Will this bike break if I convert to ebike?

[Brett1010]

Hey I’ve got this weird/cool bike (pics) I found and fixed up and want to convert to an ebike for burning man (flat but bumpy terrain).

A guy who does a lot of ebike conversions told me the motor would pop out if I put a motorized front wheel.

Guys at my bike shop also told me the frame might break if subjected to bumps.

I’m willing to take some risks here if it’s a 50/50 chance it breaks. But if it’s a 90% chance I probably wouldn’t take it.

Does anyone have any opinions on this as far as the strength of the bike?

Pics attached.

Video here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uGfPojjr_Ft_IdC1s_q53RGJom-wsokL/view?usp=drivesdk

 

[James340]

I just put a 48v 1000w front hub motor in a 90's era Trek hybrid bike.I put torque arms on both sides and really tighten the nuts &I mean really tighten the nuts.The motor is very powerful it goes 30+ mph on motor and 40 when I pedal.I would suggest a small motor and battery to be gentle on the bike.These things are so much fun

 

[Ghostonefour]

That’s not a bike, it’s a piece of art. I love the spoke design in the wheels. I think the concern is how thin the frame tubing appears to be. Wouldn’t a mid drive be better than hub drive?

 

[StoneTower]

The spokes are one of the things that makes it a cool bike. I wonder if you could a get a set of non-concentric circular adapters made that would allow you to run a mid-drive motor inside the frame. They make smaller mid drives that should be fine for a bike like that. If you did it correctly, you could always put it back if you ever got tired if the electric version.

 

[Bohemoth]

Hey I’ve got this weird/cool bike (pics) I found and fixed up and want to convert to an ebike for burning man (flat but bumpy terrain).

A guy who does a lot of ebike conversions told me the motor would pop out if I put a motorized front wheel.

Guys at my bike shop also told me the frame might break if subjected to bumps.

I’m willing to take some risks here if it’s a 50/50 chance it breaks. But if it’s a 90% chance I probably wouldn’t take it.

Does anyone have any opinions on this as far as the strength of the bike?

Pics attached.

Video here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uGfPojjr_Ft_IdC1s_q53RGJom-wsokL/view?usp=drivesdk

Buy one of those gas motor kits. Cheap and effective. Bolt right up in that bike without the trouble of batteries, controller. Hub motor, etc. $100 on ebay. Comes with everything but gas.