A Question of ride comfort for Court or anybody else.

[Ebiker33]

Court and everybody else .......
I would like to ask people that have riden both types of Ebikes which is more comfortable or are they about equal.

A fat tire bike(around 4") with a front suspension and no rear suspension, but a very good suspension seat post, or a standard tire bike(around 2.6") with both rear and front suspension with a standard seat post ?

 

[6zfshdb]

Of course this is just my opinion and it should be noted that performance varies a great deal from one brand to another.

While a good suspension seat post goes a long way in smoothing the ride on a hardtail, I've not seen one that equals the performance of a well tuned full suspension bike. Running a lower pressure in a fat tire will increase the comfort level but cost you in pedaling effort and battery range. I can't say from experience whether the combination of the two would equal the ride of a quality FS bike but my guess is it would not.

 

[rich c]

Comfortable is a relative term, comfort in what style of riding? If a suspension seat post, suspension fork, and lower tire pressure could match a full suspension, why would anyone design a full suspension and carry the extra weight? It was designed because you can infinitely vary the stiffness and rebound. You can't tune rebound with a suspension seat post or tire pressure. It improves the handling over rocks, roots, and especially jumps. The travel is the other key issue. Jump anything over 2' tall and the travel becomes more important. I do appreciate my Full Seven on really rough city streets with bad manhole covers and construction, but it was not primarily designed for short travel hits like that. I got rid of my two fat bikes with 4.9" wide tires. I saw zero use for them after riding my Haibike Full Seven with 2.4" tires. The Haibike is just so much more nimble for where I ride.

 

[Alaskan]

Sorry @rich c, but nothing equals a well tuned full suspension for comfort, safety and control.

A hard tail with a Kinekt body float and soft, fat tires will be far better than one without a suspension seat post and tires inflated for maximum speed/minimum rolling resistance .

However it will never equal a well tuned Fox float rear shock with properly adjusted rebound and 120mm of travel. The price paid in loss of speed and nimbleness of a fat tire with low inflation is a steep one.

In fact adding a seat post will further enhance a full suspension by reducing the higher frequency vibrations and impacts from smaller objects in the roadway.

Personally, I am unwilling to accept the lower speed, higher battery use and lower range that fat tires with low inflation impose, YMMV.

 

[rich c]

Sorry @rich c, but nothing equals a well tuned full suspension for comfort, safety and control.

A hard tail with a Kinekt body float and soft, fat tires will be far better than one without a suspension seat post and tires inflated for maximum speed/minimum rolling resistance .

However it will never equal a well tuned Fox float rear shock with properly adjusted rebound and 120mm of travel. The price paid in loss of speed and nimbleness of a fat tire with low inflation is a steep one.

In fact adding a seat post will further enhance a full suspension by reducing the higher frequency vibrations and impacts from smaller objects in the roadway.

Personally, I am unwilling to accept the lower speed, higher battery use and lower range that fat tires with low inflation impose, YMMV.

Sorry? Aren’t we saying basically the same thing?

 

[Alaskan]

Sorry? Aren’t we saying basically the same thing?

In rereading your comments it is clear that i misread them first time around and indeed we are saying exactly the same thing. My apologies,

 

[Baco Noir]

Depends. If you are riding streets and light trails there is little need for full suspension. It increase maintenance cost and decreases pedaling efficiency. A seat post shock could be added if you want a little more comfort or over time, you’ll see the rough sections coming and just raise your rear end off the saddle as you go over the rough spot.

 

[rich c]

Depends. If you are riding streets and light trails there is little need for full suspension. It increase maintenance cost and decreases pedaling efficiency. A seat post shock could be added if you want a little more comfort or over time, you’ll see the rough sections coming and just raise your rear end off the saddle as you go over the rough spot.

Nearly all full suspension bikes can be locked out. No loss in pedal efficiency when there is no suspension travel.

 

[Ebiker33]

For trail rides with roots, jumps and rocks I know a rear suspension is better for not only absorbing those bigger impacts but keeping the wheel planted, so it's safer as well.
Does going tubeless increase the comfort of the ride as well ?

 

[Baco Noir]

Nearly all full suspension bikes can be locked out. No loss in pedal efficiency when there is no suspension travel.

Lockout is relative. My Niner RIP9 RDO still has pedal bob when locked out.

For trail rides with roots, jumps and rocks I know a rear suspension is better for not only absorbing those bigger impacts but keeping the wheel planted, so it's safer as well.
Does going tubeless increase the comfort of the ride as well ?

yes. You can ride at lower tire pressure and get a softer ride and better traction

 

[Ebiker33]

Lockout is relative. My Niner RIP9 RDO still has pedal bob when locked out.




yes. You can ride at lower tire pressure and get a softer ride and better traction

So basically tubeless 4" fat wheels with lower PSI for total comfort is ideal? Let the motor do it's work and ride in increased comfort.

 

[Baco Noir]

So basically tubeless 4" fat wheels with lower PSI for total comfort is ideal? Let the motor do it's work and ride in increased comfort.

i would not say that. I have a fat bike with 4.5” tires and a XC bike with 3.3” tires - both set up tubeless. The XC bike with lower tire pressure rides great. The 4.5” tires get kind of bouncy. If you are doing roads and light trails, avoid the fat tires. If you are doing mostly off road, fat tires maybe fine. Test ride the areas you will be riding on both to make the best decision.