I Am Seeing A Lot Of New Ebikes With No Front Suspension

[Ebiker33]

All the new Harley's/Serial1 have none, there is the new Sondors that doesn't have it.
Harley's Ebikes
Sondors Cruiser
Surface604 Boar (2021)
Just a few examples

So those of you going at 30mph with no front suspension, how much shock is hitting you through the length of your ride.
Maybe if you have fat tires to help absorb these, but it seems that on a long 50 mile ride this would eventually effect your arms and wrists through too much impact vibrations.

If you have riden both types please comment.

 

[Ebiker33]

I have a Juiced CrossCurrent Air, it's a budget friendly model of CrossCurrent.

Initially I thought not having front suspension fork was fine because fast ebikes like Stromer ST2 didn't have it.
I was wrong, I felt very uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe without suspension.

My guess is that, ebike companies are not putting suspension fork because of budget or aesthetics reasons.

True, it's not just about comfort, at 30mph; it's about safety too.
If the only reason is for looks, then I think they might be missing what Ebikes are going to be used for, which is much longer commutes than standard bikes, not running out of energy, but tired from pure shock vibration over several hours.

 

[PDoz]

Suspension is about comfort, IMHO you need very high quality suspension before it is a safety factor. Cheap flexible pogo sticks just produce dangerous variable geometry. Nice and thick well dampened decent suspension....it's magical. ( think 34 mm and above, 150 mm travel with multi adjustable compression and rebound , variable air chamber volume....basically forks that cost more than the bikes mentioned above)

But lets not forget, old fashioned road cyclists cope with tiny wheels , no suspension, yet high speed. I have no idea how- the concept of bending over and having a bike rammed into my body ...just seems wrong.....so I'm willing to invest silly $ in high quality suspension for comfort.

 

[Dallant]

I insist on front suspension mostly because of a really bum shoulder. It may not be a great (Mobie25) fork but it’s way better than a solid fork would be.

 

[TForan]

I think you need to spend big bucks to get a front suspension fork that works well. I had an entry level fork on mine and swapped it for a solid fork and much happier with that. Also, saved around 5 lbs off the front end.

 

[fooferdoggie]

most of the forks are not great. my spring fork didn't to do a lot. my upgrade makes a huge difference. especially going fast it smooths out the rough pavement well. not too expensive at 250.00 sometimes I am like my bike feels weird as I was so used to the harsh ride from the stock fork.

 

[reed scott]

I have a Juiced CrossCurrent Air, it's a budget friendly model of CrossCurrent.

Initially I thought not having front suspension fork was fine because fast ebikes like Stromer ST2 didn't have it.
I was wrong, I felt very uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe without suspension.

My guess is that, ebike companies are not putting suspension fork because of budget or aesthetics reasons.

Budget AND lack of supply from fork makers I suspect.

 

[Gordon71]

30MPH???? Sorry,not that crazy.

 

[reed scott]

30MPH???? Sorry,not that crazy.

Yeah I don't think humans have great understanding of speed on wheels. We are so used to going fast in our cars and such that we think 30 is a crawl. The difference, I suspect, between a crash at 20 and a crash at 30 is, if not exponential, would be at least double. Adrenaline is a dangerous drug. Very addictive to some personality types.

 

[Ebiker33]

30MPH???? Sorry,not that crazy.

Class 3 is 28 mph so it's not a stretch.
My Ebike is restricted to 20mph and I have fat tires and a front suspension and if I hit larger holes my wrists and arms know it, I can't imagine riding like that for 3 hours and not feeling the effects.
Although traditional gravel bikes don't have suspensions.

Here is Micah testing the new Ebikes from Harley Davidson

 

[jabberwocky]

I’d rather have no suspension than the cheap suspension forks that comes on a lot of hybrid/commuter type bikes. I guess it depends on where you ride, but I’ve been riding road bikes for 15 years and regularly hit 30-40mph, and that’s a bike with a rigid carbon fork and 23mm tires with 120psi in them. Honestly, I’d much rather go that fast on the road bike than, say, my gravel bike or full suspension MTB, because I find the limiting factor at high speed is frame rigidity/stability and tire squirming.


Record on the road bike is almost 60mph, coming off a mountain on a freshly paved road. That’s pretty scary.

Even on my 2 gravel rigs (e and non-e) both have rigid carbon forks and I get into the 30s even on unpaved roads without issue. It’s just skills and learning to read the road.

 

[Akrotiri]

All the new Harley's/Serial1 have none, there is the new Sondors that doesn't have it.
Harley's Ebikes
Sondors Cruiser
Surface604 Boar (2021)
Just a few examples

So those of you going at 30mph with no front suspension, how much shock is hitting you through the length of your ride.
Maybe if you have fat tires to help absorb these, but it seems that on a long 50 mile ride this would eventually effect your arms and wrists through too much impact vibrations.

If you have riden both types please comment.

Not much shock for me traveling at high speeds going over rough roads, gravel roads or potholes with my no front suspension allant 8s. The 2.4 inch wide tires absorb all of the impact. Quality front suspension forks cost about $800 which is basically half the price of a juiced cross current.

In my opinion front or FS is only necessary for emtb/mtb. Even the mid range suspensions on commuter ebikes are for slight perceived improved comfort and with no increase in control.

Some people claim that suspension increases control during high speeds. If one needs suspension to travel at over 15mph safely then that person shouldn’t be traveling at over 15mph on an ebike. Similar to reckless car drivers who speed while texting because they have 8 airbags in their vehicle and radar controlled accident prevention braking features. They shouldn’t behind the wheel.

Experience has taught me when and where to travel above 20mph on my ebike and a suspension at those speeds would only give me a false sense of security on an ebike.

When I decide to get into serious rock crawling technical trails I’ll purchase a FS emtb where it would actually provide tangible benefits.

 

[antboy]

Maybe it's because the majority of people aren't constantly going 30mph.

It also may be that not every type of bike, or rider, needs or wants front suspension.

I have both, and I much prefer my rigid fork 2" tires (with Shockstop suspension stem and seat) over my 4" with suspension at just about every speed/condition I ride in - mostly paved, some hard pack, and usually topping out at 18ish mph but mostly slower than that.

Even before installing the Shockstop, the rigid fork on the OHM Cruise only had a little arm/wrist fatigue after a 50+km ride, if it was a fair amount of hard pack riding. With the stem, after 50km I'm feeling fine.

I'm only considering front suspension again (or maybe full suspension), in that I'm considering replacing the 4" with a 2.5-30" eMTB for some low end technical trails and winter use.

 

[Ebiker33]

Anybody have solid carbon fiber forks with the Shockstop suspension stem ?

 

[Dallant]

Yeah I don't think humans have great understanding of speed on wheels. We are so used to going fast in our cars and such that we think 30 is a crawl. The difference, I suspect, between a crash at 20 and a crash at 30 is, if not exponential, would be at least double. Adrenaline is a dangerous drug. Very addictive to some personality types.

I like to think I have a good understanding of speed on two wheels having ridden bicycles and motorcycles most of my life. Maybe that’s why I don’t want a class 3 ebike. I go well over 30 descending several hills almost every time I go on a regular ride and while I do get an adrenaline rush almost every time, I’m always conscience of the fact that at 66+ yrs old, I’m a hell of a lot more fragile these days and a lot more sensitive to pain.

 

[BarryS]

Seeing suspension on all these NON MTB E-Bikes is Marketing . Because the Consumer response of mainly liking that look has taken off . It's all Marketing : It makes your Bike look more badass . DOES IT HELP ? A little but not all that much. I often get done riding assuming My suspension is working . Just to find I forgot to unlock it . I lock it for transporting on a rear rack. Rear Suspension or in the seat helps far more .

 

[Over50]

When I started commuting on R&Ms I thought having front suspension would be a benefit. After getting some experience, I found myself mostly locking out the fork for my commutes. Where I tended to take more impact was on the tailbone even with a Kinekt seatpost. My hands, shoulders, wrists were not all that bothered. This was generally 30-35 miles of distance and never do I ride at 30 mph. My high speeds tended around 23-26 mph. When I bought the Allant and then the Vado SL, I no longer wanted the weight penalty of front suspension. I've learned there is a lot one can do to dampen vibration via all of the touchpoints. I think the Allant 9s is the most comfortable ride I've had so far. More comfortable than the R&M with the front Suntour air fork. So tires with Tannus liners, carbon rims, Baramind bar, Kinekt seatpost, good grips properly aligned on the bar - provides a very comfortable ride over 80-90% of what I ride on. It is only the roughest pavement where I tend to get thrown around a bit but I don't think even front suspension would help much there. If I opt for a commuter with suspension again it will be full suspension. Just having a front suspension fork adds weight and maintenance for not that much benefit IMO.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Seeing suspension on all these NON MTB E-Bikes is Marketing . Because the Consumer response of mainly liking that look has taken off . It's all Marketing : It makes your Bike look more badass . DOES IT HELP ? A little but not all that much. I often get done riding assuming My suspension is working . Just to find I forgot to unlock it . I lock it for transporting on a rear rack. Rear Suspension or in the seat helps far more .

well Yes but my new fork is better then my kinekt seat post. it works best at higher speeds on rough pavement. holes and such it does nto do a lot on. but mainly I wanted to just smooth the road out and help with vibration. I went with the rock shok because our tandem came with a air shock and it was easier on my hands. but with all the weight on the tandem it does nto help as much as the one on my commuter bike.

 

[BarryS]

well Yes but my new fork is better then my kinekt seat post. it works best at higher speeds on rough pavement. holes and such it does nto do a lot on. but mainly I wanted to just smooth the road out and help with vibration. I went with the rock shok because our tandem came with a air shock and it was easier on my hands. but with all the weight on the tandem it does nto help as much as the one on my commuter bike.

what bike is that ? That's an alliant?

 

[Ckbtvl]

If this huge demands die down for ebikes, I hope that Trek, Giant, Specialized, etc will begin to realize that we desire customization on these higher priced bike. Shocks, fenders, racks, motor size, battery, controllers and shocks. Electrik Bike Company does it now and I may have ordered from them had they had a location near me. The color is reasonably immaterial to me. But I am not going to spend 3600.00 on the Allant +7 and then 500.00 for the Nyon controller and another 200.00 for a seat post shock absorber. If we are ordering bikes, and they use all of these parts, then how hard is it to build the bakes that we want?