1988 Schwinn High Sierra Commuter Conversion

[SloNEZ]

Converted my 1988 Schwinn High Sierra for commuting back and forth to work.

Needed to be able to handle my commute of 25.5 miles each way.
I wanted decent speed and the ability to handle the most worrisome part of my commute: A steep hill on a road with no real shoulder and 45-mph traffic.
The one I climb in the morning is about 1km long and has a 9-10% max grade.
The one I climb in the evening going the other way is about 0.6km of 12% climb.
The Mac 8t gets up them both just fine at full power (about 2kw), but I need to be sure and leave at least 10C headroom for the morning climb … the Mac has already run 24+ miles by then and is "pre-heated."
I also wanted stealth. I wanted it to pass as a serious commuter and not scream "e-bike" with the way it looked.
And I needed reliability.
Oh, and most importantly: I wanted it as plug-and-play as possible. This was my first build and I didn't feel confident tackling anything custom.

I bought the Schwinn new way back in the fall of '88.
I could never part with that bike even though it never really got ridden much.
It had a great ride on short trips for a rigid - very smooth - but the cockpit fit wasn't very good for me and the seat hurt my hiney.
But it seemed like a good candidate for conversion. It has 26" wheels for good tire selection. It has strong brakes.
It has a beefy 4130 CroMo frame that's long enough for racks and stability.
And oh yeah - it's a tank.
It's also a beautiful bike with some of the smoothest joints I've seen and that gorgeous, much-desired Black Chrome finish.

I determined to replace the seat, change the cockpit fit, run low tire pressures for a "suspension," and make it work.
I checked with Dogman to see if my plan was sound, then contacted em3ev and ordered an upgraded Mac 8T in an Alex DM24 rim, a V3 CA-DPS, a 50v triangle pack with 25Ah capacity, a 12 fet controller at 40A, two chargers so I can recharge at work, a GrinTech TA, various other bits and sundries that folks on the forum (and Paul) recommended I get, and got to work.
After over 1000 miles so far, it currently looks like this:

Thanks for looking!

-Slo

 

[DAND214]

Very nice build.

Great choice on the supplier and products.

Dan

 

[SloNEZ]

Thanks, Dan!
I really appreciate that.

Craig

 

[SloNEZ]

I began getting the bike ready while I waited for parts.
I started with the ride.
I ordered a Planet Bike seat from Amazon that has good padding, elastomer "springs", and a relieved area for the male anatomy.
They call it the Anatomic Relief System (or ARS for short). Well, it helps the old ARSE out a lot, that's for sure.
A suspension seatpost is probably on the horizon, but this seat has made the two-and-a-half to three hour round trip tolerable all by itself.
Recommended. It's somewhat visible in the early build pic shown below:

I also mounted some new tires and tubes since the originals were 26 years old (!) and not really suitable anyway.
Flats were a big factor in deciding on tires. I don't have time for flats. I can't be late to work. Ever.
I have a Bontrager H5 Hardcase on the back and a Schwalbe Big Apple in the front. Both 26 X 2.0.
The pressures that seem the best are 30 psi in the front and 40 psi in the rear. I tried less in the rear, but it felt "squirmy." Rides pretty well with these pressures.
Bike and I together are probably about 300 pounds. I think that's about as low as I can go with pressure before damaging the front rim.
They each have extra-wide tire liners and extra-thick tubes with latex sealant poured into them.
I ride through the gritty west side of GR over lots of debris, rocks, and who-knows-what all … over 1000 miles so far without a flat.
I can actually hear things flying away from the tires at times. So far so good anyway.
I don't think I can get a bigger tire on the rear, but I am sure I can get a bigger one on front. I'm thinking a 26 X 2.5 is probably on the horizon for an even better ride.
A shot of the tires from an early build pic:

The original cockpit layout was also a problem for me: too layed out with too much pressure on my wrists.
Thought about comfort bars with more rise, but I wanted to keep the flat style so I'd have room to mount the lights, my wire-management bag, and the the CA.
Ended up going with a new stem along with some longer brake and shifter cables.
You can see the difference in height and reach in this pic. The new one (silver) is taller and shorter so I sit more upright.
I should've gotten one that was even taller, I think, but this has made a big difference. I can see going with an even more "comfort" position at some point, though. Maybe this winter.

I knew the stock 48t front chainring wasn't going to cut it.
I stole the 62t off my Rans and tried it … lo and friggin' behold, it fit. Just barely. It clears the rear brakes by a couple mms.
You can't get these Richey Logic (sp?) 62t C-Rs anymore near as I can tell, so I ordered a 60t from The Hostel Shoppe to make the Rocket whole again.
The 62t front really was overkill with the 11t rear, and the stock 6-spd shifter didn't like that 7-spd freewheel anyway, so I went back to stock on the back.
The original 6-spd freewheel takes a different tool to remove, so I bought a new one that matches the extractor I got from Paul.
Strangely, the original freewheel is supposed to have a 13t cog, but it doesn't. Its smallest is a 14t just like the new Shimano I got.
Must've been out of the 13s that day at the factory?
Anyway, 62 X 14 gives me plenty of gear inches.
My top speed on the bike so far is 43.5 mph down a 12% grade. I did that with the 11t and I could've kept up pedaling even faster. O.Ver.Kill.
I don't attempt top-speed runs anymore, lol, but I've hit 41 mph down that same hill with the 14t … I was pedaling for all I was worth, though.
Could've MAYBE gone a LITTLE faster.
My highest speeds on the hills around here are normally about 38-39 mph, and I can pedal that. Feels like a sprint, though. Thankfully, the steep hills around here aren't that long.
My normal cruising speed is about 27-30 mph, and I can do that in 5th gear … don't even need the 14t cog until I'm up over 30 mph unless I'm feeling lazy/tired.
One issue I had is that the largest cog sat too close to the motor for chain clearance. I essentially had a 5-spd bike.
I took that round silver thing in the lower left of the pic below and used it as a spacer between the freewheel and the motor:

I don't know if that's what it's for, but it fits.
I now have clearance for the chain and can shift into 1st gear, but then the derailleur rubs on the bottom, outer edge of the motor.
So I still have a 5-spd, I guess. Sigh. It's a LOT easier to pedal up from a start in 1st, but I can live without it.

Other than that, I got a new chain and added an extra 4 links to get around the big C-R.
Had some movement in the steerer and BB, so the LBS took care of that for me.
Lots of little stuff, you know?
Replaced the original brake pads (they were over a quarter-century old!) with those shown below.

Getting there!


More to come.


Thanks for looking!

-Slo

 

[motomech]

Nice build!
That "silver thing"is a spacer for disc brakes installs. LOL

 

[spinningmagnets]

Thanks for posting!...maybe add a cup-holder?

Sooo...I have to ask. If it was stolen from your garage, and your home-owners insurance gave you a check for the full value of all the parts seen here...would you duplicate it again, or do something a little different?

And...if you'd replicate it, what would your next most desired upgrade be? (please say cup-holder!)

 

[SloNEZ]

Postby motomech » Sun Jul 20, 2014 10:39 am

Nice build!

Thanks!

That "silver thing"is a spacer for disc brakes installs. LOL

Oh!
Well, it makes a dandy freewheel spacer too :lol:


-Slo

 

[SloNEZ]

Postby spinningmagnets » Sun Jul 20, 2014 10:51 am

Thanks for posting!...maybe add a cup-holder?

Sooo...I have to ask. If it was stolen from your garage, and your home-owners insurance gave you a check for the full value of all the parts seen here...would you duplicate it again, or do something a little different?

And...if you'd replicate it, what would your next most desired upgrade be? (please say cup-holder!)

Cup-holder?
Man, that's tempting. If I can find a place on the bars to mount one, I'm in.

I don't know enough about other kits to say for sure, but there is one thing I would consider doing differently.
My original plan was to run a DD on higher voltage. Maybe get about 20ah in the 70-some volt range.
The length of my commute and that hill really had me worried about the Mac's ability to manage thermally.
If I use the lowest power setting (except for the hill) and watch the temps, I can get to that very last part of my trip in the morning with enough "headroom" left to accommodate the 15C that it will heat up on the climb.
But I can't just ride around willy-nilly using all the throttle I want.
I bet if I had a big Crystalyte motor I could.
I had heard tell that Macs can be run up to 92C or 93C, and I've been trying to keep it to 90C, but Paul just told me recently that a max of 80C would be better.
That's a tall order.
I've been good about keeping it under those higher temps (although I did hit 96C once).
But keeping it under 80C? Yikes.
I'm going to have to just stick with the higher temps and risk it.

I'd also use a bigger front tire. I kinda' ended up with that 26 X 2.0 by accident.


Thanks for commenting on my build, spinningmagnets!


-Slo

 

[r3volved]

...<$5 at my local Canadian tire

 

[SloNEZ]

continued …

Installing the kit was pretty easy, once I manned up and connected everything.
Even after lurking here for four years, I had trouble getting everything hooked up. I was really nervous that I'd screw up and fry something.
Assembling the motor and mounting the wheel was easy, but I'm not an ace when it comes to anything electrical.
Once I just put everything the only place it would go, it went together slick.
When em3ev sells you a plug-and-play kit, that's exactly what it is. I'm really glad I didn't try a one-off build for my first one.

Shots of the cockpit:

I'm using that self-adhesive sports wrap over foam grips for extra cushion/shock absorption. Works well. Kind of feels like the old-timey cork grips of yore.

I removed the front derailleur. I was going to leave it on as a chain guide, but it offered no improvement and I needed the room on the handlebars and the triangle upright.
The chain does come off if I hit a big-enough bump. I've learned to always have forward tension on the pedals if there will be an impact.

Added a Magic Shine 816e headlight. Works great.
I ride about 20 miles of bike path early in the morning when it's still dark. There are lots of deer. And rabbits. And two downed trees so far.
I've seen them all in time. I do need to watch that I don't blind people with it - even in the daylight.
I did kill one bird, sadly. Flew at me out of the underbrush about 5:AM. Nothing I could do. It went right into my left foot on the upstroke … I basically punted it.
Poor thing.
For the rear, I ordered some 12v LED strobes with a controller off ebay. They run just fine on the 9v battery I hooked them to using a Radio Shack connector.
Still on the first battery.
I only use 3 of the 6 that came with the set: one on the rear of the rack and one on each side. I think they can be seen in other pix.
I also attached a Wal Mart LED bike light with a flashing setting since the Magic Shine doesn't have a strobe setting.
It keeps falling off (hence the duct tape) and only two of the three LEDs are working lol.

For wire management and to hold the headlight battery, I got a Wal Mart handlebar bag. Cut some slits in it to accept the wires.
I think it looks pretty tidy. A view from the front:

It's hiding all of these plus the headlight battery and wiring:

I mounted the controller to the original rear rack using construction tie plates as the base (thanks, drew12345 for that idea).
I "sandwiched" the rack bars between the plates and bolted them together. Real solid mount.
I used a weather-proof junction box to make the connections and mounted that to the plates just in front of the controller.
A pic of that set-up (the cover to the junction box is not attached here, of course):

Originally, I had a GrinTech v3 TA (the v4 will not work on my bike) on the drive side and the old 10mm wrench on the left:

I've removed the wrench since it made double-nutting that side a little sketchy and am now just using the GT v3 TA on the drive side:

A spoke broke after about 450 miles. I had one made locally and replaced it. Then another broke.
Paul said it was pretty futile to replace them one at a time and that I should just do 'em all with higher-quality spokes.
When I ordered my kit, em3ev didn't offer Sapims. Now they do so Paul sent me a set. For free. And included fast DHL shipping - I had them within a week.
He sent two lengths: 192mm and 194 mm. This provides the dishing needed and keeps the tension about even on both sides of the wheel. Perfect.
I bought a Park Tool tension meter, a universal spoke wrench, and then rebuilt the wheel with the new spokes. That sucker is dang near round, tell you what.
I replaced one spoke at a time and then tensioned, relieved, tensioned, trued …... took about four hours (and six beers). 700+ miles so far without any problems.


more to come …




Thanks for looking!

-Slo

 

[amberwolf]

I like this build...I have the regular Sierra version, not sure if it's the same year:
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2010/01/schwinn-sierra-from-junk-to-ride.html
Considered putting my Fusin geared rear motor on it, but the frame is too tall for me to step over anymore. I still really want to someday use it again, though...so I haven't been able to bring myself to rehome it.

 

[The fingers]

My High Sierra is older. Bought it new in '82 -'84 or so.

 

[SloNEZ]

Postby amberwolf » Thu Jul 24, 2014 6:55 pm

I like this build...I have the regular Sierra version, not sure if it's the same year:
http://electricle.blogspot.com/2010/01/ ... -ride.html
Considered putting my Fusin geared rear motor on it, but the frame is too tall for me to step over anymore. I still really want to someday use it again, though...so I haven't been able to bring myself to rehome it.

Thanks, amberwolf!

Postby The fingers » Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:44 pm

My High Sierra is older. Bought it new in '82 -'84 or so.

lol. Might start calling mine "Son of High Sierra," then!

 

[SloNEZ]

To mount the battery in the triangle, I started with the bag that came from em3ev with my kit.
Wanted a stealthy-looking box, though.

Build pix:

Bolted some boards to the frame for something to screw into

Added some foam

Wrapped the battery in the same foam

And then duct tape

I'm always surprised when something fits

Did some C.A.D. work and produced two of these

Like that there

The finished item (you can see the rack support boards in this pic)

I didn't want anyone to know it's a battery box, so I tried to camouflage it

My wife told me that now I just made it attractive to thieves 'cause tools are worth more than old Schwinns.
Sigh.

Tried another approach:

I mean, who wants to steal a first aid kit?

To test the SQ (Stealthiness Quotient), I parked it along the bike path

Well, that attracted LOTS of attention for some reason. I swear that every person coming by stared at the bike.
Ended up going back to plain black.
Now she tells me the bag was actually stealthier, so I'll probably go back to that next time everything's apart.
I think I'd really like to end up with the pack split in two pieces and mounted in front panniers.


I needed something to cover the controller and junction box, of course, and I bring quite a bit of stuff with me to work every day, so I added a big rack.

Used a nice big piece of wood, cut off the front corners for comfort, rubbed it with some black, drilled some holes ...

The center holes attach to the junction box
The sets on the sides attach to two pieces of wood that sit on the rack to bear the actual weight

Added six cleats for bungee tie-downs and some 3M reflective tape

It seemed very sturdy, but I couldn't really be sure until I put some serious weight on it.
Fortunately, the girls at the bars around here are pretty big.
Just a matter of time before one of them wanted a ride.
It's fat girl tested and fat girl approved.



Thanks for Looking!

-Slo

 

[amberwolf]

Wanted a stealthy-looking box, though.

As you've found, stealthy and box don't really go together, since typical bikes just don't have boxes on them like that. I figured if I ever used a box like that I'd make it from old wood and leave it plain, and cut (or partially cut) a crescent moon into it, and glue some toilet paper hanging out of the moon. People would either leave it alone or laugh at it (hopefully not actually *use* it)

So yeah, bags are not as uncommon, and so are less likely to be noticed (but are less secure). So...if you put a bag *around* the box (or even a simulated bag, just cloth of some type over the box itself that makes it look like a bag), then it would probably be about as stealthy as you could manage and still be securely mounted and secure from casual access to the "bag's" contents.

Closest I have come to that was using one of htose insulated lunch bags to secure my NiMH battery on The Velcro Eclipse:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20595
which I no longer have in one piece.

I meant to but never did build a "full box" for the battery *inside* the bag, but that's what I would do for a bike like that nowadays.

My Nishik-E has a cargo bag now, but it's also got something like TVE's handlebar bag that would end up carrying a couple of RC LiPo bricks to run a Kepler drive if I ever can get that thing mounted on it right (back end is spaced/designed so that it isn't the best choice to mount one on without modification); or a little bottom-bracket middrive if I ever get the parts made to mount it and drive the chainrings).
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33246
the bag construction:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33246&start=30#p615484
but needs much better rings as the ones we used won't hold weight well enough. Got some off dog harnesses/collars that will do much better whenever I eventually get back to that project.