Originally Posted by pythagorean

I have a 2007 Jamis Aurora that I'd like to put a motor on. The main purpose of the motor is for first, hill climbing. I live on a mountain and need to climb 2 mountains to go anywhere. After some reading I think a rear hub drive is a good option. I found one that I like 36V - 52V High-End 900-1300 Watt-peak Geared Motor Kit (no Battery) - 2 Year Motor Warranty - Electric Bike Solutions, LLC except it comes with a 7 gear wheel and my bike has 9 gears. I am told that the spacing is different between the 2 and that my shifter won't work right with 7 gears. Can I take the gears off his wheel and put my gears on? can I just put his hub motor on my wheel? or is the wheel it comes on specially designed to withstand additional forces produced by the motor and putting it on a normal wheel is a bad idea? I have a friend who is a bike guy who is willing to help me with this conversion. I myself, I fix electron microscopes for a living so motors, controllers, etc. are not a totally foreign concept, between the 2 of us, we could probably manage a custom build (with your help) if that makes the most sense to do..