Dad's old Huffy

[iberkt]

My Father passed recently (on 02-07-2008) and one of the things that he left me was his old Huffy bicycle. I know that it is not the best bike, in fact if I was choosing a bike to convert this one would not be on my list of candidates, but it was my fathers and as such it has sentimental value.

The bike is a Huffy Cherokee III 10 speed bike, with 26 in wheels and no suspension of any kind. My thought was to do a low budget electric conversion of it. I could do SLA’s but some inexpensive NiMH or NiCad would be even better.

I don’t know if I could find set of front suspension forks that would fit this bike or not. If not I will have to convert it as is.

I want to keep it light so I think I will stay clear of the 5300 Series motors. I was thinking a 407 or even a Brushed motor would do.

Really I’d be happy with 18 mph and an 8 mile range. My commute is less than 6 miles all flat, no hills at all and I weigh about 180lbs

So here are some pictures, any suggestions would be appreciated. I really want to keep this bike and use it in memory of my dad.

 

[jerryt]

PLease accept my condolence at your Fathers passing and my admiration for you preserving his memory with hisd Huffy.

My conversion is similar to yours except mine is a single speed Worksman. I used a W/E BL36 front hub w/SLA's which was about $530 shipped. As you know the brushed motor is cheaper and other brands may be cheaper.

I weigh more than you and my bike will go approx 18MPH and probably 15+ miles although I have not measured it.

My primary complaint is the weight which can be solved with more money for better batts. My secondary complaint is the top-heaviness which I (could) solve by mounting the batts in the lower "V" above the pedals.

All in all my bike is only used for local errands rather than commuting so I don't plan any upgrades.

 

[vanilla ice]

DC hub and phat tires and it should ride well. Can you fit some 26x2.30's on there?

 

[iberkt]

DC hub and phat tires and it should ride well. Can you fit some 26x2.30's on there?

I'm not sure. Right now it has 26X1.50 (Cheng Shin) knobby tire on the rear and a 26X1.62 (Kenda) street tire in the front. There seems to be some room so I may be able to go wider.

 

[Skiv]

I don’t know if I could find set of front suspension forks that would fit this bike or not. If not I will have to convert it as is.

Condolences on the loss of your father. It's not an easy thing to go through.

RST makes a suspension fork for 1" headsets. Your friendly local bicycle store should be able to order one for you. I went that route on my conversion of an old Trek hardtail -- still collecting parts but almost ready to start assembling.

 

[Mathurin]

Hey it's pretty fat, the frame & fork are a nice color and the lettering looks good, it's also reaaally laid back so it ought to not be tiring to ride for long periods of time. It's just everything else on that bike that's craptastic. Stamped sidepulls on steel rims? A drum brake up front would be a nice upgrade. And that one piece crank is not a good sign. With no rear der hanger this bike could be made into a clean looking SS tho.

I'm thinking something like this, but with some rear hubmotor, full fenders and a rack that don't look like shit.
http://www.63xc.com/jameslee/18spokes.htm

 

[iberkt]

I don’t know if I could find set of front suspension forks that would fit this bike or not. If not I will have to convert it as is.

Condolences on the loss of your father. It's not an easy thing to go through.

RST makes a suspension fork for 1" headsets. Your friendly local bicycle store should be able to order one for you. I went that route on my conversion of an old Trek hardtail -- still collecting parts but almost ready to start assembling.

Yeah I still have to hit the local bike shops. I just wasn't sure if this had a standard size headset or not.

 

[mvadventure]

Condolences again. Mine died on a Good Friday which, if nothing else, is easy to remember.

Six miles is a short run, especially on flat terrain and if the road surfaces are halfway decent you probably don't need any suspension beyond a comfortable seat. There is no suspension on mine and I regularly go on 20 mile plus rides in comfort but I do have the biggest seat I could find.
Mike

 

[Eric G]

Sorry to here about your father,loosing a parent is never easy,my father died some 17 years ago.

Your range is somewhat like mine,if your looking at a brushed hub motor a Clyte or WE should work well,I think those 2 motors are alot alike.

I'm using a rear wheeled brushed clyte with 36v/7ah sla and if I pedal a little on a 10 kilometer run the 36v/7ah sla that I use finish at ~ 38.5v or 24% DOD (starting voltage is around 39.7v) which is easy on the batts.

Eric