Originally Posted by
spirit733t
hi there, thanks for the great advice, im mainly wanting to use the bike to commute to work, this is around 6 miles each way..
I am struggling to find a decent bike to use.. I have emailed papamotors on different bikes for their advice, and they did 'nt recommend a single one of my suggestions.. they felt the trek 7.2 FX has a weak frame..
then I thought I found a really good but second hand bike, a voodoo boker, but they said that their motors dont work with hydraulic disk brakes..
could you please recommend me a good bike with a strong frame for a maximum budget of around £600.00 (900.00 $)
I would like it to be able to take full mudguard fenders and rack and also maybe front suspension..
the trek 7.2 has steel forks so I thought that would be strong enough for he front motor? what is your opinion on this?
Bikes in the UK, if that's where you're located, are higher priced than here in the States. The 2012 Kona Lanai, 2012 Kona Fire Mountain, and the 2012 Kona Minute will all work as strong frames for your Papamotors kit. The Kona Fire Mountain has hydraulic brakes. The Kona Minute has mud guards and a large strong rear rack. I'm working on fitting hydraulic brakes on my 2012 Lanai and don't see any problems doing so. You can get spacers and brake disks from
http://www.ebike.ca to make things fit properly. I had my local bike shop shorten the bridge on the rear brake but ebay has a vendor that sells a shorter bridge (F160/R140) so again you shouldn't have any problems using hydraulic brakes. Yes, Papamotors does not supply you any hydraulic brakes. If you select their rear wheel kit they'll send you a low profile brake caliper. I, however, used the Kona stock brake caliper after the modification was done to the stock bridge. I have stiffened my front suspension as much as possible. It would be better to have no shocks front or rear. The Kona Minute fits this criteria.
Originally Posted by
spirit733t
some other questions? do i have to mount the PAS, what happens if I don't do this, also do I have to use their brakes that they supply? again what happens if I do not do his, I think their brakes cut the motor off from any power.. but I thought that was what the throttle was for, that is when you release the throttle, all power goes? am I wrong here?
You do not have to use the PAS. If you don't you'll have to use the thumb throttle or twist throttle for increasing and decreasing power. You don't need to use Papamotors brakes. If you have the Kona rear bridge modified or purchase the F160/R140 bridge your stock brakes will work. If you use the twist throttle you'll have to use the Papamotors brake handles which send a signal to the controller to stop the motor. If you purchase any of the three Kona bicycles I mentioned you'll have to use the thumb throttle because the brake and derailleur are in combo on the handlebar.
Originally Posted by
spirit733t
and finally my last question is that most bikes these days come with more than a 6 speed rear free-wheel thing, perhaps like 7,8 or maybe more, the papa motor rear wheel can only take a 6 speed free-wheel? is this a big issue for bikes that have more than that gear system.. can the derailleur be adjusted so that only the 6 free-wheels systems is accessed?
thanks again for your help and im really looking forward to getting his project going...
I haven't changed gears on my Kona since I installed the Papamotors kit.
I purchased the 6-speed freewheel from
www.ebike.ca and left the gear selector on the tallest/hardest setting (smallest rear cog + biggest front cog). Again, I have the PAS installed and only use the thumb throttle to get me moving from a standstill.
I hope I've answered all your questions.
Stay tuned...more to come.
