Buying a bike to mount the Puma motor

raulen

1 mW
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Messages
10
Hi all, I´m new here. I´ve read some threads on this forum and there seems to be a few people already using the Puma motor on their bikes, so I have some questions for them.

I want to buy a bike to mount that motor on the rear wheel. What kind of bike? Well, it would be a budget MTB, alloy frame, 26" wheel, frame size 19"-20".

Would it be ok with standard 135mm-spaced dropouts and 8 speed cassette wheel?
What about Disc brakes? Would that be a problem or should I choose V-brake? As it will be an inexpensive bike, I don´t care if it´s Disc or V-brake, I just want the best and easiest one to install the Puma motor!

Thanks.
 
I was about to post something on here about cheap bikes when I saw your post. Great Timing!

Last spring I bought a $150 dollar Schwinn from target. In my case it was a Trailway Hybrid: A Mtn bike frame with 700c roadbike wheels. and a front suspension fork, plus a spring sear, and suspension seat post.
Its been good to me. The Bike came with all namebrand componants, Shimano everything, except the wheels which were Aero style from some other reptuable manufacturer.
My only complaint was the Shimano Tourney Rear derailer. its not the best of the Shimano line, and it shows. its not the worst either.

But recently I decided I wanted a full suspension bike, instead of a hardtail. So I bought up a couple of cheap full suspension bikes of craigs list. one a TRU Jeep, the other a Walmart Mongoose. both new were $200 bikes. In theory more expensive bikes than mine....
After taking both apart, and looking them over, I've abandoned the idea of using either. Its clear that both bikes came from the same manufacturer, as most of the parts are the same, just painted and labled diffrently.
The front fork fell apart one one, just manhandling it around the garage. it was made of welded together mild steel, and press fit together. the frames show signs of stress cracks, the seatposts flex, the rims are imposable to true, and bend on small bumps, the cables are in all plastic guides, the actual break leavers are made of plastic, while the break arms holding the pads are made of stamped tin, instead of solid steel or forged aluminum.
the rear suspension rides on a mount that can't take any side loading, on both bikes, and the "shock" is really nothing more than a spring with no dampining or rebound control.


IMHO, the best of the cheap bikes seems to be the Schwinn. In the under $300 world of bikes, there doesn't seem to be a connection between quality and price. its what ever they can sell for the most money.

If you're looking for the most bang for the buck, though. try craig's list. you should be able to pick up a Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, or Motobecane Mountain bike for what a cheap bike would run.
 
Hi Raulen,
welcome to the forum :)
you would need to define budget in monetary terms but really what you should look for is nice thick dropouts and a sturdy frame initially.
135mm dropout is fine but i'm not sure you would get an 8 speed cassette in there,one of the guys will tell you for sure.
i would definately go for disk brakes no contest, im not slagging v brakes as a whole but on my wifes budget bike (£100) they are total shite.
the disks on my bike (£300) are very good, not the best, but still very good for a relatively cheap bike.160mm disks (standard for most budget bikes) fit straight onto the motor via a threaded adapter thingy (supplied if you buy through teamhybrid i think.
oooh i would say that dont rush your choice of bike, have a good look around, a brand new £100 bike = a good condition second hand £300 bike and you will get much better components for the same money
:D
What kind of power will you want to run?
or moreover what will you use the bike for?

cheers


D
 
Ja, it pays to snoop around. Check out the frame ESteemed member pigboy666 got for a paltry 100 bucks:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1951

:mrgreen:
 
I guess the Schwinn is an interesting choice for the money, but I bet it´s an american manufacturer because I´ve never seen that brand around here. Also I think the european market is quite expensive comparing to the USA... :(

I´m looking for a bike below 400€, and I´m not even thinking of full suspension (should I?). I think for that price, it´s better a decent hardtail than a full-suspension one with cheap components.

Is it really that good (mechanical) disc brakes? I heard they´re very similar to V-brake in performance, unless you get hidraulic brakes which cost a lot more money.

So a 135mm dropout is fine but not enough for a 8 speed cassette... does that mean I´d have to remove some sprockets for the motor to fit properly on the bike? ohh I don´t like that! :x Sounds like handling some tools is needed, and yes, I´m totally inept as a mechanic.
What if I buy a v-brake bike? Could I mount the motor without removing any sprocket then? Sure the discs are taking up too much space there...

About the motor, I like the Puma because I read it´s lightweight, reliable and has plenty of power, which is perfect for me. Maybe not as fast or powerful as the cystalite´s X5, but I just want some nice assistance, not a rocket-bike!
Not sure how much power I´d need anyway, I think I´ll start with 48v 12Ah, then if I need more power or range I´ll get some extra batteries.
 
I dodn't realize you were in Europe. Yeah, Schwinn is an American brand. Used to be the last word in bikes, but they sold the name to a chinese company in the late 80s and now its a department store brand.


Full suspension is nice, but at your price range, I'd look more for just a front suspension bike, and save up for a suspension seatpost.

Disk brakes are nice, and give you a measure of better control, but ultimatly, how fast you stop is a factor of how big or a contact patch your tire has with the road. all brakes on the same wheel have the same stopping distance, but the idea with a disk is you can controll the edge between maximum braking and wheel lockup better.
However, a cheap set of disk brakes is far worse than a good set of V brakes or even clamp brakes,

8 speed cassets on the rear, you're going to find thats over kill. with a motor on the bike, you'll be using the gearing less. A lot of people find they prefer single speeds, or that they never actualy change gears onece the bike is built. But choices are nice. Reality is that you'll probably never use more than 3 of the rear gears. a 3 speed or a 5 speed would let you run a read disk on the 135mm. a 7 speed will fit without the disk, but not on every frame.
 
TylerDurden said:
Ja, it pays to snoop around. Check out the frame ESteemed member pigboy666 got for a paltry 100 bucks:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1951

:mrgreen:

im totally green with envy at the price pigboy paid for that stinky frame, ive been after one for a while but they are expensive and i have never seen one that cheap.



raulen.


yes our cousins do seem to have it better :(


i would consider fs, but either way get more for your money with a second hand bike.


my budget fs disks out performs my wifes budget vbrakes by a long,long way - your choice again but once you add the weight of your kit i think disks will be better, the disk doesn't affect how many gears you have as far as i know as its on the other side and catered for if you use it or not?


135mm is fine - dont quote me on the cassette as i said i think 8 is too many but i was and still am hoping some of the other guys will put you right here, thats just my best guess.



48v will make the puma perform well - your power sounds about right to me. i wopuld guess top speed around the 25mph mark? hill climbing would be good too :)


cheers


D
 
I´ve contacted Mark from teamhybrid and he says there are two different versions of the latest generation Pumas:
-500w 36v 260rpm (20mph in a 26" wheel)
-500w 36v 320rpm (25mph in a 26" wheel)

He also says (literally): "The drop out is 135mm but no disc brake only Vbrake". :!:
Maybe this last version of the motor is not the same you´re talking about?
 
hi raulen,

maybe that is the case but i would very surprised/dissapointed if they dont, especially as im after one for the rear and want disk for sure :(


cheers

D
 
There is a disk mount (threaded onto the hub via adapter) type) on the newer motors, but theres very little space for it to work out.
Deecanio, if you have one of the older motors with the screw holes for mounting the disk maybe you should stick with that one.
I think Mark is looking into changing future shipments to accept a disk...
 
Shunk, I'm glad someone cleared up this cheap bike thing. I keep seeing guys talking about electrifying the cheap bargain basement bikes and I always envision all this scary low end construction like you describe in detail. Perhaps if someone rides very moderately on fairly flat bike trails they might survive for a while but it is a matter of time before someone needs to take it down hills, in the rough or off a curb when it's a bit aged and the fork falls off in traffic = splat/ouch or at least a call home for a ride.

Now everyone can chime in about how they've been riding a $50 Costco bike in the Rockies for 10 years but I still don't buy it.

I like very much the recommendation to follow pig's example and get a used, sturdy mountain bike. Besides being safer it will be more fun to ride. Quality is fun in my book -- and it lasts.
 
Nimbuzz said:
Shunk, I'm glad someone cleared up this cheap bike thing.
I like very much the recommendation to follow pig's example and get a used, sturdy mountain bike. Besides being safer it will be more fun to ride. Quality is fun in my book -- and it lasts.

8) true that statement.
And count on an extra few $$ for front shock rebuild because they don't last long either.
 
Nimbuzz said:
I like very much the recommendation to follow pig's example and get a used, sturdy mountain bike. Besides being safer it will be more fun to ride. Quality is fun in my book -- and it lasts.

I did get a steal of a deal on the frame $100. Needed to get $50 worth of new bearings for the suspension pivots. My projected total cost on the bike after I get all the parts is going to be around $800 before I add the Battery/Motor/Controller. My mission with this bike is to build the best bike I can finding the best deals on quality parts. I'm not trying to build the bike for as cheap as possible. Buying a bare frame has a way of nickle and diming you to death unless you already have many parts to transfer onto the new ride.

My only advice to anyone buying a bike that they truly mean to use a lot is DON'T buy from a big box store like Walmart, Cosco, Canadian Tire. Buy a bike that has a credible name in the industry ie. Giant, Trek, Ironhorse, Kona, Specialized....etc. Even the cheapest bikes they offer are far stronger and engineered better than the fanciest Walmart bike.
 
The pig speaks the Truth. In this vein, as a bare frame is a project in itself -- getting a solid, running mtn or downhill bike that is in decent condition but 3 - 6 years old can be a good base for an ebike. The off road guys upgrade to the latest tech and cast off their old stuff on Craig's list or 'pink bike' But one must watch for worn out stuff that still looks good. Like da pig said all the bearings can be shot on the suspension or forks worn out and the bearings not only cost as least $50 but it takes time to rebuild the whole thing. When you do though, you will have many years on that bike as a downhill bike is meant to be pounded in the dirt and us little e-roadies with our litle white gloves and huge grins will give it no such pounding.

<< My only advice to anyone buying a bike that they truly mean to use a lot is DON'T buy from a big box store like Walmart, Cosco, Canadian Tire. Buy a bike that has a credible name in the industry ie. Giant, Trek, Ironhorse, Kona, Specialized....etc. Even the cheapest bikes they offer are far stronger and engineered better than the fanciest Walmart bike. >> -- pigboy666
 
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