Full Suspension Vs. Seatpost Suspension...which is best?

[RandallS]

I have a very good hardtail that I have thoroughly enjoyed, but just added a FS into the mix. Why? Roots and rocks and a bit of comfort on some of the rougher trails.

On the HT i have both a Suntour suspension post as well as a PNW Coast suspension dropper. Of the two, the Suntour is vastly superior with trail chatter, but once you've ridden on off road trails with a dropper, you really can't go back.

Really looking forward to riding the FS (Liv Intrigue) but will likely finish the winter on my Fathom Pro.

Cant wait to attack a couple of technical climbs near my home that have always defeated me. Yup - roots and rocks...

 

[Holland-Tim-Allant+8S]

I have a very good hardtail that I have thoroughly enjoyed, but just added a FS into the mix. Why? Roots and rocks and a bit of comfort on some of the rougher trails.

On the HT i have both a Suntour suspension post as well as a PNW Coast suspension dropper. Of the two, the Suntour is vastly superior with trail chatter, but once you've ridden on off road trails with a dropper, you really can't go back.

Really looking forward to riding the FS (Liv Intrigue) but will likely finish the winter on my Fathom Pro.

Cant wait to attack a couple of technical climbs near my home that have always defeated me. Yup - roots and rocks...

I am flying up steep hills on my Powerfly that stopped me before on my acoustic. The assist let’s you carry your speed up the hill so you don’t reach that crawling and spinning out situation as you near the top.

 

[m@Robertson]

My discussion of suspension is tailored to what the thread author was asking about: Mostly urban use with occasional fire roads. For singletrack, I never considered the subject relevant as it was not part of the help request.

In terms of rider comfort on a fast ebike, the ultimate street rider is full suspension. Its tough to make it happen practically, though, given conflicting needs to have things like racks and battery space in a triangle. Frey's CC is one of the very few that get it right.

I'm still looking for a frame I can use to do a street build. Closest thing I have come across is an older alloy Salsa Bucksaw, which I know has a triangle (more like a polygon) that can hold a Luna Shark pack. And that will still require a backpack if I want to carry work clothes.

...

This is something no one will sign onto, I know. Only the people who have done it will accept: A backpack battery eliminates the need to have the weight in the bike. Which in turns makes portage over fences and whatnot vastly more practical. Rather than the pack being a detriment due to placing the weight high up, its actually easier to handle the bike because the dead weight of the battery is shifting with the rider as the rider changes position to the needs of the moment. And lastly I would have never believed it until I did it - because I was forced to - but you forget completely about the cable tethering you to the bike in about two seconds.

I'm kind of rediscovering this as I brought my enduro back from its quiet death in storage over the last couple of years. Hardshell pack protects both the battery and my spine. A janitor's key chain retractor and a little ingenuity keeps the cable cinched up to me. I'll replace the original 20ah pack with a 12.5 which makes a lot more sense. Big batteries aren't needed on a bike like this.

 

[PDoz]

Yes, that will be off-road. That's why mountain bikes for riding technical single track are fully suspended, and the higher jumps are expected the longer suspension travel is used. During my over 1 year ownership of Trance E+ Pro (150 mm travel front, can't remember the damper travel) only half of the suspension travel was utilized max. It is because MTB forks are designed to withstand jumps, and I never jumped on my e-MTB.

Specialized install very expensive FutureShock suspension stem on their road/gravel bikes and e-bikes, and the 1.5 version has the 20 mm travel. Cannondale offers their Lefty suspension fork for their gravel e-bikes, and the travel is just 20 mm there, too. That's exactly what is necessary for the ride comfort. The rest is for the traction. (Necessary to mention such bikes and e-bikes are lightweight). Bear in mind proper suspension increases the weight of the bike very much.

Stefan, your making comments based on a year of using suspension poorly adjusted for you. Perhaps spend a day fiddling with your brothers trance - remove the tokens and speed up the dampening . I'm willing to bet that will start to help you understand just how much extra traction good suspension can assist with.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

remove the tokens and speed up the dampening

Done that a couple of times. I do not ride demanding trails as you are PDoz. For me, advanced suspension can be used in the city but what is the point in adding the weight? Have you ridden a rigid bike with Redshift at least once? I do ride gravel (road, gravel, easy off-road) on my Vado SL w/Redshift, and am really happy! It is a 17 kg e-bike, makes a huge difference.

extra traction

IF you need extra traction. I was happy with my Giant but didn't need it really. I ride ice & snow in the forest on my two unsuspended e-bikes. Why should I need the suspension?!

 

[PDoz]

Done that a couple of times. I do not ride demanding trails as you are PDoz. For me, advanced suspension can be used in the city but what is the point in adding the weight? Have you ridden a rigid bike with Redshift at least once? I do ride gravel (road, gravel, easy off-road) on my Vado SL w/Redshift, and am really happy! It is a 17 kg e-bike, makes a huge difference.


IF you need extra traction. I was happy with my Giant but didn't need it really. I ride ice & snow in the forest on my two unsuspended e-bikes. Why should I need the suspension?!

I've ridden bikes with head-stem dampening, not sure of the brand - perhaps I'm a slow learner, but I couldn't adapt to the feeling like I was wearing 3 condoms and a blindfold. I guess decades of riding bikes with traditional contact points make it hard to ride a bike with hinges ?

BTW , I suspect what you are perceiving as improved traction on the Vado comes from the bottom bracket being lower on an unsuspended bike - NOT from that headstem dampener.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

BTW , I suspect what you are perceiving as improved traction on the Vado comes from the bottom bracket being lower on an unsuspended bike - NOT from that headstem dampener.

You simply haven't ridden a Vado SL with a Redshift Shockstop stem. Can't help that. And you are not an informed person here.
To make you sure about the difference I can only tell you that riding a stock Vado SL is an ordeal

@PDoz: I have reconsidered the above in the morning. I was very rude, for which I really apologize. You are the top person for off-road biking for me here. I just only wonder whether you are riding your FS e-bikes in the city?