First build, happy to find a place with so much wisdom!

[Traveler84]

Good evening! I am joining the forum as a way of participating and asking questions as I go through my first build. I have earmarked several "getting started" threads here and am anticipating the parts to be in this weekend.

I have owned two motorized bikes before and after some time away from the hobby (due to people who wanted my bikes more than I did...) I thought that it might be time for me to build my own. I will be working to place an 80cc IMAYCC motor on a 1984 Schwinn Traveler frame that has already been converted to single speed. I initially got it at a yard sale for $20 and according to my magnet, it is a steel frame.

Some initial questions that I have that I have not seen in the general threads are: Should I be concerned about the narrowness of the current 700x23 tires and go for a 38 or 40mm immediately or is it safe to try? I believe experience and advice can easily outweigh my curiosity on this one. Another question that I have is, are there any safety concerns about utilizing the horn style handlebars on a motorized bike? I assume there is not and I quite like the aesthetic but again, experience can convince me otherwise. My final question, is, although I plan on replacing the fork for a monarch style, I have read that the forward bent forks that are on some road bikes are prone to collapse when hitting bumps at speed. Is this something I should be concerned about?

I look forward to any guidance or interest in this thread and am a bit surprised that I could not find any other Schwinn Travelers aside from the 1964 model on the forum.

 

[Hunter]

The Fatter the tires probably the better, Not only for stability but if you hit a pothole wrong the smaller tube may pop...Im sure others will have more knowledge then I do.

 

[Amwicr]

I would not motorize that bike, at least not with a CG kit. The wheels will be problematic. Switching them out would be sad, since it looks so cool with them.

My suggestion: Put that bike in working order, clean it up and everything, then sell it for a profit. I could be wrong, but I think you could (maybe??) get $150+ for it.. With which you can get a better suited bike for this application.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

I would motorize that frame. Most of my builds have been road bikes.

You would definitely want at least a 40mm tire. My bike is a 700x42. You would want different rims and thicker spokes than those wheels for sure. At the very least a 38mm tire. Continental makes a range of ebike rated 700c tires that are built more like motorcycle tires and they have 30mph speed ratings. I love mine.

The biggest question is if the wider and taller tires will fit the forks and dropouts.

There are people that may dislike motorizing a vintage frame, but at the end of the day it's your machine.

 

[Traveler84]

I would motorize that frame. Most of my builds have been road bikes.

You would definitely want at least a 40mm tire. My bike is a 700x42. You would want different rims and thicker spokes than those wheels for sure. At the very least a 38mm tire. Continental makes a range of ebike rated 700c tires that are built more like motorcycle tires and they have 30mph speed ratings. I love mine.

The biggest question is if the wider and taller tires will fit the forks and dropouts.

There are people that may dislike motorizing a vintage frame, but at the end of the day it's your machine.

For thicker rims and spokes do you have any brand recommendations?

 

[Amwicr]

I would motorize that frame. Most of my builds have been road bikes.

You would definitely want at least a 40mm tire. My bike is a 700x42. You would want different rims and thicker spokes than those wheels for sure. At the very least a 38mm tire. Continental makes a range of ebike rated 700c tires that are built more like motorcycle tires and they have 30mph speed ratings. I love mine.

The biggest question is if the wider and taller tires will fit the forks and dropouts.

There are people that may dislike motorizing a vintage frame, but at the end of the day it's your machine.

The frame is perfectly fine, all I'm saying is that once he changes what he's gotta change, it might not make as much sense to use that exact bike.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

The frame is perfectly fine, all I'm saying is that once he changes what he's gotta change, it might not make as much sense to use that exact bike.

In my experience, that's true of almost all road bikes.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

For thicker rims and spokes do you have any brand recommendations?

If you plan to stick with rim brakes, the front can be fairly standard. The rear is the tricky one as I go for a disc brake hub so you can easily mount a sprocket. Most wheels that come setup for disc don't come with rim brake rims, and I would want high quality spokes of at least 14ga. Basically, it needs to be built.

I am a fan of disc brakes (at least front) whenever possible as rim brakes tend to have short life spans on MBs, and are also scary as heck if they get wet. If you stick with rim brakes, don't skimp on the shoes.

 

[cloakedvillain]

To answer the tire question: this bike had 27 x 1.1/8 tires on it stock. That's about 28mm wide, you might be able to run 700 x 32. You usually get more tire clearance when you go to smaller size. But I highly recommend taking it to a bike shop and checking the fit before buying a pair. Those ebike tires are worth the investment.

I've got 32c semi slick tires on a hybrid and despite being narrow it corners well and has good traction..

I was able to find the catalog for the 1984 traveler. About halfway down the page. https://simplicityvintagecycles.com/2021/04/09/1984-schwinn-traveler/

It was a pretty nice bike back in the day. Mid range components with a butted chromoly frame. Looks like the last guy made it a fixie. No rear brake, Kieran bars and the deep V rims.

I love my drop bars but those Keiran style bars can be pretty extreme. Most people would want a flat bar or a more ergonomic drop bar. If you want to keep the drops bars it will take some figuring.

I have made a china doll work with curly bars, I used a bar end shifter as the throttle and a coaster brake in the rear. It worked pretty well.

 

[darwin]

Good evening! I am joining the forum as a way of participating and asking questions as I go through my first build. I have earmarked several "getting started" threads here and am anticipating the parts to be in this weekend.

I have owned two motorized bikes before and after some time away from the hobby (due to people who wanted my bikes more than I did...) I thought that it might be time for me to build my own. I will be working to place an 80cc IMAYCC motor on a 1984 Schwinn Traveler frame that has already been converted to single speed. I initially got it at a yard sale for $20 and according to my magnet, it is a steel frame.

Some initial questions that I have that I have not seen in the general threads are: Should I be concerned about the narrowness of the current 700x23 tires and go for a 38 or 40mm immediately or is it safe to try? I believe experience and advice can easily outweigh my curiosity on this one. Another question that I have is, are there any safety concerns about utilizing the horn style handlebars on a motorized bike? I assume there is not and I quite like the aesthetic but again, experience can convince me otherwise. My final question, is, although I plan on replacing the fork for a monarch style, I have read that the forward bent forks that are on some road bikes are prone to collapse when hitting bumps at speed. Is this something I should be concerned about?

I look forward to any guidance or interest in this thread and am a bit surprised that I could not find any other Schwinn Travelers aside from the 1964 model on the forum.

Welcome to the forum. You're too nice, you need to be a lil rougher around the edges to get a long here.