My 1st time here: hello and basic info

[iwasgandhi]

Hello,
I just registered a few minutes ago and this is my first time posting anything. I hope I'm not offending anyone or doing anything wrong -- there seem to be so many rules and overseers of rules. Please be forgiving of this newbie,...

I live in southeastern NH and I don't own a car. My 24-speed hard-tail Raleigh Mojave 4.0 mountain bike is my main form of transportation. I want to motorize it this summer and eventually use it this winter with studded tires.

I have a small fixed income and I'll be searching this site for information or suggestions. I figure I can afford maybe $350 total for parts, shipping, and labor, which puts me in the range of a cheap frame-mounted gas engine.

I've heard tales of cheap, Chinese engines which break down easily. Today a bicycle shop employee tried to discourage me, telling me the torque from a 49 cc can break the spokes at high speed, flinging the chain around ones legs,...

Has anyone else out there heard of such a horrific accident actually happening? Of course, I want to be safety minded and realistic, but I need encouragement! I'm assuming some cheapy engines are safer than others.

Again, please be forgiving of this newbie,...

-Longing to be motorized in NH

 

[GearNut]

Welcome to the forum!
A 49cc engine can easily break spokes that are less than 12 gauge.
That said, consider most of those are on kits that use a "rag joint" method of sprocket mounting. Heavier spokes are a safe way to go regardless of mounting methods.

Check out this link, it will answer a ton of questions for you, even ones that you did not think to ask yet:
http://motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=10392