your gearbox yourself should something go wrong, the Q-matic is your best bet. That $600 includes everything you need. And it's made in the US, you don't have to wait for Chinese slowboats and 3rd party shipping.

-Skyhawk Stage III, worth it to track down? How noisey are these things really with the case sealed and lubed? - Don't bother with that thing IMHO. Loud, improper gear ratio, may grenade itself randomly, leaving you pedaling and waiting for replacement parts. I have a grenaded one in my toolbox. A few have had success with it tho. A 4G is far superior.

-Finally, the last tranny option, a CVT. Now I don't know much about these, but saw a build or two. Is it possible even to have an in-frame CVT build? I only ask because i've only seen rear rack mounted engine builds. - Not many CVTs available that bolt up to these engines. That can translate to no parts available if it breaks. They suck up more power than other solutions and don't lend themselves to freewheeling easily, either. A freewheel on output shaft will make it's actuation clunky at best.

-Considering also a spring chain tension-er, to prevent chain slap, and hopefully prolong the life of the chain.
anyone think this is a stupid upgrade? - Not at all. A sprung tensioner is a true tensioner. It will outperform any rigid tensioner and make your drivetrain more reliable in all conditions.

-And I think my last question: What is the best way to power up my lights? - Battery or batteries, preferably rechargeable IMHO. Although, there's a member here, "abikerider", who's working on a 12v apparatus that can run lights. This unit will bolt onto a HS or GXH50. PM him for details.

The community here is awesome and I look forward to the input!

Hope this helps. You asked a lot of questions and also had some things that I felt needed commenting on!

 

[curtisfox]

WOW! A lot of good old commin sence here. Thanks Aleman no need for a lot of high tech stuff for the most part,unless you have a high porfamce bike. It seems that everyone wants what others are doing and not always nessery.........Curt