Looking for an ultralight assist motor for my Nishiki road bike.

[jay_bolton]

I commute a lot on my road bike, which is a 1978 Nishiki frame (steel with very quality, strong joints).

I would like to be able to cruise anywhere with little to moderate effort at 10-20mph. I don't mind giving the motor constant pedal assist or even doing all or most of the accelerating myself. What kills me is the steady 10-mile long uphills.

What I'm looking for is something small profile, light as possible, under $500, and quiet.

What I like about the electric hub motors is that they are practically invisible and quiet. The goldenmotor kit seems decent and it's only $350, but it says it weighs 11kg... without the battery pack! Also, I find no references on these forums to goldenmotors or any reviews on the internet, so I'm a bit skeptical.

What I don't like about e-motors are the heavy batteries and the possibility of the battery pack eventually going permanently dead.

On the other hand, I know that IC motors are cheaper, more powerful, and more efficient all around. However, I don't like the noise, I don't like the big profile, and I don't want it to do damage on my thin road bike. I'd like to be able to take the bike into the office or roll down the sidewalk without anybody complaining. Is there any possibility of a light, small, muffled IC motor? I can't find anything.

I've placed this in the electric motor section as I suspect this is where my answer lies. Something like what this guy has in this video would be fantastic, but I can't get any info on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsbOD09doRI&feature=related

 

[Papasaun]

Hello, and how are ya??? Please do an intro for us, We would love to know ya better before we get down to the nuts and bolts. Mostly because some of the info might be over your head, and we wouldn't want to talk down to ya and make ya feel bad either!
In the mean time you might look here,
http://www.cyclone-usa.com/store.php?
Hope this helps,,,,

Papa

 

[Sianelle]

Ah, those old Nishikis were lovely bikes. My first 10 speed was a Nishiki and I never should've sold it.
I think you'd definitely be on the right track if you use a similar setup to what the guy is using in the video. Though I don't know if I'd go so far as to wear a battery vest in case I ended up getting arrested on suspicion of being a suicide bomber.
Hub motors are good for utility type applications, but they do concentrate a lot of weight in the wheel which is why a frame mount motor would be better for a lightweight road bike.

 

[jay_bolton]

Thanks for the replies, I will make an intro post. I checked out the cyclone motors but find the kits too expensive... 450 plus 300-600 for the batteries, I might as well shell out a couple hundred more and buy a nice old bmw motorcycle. Perhaps I could get one of those bare 360 watt motors and build it up from there... I'll have to continue researching.