26" Wheel on a 130mm Drop Out

[Recumbent Bicycle Source]

I'm trying to find out if it's possible to find ANY Rear Drive hub motor that will fit a 130mm drop out.

It's my understanding that the rear drop outs for ALL the hubs (at least the ones I've seen) are for 135mm.

I don't mind having a custom wheel built on a hub if I can find one for 130mm spacing. I can not bend the frame on this bike.

I also understand there are few or perhaps even ZERO options available for a 9 speed cassette even on 135mm hubs.

The alternative for me would be to run a front wheel... but that would require a new fork, which is a problem in itself due to a headset shock. Thus if I were to replace the fork I'd need to match the Geometry of the existing shock. I understand Canondale makes their own Headset Shock, but I have not found any others. I'm not concerned about the shock but the 2-3" distance between the top of the shock and the bottom of the headset is a problem. Without this space there are chain line issues with the bike I want to convert.

Ideas to pursue?

-------------------------

On a side note I don't see to many people here running electric conversions on recumbent bikes.

Has anyone here put one on a Challenge, or Optima or HP Velotechnic?

 

[Alan B]

Consider driving the cranks, this bike is not well suited for hubmotors?

 

[neptronix]

You can always machine a rear hub axle down a bit.
That would work fine if you are not using disc brakes.
Building a wheel won't help, remember that the hub motor is the hub.. and the axle

The best option for a recumbent is driving through the gears via the chain line though.

 

[wesnewell]

I'm trying to find out if it's possible to find ANY Rear Drive hub motor that will fit a 130mm drop out.

It's my understanding that the rear drop outs for ALL the hubs (at least the ones I've seen) are for 135mm.
I don't mind having a custom wheel built on a hub if I can find one for 130mm spacing. I can not bend the frame on this bike.
I also understand there are few or perhaps even ZERO options available for a 9 speed cassette even on 135mm hubs.
Ideas to pursue?

The rear hub motor I installed came with a 5 gear freewheel which I replaced with the original 7 spd on the bike. I had to rearrange the spacers but it didn't cause a problem. I think you'll be sol for a 9 speed. Don't know why you'd need it anyway. I have never gone below gear 5 of the 7 spd since I installed the motor, and i only use it when I'm not using the motor at all. You can manipulate the width of the one I bought by adding/removing spacers and/or cutting the sleeves shorter.

 

[dogman dan]

Lose some gears from the cluster, and machine down the axle 5 mm is about your only option. Then you'd have to dish the wheel a bit different too I'd think.

Personally, I'd be perfectly happy with only 2-3 gears in back. All I'll ever use is 11 tooth-14 tooth. So put a 5 speed on er, and shave the axle 5 mm.

 

[chvidgov.bc.ca]

I was able to shoehorn a rear NineContinent (old type/non-disk) into my trike which has 130mm spacing. I had to file down the axle shoulders a fair bit, and I wanted to retain the inner washer which increased the width another 1mm on each side. I still had to stretch the alloy frame by about 1mm on each side for it to work, which I would have preferred not to do, but it hasn't been an issue so far after 800 miles. There isn't much clearance on the 11tooth cog, but it works fine now that I've got it in. The rear EZ bike motors are only 131 stock, so that might be an option for you.

 

[Recumbent Bicycle Source]

EZ bike motors

I'm not familiar with this ... link?

 

[docnjoj]

EZ bike motors

I'm not familiar with this ... link?

ebikes.ca

otherDoc

 

[Recumbent Bicycle Source]

Building a wheel won't help

In context it would help. Most stock wheels I've ever had "factory built" need to be trued upon arrival. By building I get a correctly dished wheel that is true with a rim of my choosing to fit the existing V-Brakes. There are tire selection and clearance issues involved.

 

[Recumbent Bicycle Source]

The rear EZ bike motors are only 131 stock, so that might be an option for you.

Thank you for pointing this out I didn't notice it when I had viewed their pdf file previously.

I read that and it's an interesting choice. Why not just go 130 if you are going 131 is what I thought. The problem in my specific case is my bike is Titanium and the Welds are perfect... I wouldn't dare bend the frame.

There are so many road bikes with 130mm drop outs yet the size is completely ignored. I could get by with less gear options on the freewheel, but the axle size is a big issue. Another issue which this brings up is the thickness of the Axel itself as Road bikes are generally spec'd for thinner axles. I'll have to look at my dropouts to see how large and axle they can take.

------------------------------- On a related side note -------------------------------------------

I don't want to create a bunch of new threads for every little question I have. But if someone could answer this I'd appreciate it.

Is there any reason not to use TWO Torque Arms on an install? It seems to me the torque applied from an electric hub would be fairly equal to both sides with a properly dished wheel, and surly on the front wheel hubs. Wouldn't one want to distribute the Torque across both drop outs or both sides of a fork?

 

[Alan B]

Yes, two are often used.

 

[Alan B]

The axles on many hubmotors are 14MM with flats cut at 10mm. I think there are some 12mm as well. Also flatted at 10mm as far as I know. So need 10mm axle slots. Or build a custom axle for the motor.

 

[Recumbent Bicycle Source]

flats cut at 10mm

I just keep learning. Thank you.

 

[dogman dan]

At some point, you have to accept that motor kits aren't designed for every bike. Mostly people use 26" crusiers, MTB's, or comfort bikes. So the niche in the market is tiny (in usa) for every other kind, like recumbents or folders.

Fortunately, the axle shoulders are easy to cut with a hacksaw if you need to make em narrow.

 

[FMB42]

Some rear hub motors have removable tubular spacers on both sides of the axle (as some ES members have stated).

My 135mm drop out Golden Motor 500w rear HM is equipped with such spacers. These spacers, as far as I can see, could possibly be cut down down by 2.5-3.5 mm on the drive side (and a corresponding amount on the non-drive side). This, however, would probably limit you to a 5 speed freewheel.

You could, on the other hand, cut the non-drive side spacer down by at least 5mm in an effort to use a 6-7 speed (or greater) freewheel. This would, of course, require a "dishing" of the rim and spokes.

Here's a Golden Motor "blue print" of their DD rear hub motor:

http://www.goldenmotor.com/hubmotors/hubmotor-REAR_WHEEL.pdf

 

[Recumbent Bicycle Source]

Some rear hub motors have removable tubular spacers on both sides of the axle

Hard to tell from the way they draw what constitutes a spacer.

Here's a Golden Motor "blue print" of their DD rear hub motor:

That is a monster 1000 watt DD motor.

Are you using their Battery? They look like good value if they are quality. I like the idea of a 16amp hour vs a 10 as it appears there is little difference in weight.

 

[FMB42]

Sorry, I should have noted that I provided the blue print link so as to show the overall hub and axle dimensions rather than the axle spacer "sleeves" themselves.

I can't outright recommend using a Golden Motor battery due to the fact that I don't own one. As for GM quality, I'd say that they have a better reputation for their hub motors rather than their controllers and/or batteries.

I do, however, recommend that you contact any prospective hub motor retailer in regards to you questions about the axle/sleeve issue. Better to be safe rather than sorry (after the purchase).

I also recommend that you do business with a "licensed" retailer that is located within the Country rather than an "off shore" entity that can difficult, if not impossible, to deal with in the event of any warranty related problems. Btw, by "licensed" I mean a retailer that has an in country "office" phone number and a customer service rep that can help you (in other words, beware of online only "ebey" retailers that often offer little or no recourse if and when you have a problem).