GEBE or Staton?

[Warner]

I've narrowed my kit choice down to two vendors. I'm currently leaning toward one over the other though. I would be going with a 2 stroke engine
(40cc Tanaka with the GEBE and 43cc Mitsubishi with the Staton). I would use the Chain drive kit from Staton, WITHOUT the expensive NuVinci deal. Does anyone have any opinions about or experience with either kit/vendor? GEBE was quick to get back to my first e-mail, but hasn't yet responded to my 2nd. Staton responded to my e-mail but was very brief, basically telling me to check their website or call them to discuss. So I called today and left a message with my phone number (talked to a person, not a machine) but never got a call back. So I suppose these companies are pretty busy. My first impressions of their products are as follows:

GEBE - Simple to install, probably less durable than the Staton kit

Staton - More difficult to install, but I REALLY like the idea of their gearbox and chain drive system - seems relatively bulletproof.


I have the bike I'm going to use for the conversion. It's been in my garage for years and I went out and put air in the tires tonight and rode it a bit...it's a pretty NICE bike actually! It's a Trek 920 Singletrack with the grip shifters. Not too heavy (32 pounds I think) and is much higher quality (made in USA) than the wal-mart stuff. Should make a good finished product! I'm going to put the narrow smoothies on it to make it really roll good. I bet it'll be fast with either kit that I go with!


Looking forward to all of your opinions!

Warner

 

[lennyharp]

Yeah , The grin factor is high on my commute. I have had my roadie bikes coming off mountains at close to 60mph and know these little machines will do amazing things. The race geometry is critical to be stable at high speeds. I really think you need a 72 degree head tube or steeper to be stable at speed. With the right angles and weight distribution you will have a very stable bike. Also quality is critical to have a strong and stable bike. I cringe at hearing of all the department store cheepie bikes getting motorized. The Trek should be a great ride.

 

[Warner]

Yeah , The grin factor is high on my commute. I have had my roadie bikes coming off mountains at close to 60mph and know these little machines will do amazing things. The race geometry is critical to be stable at high speeds. I really think you need a 72 degree head tube or steeper to be stable at speed. With the right angles and weight distribution you will have a very stable bike. Also quality is critical to have a strong and stable bike. I cringe at hearing of all the department store cheepie bikes getting motorized. The Trek should be a great ride.

The cheapo Wally World bikes (and cheap Chinese engine kits for that matter) definitely would not be my first choice. The expression "Cry Once" has rung true every time for me. Cry once when you pay big bucks for a quailty piece, rather than crying EVERY TIME you use the cheap stuff. Just my opinion....


Warner

 

[Irish John]

The cheapo Wally World bikes (and cheap Chinese engine kits for that matter) definitely would not be my first choice. The expression "Cry Once" has rung true every time for me. Cry once when you pay big bucks for a quailty piece, rather than crying EVERY TIME you use the cheap stuff. Just my opinion....


Warner

I totally agree with Warner. It's like good dentistry as opposed to bad dentistry - the latter costs heaps in the end and causes you real pain!

 

[Warner]

Follow up.....

Well, I DID just get an e-mail from the Mayor of Elgin. Here is his e-mail followed by my response:

From: Mayor
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 9:56 AM
To: Warner
Subject: RE: Elgin code on power-assisted bicycles

Dear Mr. Smith,

We are looking into this.


Edward Schock
Mayor, City of Elgin



From: Warner Smith
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 10:14 AM
To: 'Mayor'
Subject: RE: Elgin code on power-assisted bicycles

Thank you very much! Many communities (more and more with the current gas crisis) are making the legal distinction between motorized platform scooters and motor-assisted bicycles operated by licensed drivers. In looking at the way the Elgin ordinance is written, it essentially bans ALL motorcycles that are less than 150cc's in displacement, which can't be what the intention of the ordinance was. I deeply appreciate your response to this Mayor Schock.

Sincerely,

Warner

 

[augidog]

that's very good diplomacy, i hope it works...stressing the willingness to self-regulate & compromise will surely help

here's some FYI for anyone checking this topic...

chassis: you've taken a bicycle and asked it handle the responsibilities of a motor-vehicle...

3 words: wheels and brakes.

by discovering the minumum standard of the cheapo 105g steel wheels available everywhere, i've enjoyed maximum performance & minimum maintenance on all the various drive-trains i've run. i've never had one spoke-related wheel problem, & i have over 2000 miles on some of these wheels.

when budget allows, then do it right. i used whizzer wheel standards as having been proven safe at sustained speeds. when i couldn't score a set, i went with a custom setup: http://forums.motorizedbicycleracing.com/tool/post/augidog/vpost?id=2668671

one reason i'm into the racing is to help establish some minimum safety standards...because i also cringe when i hear about 35mph wally-world motoredbikes.

 

[BigDaddyT]

I found elected officials are much more likely to respond to handwritten letters than emails. Around here if it was banned I would argue it with the officer and later the court if it came to it. Im sure the ordinance was aimed at nuisance scooters and kids. Not adults trying to find a cheap means of driving to work.
Light weight parts are made for lightning fast launches. Not really something a motorized bike rider needs. Its easier to get a low mass wheel spinning under man power but we are talking about shaving seconds or milliseconds off race times. Once they are spinning I doubt the heavier rotating mass robs any power. If anything the inertia probably helps maintain speed. Like idling a diesel up a 10% incline because the flywheel inertia keeps the engine from stalling.