I found myself interested in trying out an e-bike. That's how it often starts: idly wondering if something is as fun or interesting as people say it is. It's this idle wondering that will eventually get me to try pickleball.
But on this day, it was e-bikes. And as my mind idly wandered -- and as I looked at the cost of factory e-bikes, I started thinking more and more about a conversion kit. It didn't hurt that I'd just renovated a '76 Schwinn Speedster, which heavy and overbuilt in a way that only the Chicago-built Schwinns can be. In other words, plenty strong enough for an e-bike conversion kit. I also thought the Scwhinn's three-speed, internal-gear hub might be a nice pairing with the extra power.
Because I'm cheap, because it was an experiment, and also because I wasn't much interested in maximum range or top speed, I went with a pretty basic, inexpensive kit. I believe I used this Voilamart front-wheel kit or something very similar. The kits seem to change often, but that's pretty comparable. I also bought a compatible 36V battery. I can't recall which one, but it was similar to this one. In 2022, the kit and battery were a smidge over $500. The prices have dropped quite a bit though, and now I think you could do it for much less.
The starting point for this project.
Initially, I thought I'd mount the battery on the downtube, but this proved to be both ugly and impractical on this size frame. I eventually decided to put both the controller and battery in a classic Wald wire basket out front.
The fork drop-outs had to be filed slightly to fit the oversize axle on the ebike motor. I had also hoped to run the wiring up through the tubular fork, but couldn't manage to fish it through at the fork crown. So zip ties came to the rescue. You can also see the e-bike kit throttle and wiring, right by the original 3-speed shifter.
I also had to drill out the mounting holes for the Wald rack a lot to fit the oversize axle. Here you can see one size enlarged and the other still in the original size.
With the rack and wheel in place, it was ready for wiring.
I did a test fit to be sure the electric bits were going to fit.
I had a cheap IKEA backpack that coincidentally fit the Wald basket perfectly and hid all the electric parts. You can also see the brake levers have changed. That's because the e-bike kit cuts power when you use the brakes, so you have to use their levers.
And that was pretty much it. I don't appear to have any pictures of the wiring, mostly because it was nearly plug and play. I do recall having to change one connector to make the battery and controller compatible, but other than that it was really just plugging things in. I did put some cable wrap on the wires to keep them tidy. But it was all pretty simple, and the instructions were decent enough.
How does it ride?#
Pretty great, mostly. There's a LOT of weight up front on this thing, so at very slow speeds the steering is heavy and floppy. But once you get going a little, it rides great. It's very smooth and very comfortable.
As I hoped, the motor and the three-speed work great together, and hills are no longer a concern. It is definitely a heavyweight -- probably north of 50 pounds -- but if the motor is moving it, you just don't care. I've taken it on 25-mile+ rides and would go farther, but at some point I get worried about the battery dying. I would not want to be batteryless on this bike and trying to ride it 20 miles home.
All done and ready to go.
What did I learn, and what would I do differently?#
I learned these kits are pretty straighforward and well within the ability of anyone reasonably handy with a wrench and able to figure things out. Probably the biggest thing I think makes a difference in the conversion is thinking really hard about where the battery and controller will be stored, and what implications that has for wiring, weight, and handling. I've enjoyed mine and would make another. That said, if I were to do another here's what I'd change:
- I'd consider a hybrid frame, or an old hardtail mountain bike. Either would be much lighter than the Schwinn, but more importantly they'd have a JIS-standard bottom bracket rather than the larger "american" bottom bracket on the Schwinn. This would make it easier to put in a mid-mount engine, which I think would be preferable.
- I'd keep an internal-gear hub, but look at maybe a 7 or 8-speed hub. But that's me. I have no reason to believe a derailleur wouldn't work fine.
- I'd add the pedal assist feature. This kit came with pedal-assist, but it was another casualty of the Schwinn's oversize bottom bracket.
- I'd focus harder on the brakes. They're adequate on the Schwinn -- I upgraded them in the rebuild process -- but even a 36V motor can get you up to speeds where you really want good brakes.
Fun bike. I should ride it more.
April 11 update#
I've decided I need to clear the herd a bit, so this one is hitting the market. To that end I stripped off the e-bike conversion kit and took it back to more of a BMX Cruiser/Klunker vibe. And when I rode it, it was suddenly my favorite cruiser ever. Such a fun, fun bike. I'm still going to sell it because I really do need to clear a few out, but I can tell I'm going to regret letting this one go, and sooner or later I'll end up building another one much like it.
It just looks cool, in all of its late 70s/early 80s cruiser glory.
Modern klunker-style bars and a pretty good reproduction of an 80s BMX stem.
80's style tubular fork and reproduction Dia-Compe MX brakes
Original cranks and Schwinn chainring, with new gold chain.
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