Thats the theory, but my low pressure 4.8s on 100mm suspension batter my arms and palms into submission, the Fox 170mm on the Levo with 2.5s pumped rock hard glide over rock gardens.
Asphalt around here is old and rough. With my first e-bike, at the tires’ minimum of 30 psi, bumps were severe on my wrists and spine. Control was very poor. A springy seat and suspension post made little difference.
The geometry of this bike was entirely different from that typical of 3-speeds before JFK. It goes back to the 1886 Rover, in the days of cobblestones and solid tires. Safety bikes, with 28” wheels, were unpopular because they rode rougher than the 56” wheels of penny-farthings, invented by James Starley. His nephew John solved the problem by moving the seat maybe 12” aft. He used a cantilever post so the seat could be adjusted fore and aft as well as up and down.
This transferred weight from the seat to the pedals. The bottom bracket is the best place for the rider’s weight because a bump lifts it only about half as high as either axle. Besides, the rider’s ankles, knees, and hips are made to absorb shocks. Moving the seat aft also stabilized the rider’s weight for better control and less danger of going over the bars.
This made bicycling popular as transportation and not just a daredevil sport. When pneumatic tires came along, they were icing on the cake. Their first selling point was not comfort but reduced rolling resistance.
Moving the seat aft can transfer weight to the hands as well as the feet. This can be fixed by raising the bars to maybe 8” above seat height. When JFK took office, American adults were riding 3-speeds, mostly imported, with seats well aft of bottom brackets and adjustable bars well above seats. He put a prohibitive tariff on everything but racers. Now an adult needing a utility bike had to buy a racer. A racer needed low bars to reduce air drag. Low bars required a forward seat to reduce weight on the hands. JFK had taken American bicycling back to the geometry the public had once rejected.
JFK’s favorites, Schwinns, were so bad that they were free for the taking. Mountain biking was the sport of crashing them. The only way to make them go was to point them downhill. They weren’t safe going downhill because they had only a coaster brake. They handled poorly, so a sharp turn could mean a crash. Along came Specialized, who realized there was money to be made with imports designed to make it a racing sport. To snap in and out of tight turns, bars had to be low, and low bars required forward seats.
I moved my first e-bike seat aft for stability and control. I discovered that it greatly improved pedaling, and a simple racing saddle gave me a smoother ride than I’d had with a big, springy saddle and suspension post in the original position. My fourth e-bike was the first where I didn’t need aftermarket hardware to raise the bars. It was also my first with a front suspension. I thought that was a big improvement until I discovered that bumps were equally comfortable with the suspension locked out.
I run 50 psi in my 20 x 2.4 tires. When I remember to check, I may find that it has dropped to 45 or even 40. The first time I increased pressure from 40 to 50, I expected to feel a harsher ride. I didn’t. The world learned in 1886 that with the proper positioning of seat and handlebars, a rider’s legs can be excellent shock absorbers.
You would probably gain more from riding a proper XC e-bike.
