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

[indianajo]

I ride up to 35 mph downhill on really good pavement with 26"x2.1" tires. Suspension is not an option on cargo bikes, and since the head tube is non-standard diameter, aftermarket products are also not an option for a bodaboda. I do not feel out of control. I do brake down on some smooth pavements that have a sprinkling of gravel at the bottom. I run the front tire about 40 psi for more cushioning.

 

[WattsUpDude]

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

Rigid aluminum fork on my Urban Rush. I have the Redshift stem and seat post. Both are wonderful. It's given me a lot of comfort without much of the weight penalty of a suspension fork. I do take this bike where it shouldn't go like gnarly single track but I don't do that at speed. I do have a lot of opportunity to go 35 MPH+ on my hilly commute and could do that confidently even when the bike was stock.

 

[fooferdoggie]

what bike is that ? That's an alliant?

bulls crossmover.

 

[tomjasz]

I don't bother since my rides are all on decent streets. A reliable decent front suspension is at LEAST $250. I've had cheap suspension forks and they suck, IME. YMMV!

 

[PDoz]

Really?

Is there suspension fork shortage?

Yes - try your favourite online retailer for availability. As an example, work your way through https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/forks?page=2&sort=pricelow And click to see available sizes, I can save you some time - the first 10 are completely out of stock, and it's not until you click on the xfusion 34 that you have the joy of paying $700 oz - for an x fusion fork! A year ago , that would get you a discounted set of fox 34 Ebike forks - now $1400 and not trendy enough to sell ( because we all " need" 38 mm now....$1800 )

 

[fooferdoggie]

Yes - try your favourite online retailer for availability. As an example, work your way through https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/forks?page=2&sort=pricelow And click to see available sizes, I can save you some time - the first 10 are completely out of stock, and it's not until you click on the xfusion 34 that you have the joy of paying $700 oz - for an x fusion fork! A year ago , that would get you a discounted set of fox 34 Ebike forks - now $1400 and not trendy enough to sell ( because we all " need" 38 mm now....$1800 )

yes I lucked out when I got mine I put my email on several venders websites. got one in a few days then they were sold out again. its hard to even find a fork for 700c.

 

[arcom]

I don’t think you can get more low rent than the suspension forks on my DJ mountain bike. However, when I engaged the lockout you would have thought someone put a solid rubber tire on the front. The ‘MotoZombie‘ fork might be cheap but it’s effective.

 

[antboy]

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?

I'd argue that part of the reason you're paying a higher price is BECAUSE they're more customized, and companies like Trek spend a lot more money on R&D to get to their frame designs.

EBC has essentially 3 frames (5 if you count the integrated rack for rear battery models of their regular and step thru), and build out from there. All are what I'd call "utilitarian" or "casual cruiser". There's nothing wrong with that, and that's their market.

The "big" bike companies all have much more purpose built frames. From road to eMTB, to casual cruiser, and there's no mistaking one frame design over another. Using Trek as an example, they 8 or so frames just for their city/casual bikes alone, from lean back cruisers like the Ace of Spades, to more aggressive frames geared towards city commuters like the Allant 8.

To bring it back on topic, if you're looking at something like the Allant 8, but want front suspension, there's the Allant 7 just waiting (in 3 frame styles). If that's not "mountain bikey" enough, they have a range of hardtail and FS eMTBs.

 

[Akrotiri]

I'd argue that part of the reason you're paying a higher price is BECAUSE they're more customized, and companies like Trek spend a lot more money on R&D to get to their frame designs.

EBC has essentially 3 frames (5 if you count the integrated rack for rear battery models of their regular and step thru), and build out from there. All are what I'd call "utilitarian" or "casual cruiser". There's nothing wrong with that, and that's their market.

The "big" bike companies all have much more purpose built frames. From road to eMTB, to casual cruiser, and there's no mistaking one frame design over another. Using Trek as an example, they 8 or so frames just for their city/casual bikes alone, from lean back cruisers like the Ace of Spades, to more aggressive frames geared towards city commuters like the Allant 8.

To bring it back on topic, if you're looking at something like the Allant 8, but want front suspension, there's the Allant 7 just waiting (in 3 frame styles). If that's not "mountain bikey" enough, they have a range of hardtail and FS eMTBs.

I have miles of smiles on my allant 8s with schwalbe hurricane tires aired down to 23psi on gravel roads. It’s not just for paved roads.

 

[Dallant]

I have miles of smiles on my allant 8s with schwalbe hurricane tires aired down to 23psi on gravel roads. It’s not just for paved roads.

I certainly have miles of smiles for my +7 which, I think, has the same frame as yours.
On another topic, it’s funny but I‘ve noticed that the more my SCHWALBE G-Ones wear down in the middle, the more they look a bit like your Hurricanes!

 

[Akrotiri]

I certainly have miles of smiles for my +7 which, I think, has the same frame as yours.
On another topic, it’s funny but I‘ve noticed that the more my SCHWALBE G-Ones wear down in the middle, the more they look a bit like your Hurricanes!

Yes they def are the same frame hydroformed aluminium frames. Very sturdy.

Lol, Funny you mention that because I did a double take about the tires earlier after reading your comment & seeing the snow packed picture , you said g-one but I had to maximize your photo(from the other thread) to be sure because they looked like the hurricanes at first glance.. before I expanded the photo I was actually going to ask you if you were sure you didn’t have the hurricanes instead

 

[Slappy]

I think a lot of it has to do with the low maintenance angle. Taking the Harleys for example, you've got a belt drive (no maintenance), Enviolo IGH (very little maintenance compared to derailleur), and rigid (no shock pumps, oil, sag settings, etc.). Along with the rack, fenders, and integrated lights, these are for people looking to do short-to-medium range street tasks with a minimum of fuss - not necessarily cyclists.

Commuter bikes really don't need suspension. It is a nice-to-have, and I bet they at least add a suspension post in future iterations, but it isn't a deal breaker for most.

 

[Marci jo]

In agreement with many of the comments regarding quality of front forks. My Vado has a basic spring front fork that has almost zero help. I’m thinking of switching it to a non suspension fork simply to save some weight when hauling the beast. More research needed.

 

[AHicks]

Marci -
Consider the fact that you have properly inflated tires (hopefully), that give when they hit/roll over anything because you've chosen an air pressure that allows that. That's kinda how I think of these front suspension wannabe spring type front forks.

Imagine the ride you would get if your tires were solid rubber, with no air in them (like a grocery cart tire) for a minute.....

That's my impression of solid front forks. As bad as these spring only types are, they're better than rigid. That's my opinion anyway... -Al

 

[Marci jo]

Thanks AHicks. Good points.
Actually I switched tires last summer. Now running Schwalbe G-One 2.25 inches. They can be run as low as 26 lbs. Made a big difference! They are a little noisy but that’s because the Brose motor is super quiet in comparison.
In the long run, I’ll probably keep the original front fork. It has almost 4000 mi (6437 km). And I love the bike!

 

[antboy]

I have miles of smiles on my allant 8s with schwalbe hurricane tires aired down to 23psi on gravel roads. It’s not just for paved roads.

Oh I don't doubt it. I was just pointing out that railing about the big guys not offering customization seemed short-sighted, given how many options you DO have.

When I was shopping I was sorely tempted by the Allant 8 after a test ride, but the geometry didn't fit my long torso, stocky limbs.

 

[Akrotiri]

I think a lot of it has to do with the low maintenance angle. Taking the Harleys for example, you've got a belt drive (no maintenance), Enviolo IGH (very little maintenance compared to derailleur), and rigid (no shock pumps, oil, sag settings, etc.). Along with the rack, fenders, and integrated lights, these are for people looking to do short-to-medium range street tasks with a minimum of fuss - not necessarily cyclists.

Commuter bikes really don't need suspension. It is a nice-to-have, and I bet they at least add a suspension post in future iterations, but it isn't a deal breaker for most.

Continent crossing bicycles like the Koga world tourer, tout terrain Silk Road, Vivente Anatolia, Thorn Pangaea, Cinelli hobootleg, VSF tx-800, idworx blt and Rose Activa only have solid forks. That’s because they are far more reliable and handle very rough terrain with aplomb.

Suspension forks are useless when it’s out of its element of a few hours of man-made dedicated mountain bike technical trails. When a cyclist is touring long term he/she is not going to seek out the most difficult of routes/paths like an mtb’er would.

Real long range cyclists prefer solid forks.

Also, what do you call road cyclists who all have solid forks as well? They are some of the most dedicated of all and their not cyclists according to you?

I’d argue that suspension forks are for low range short duration trips and target dirt bikers and city dwellers as opposed to actual cyclists.

 

[Asher]

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.

I too swapped out a low end fork for a nice rigid steel fork. Juiced CCS. The original suspension fork made turning very sluggish. The bike felt much more agile with the much lighter rigid fork, which was still heavy by regular bike standards, a kilo or so.

Front suspensions are like knobby tires and straight handlebars - they have a place, but lots of ignorant consumers think they're cool and use them where they're just not the best choice.

Whether they belong on a commuter ebike, I can't speak in absolute terms, but lots of people seem to have never tried it, and just dismiss it out of hand.

A rigid fork also rewards better, more athletic riding technique, of leaning forward more and putting your weight into the pedals instead of the seat or wrists, and getting out of the saddle before bumps occur.

The suspension stem concept does look interesting though.

Lastly customers and bike makers alike conflate top speed with design speed. Just because a bike CAN go 28 mph, it does not mean you MUST design it for that speed. I did an informal survey here that confirmed my suspicions, that few class 3 owners actually ride at 28 with much consistency, me included. I would ride at 22-24 mph, not too different from a road bike, and 2"+ wide tires was enough to handle the extra ebike weight. I could and did ride it at higher speeds, but only where the pavement was good or familiar, and the traffic light.

Class 3 Urban eBike Owners: What is your preferred cruising speed?

One of the misnomers about class 3 ebikes is that just because you can ride at 28 mph, everyone will always. I only rode at those speeds occasionally, and I imagine that's common. So I'm curious to know how others ride. For class 3 eBike Owners, what is your preferred day time cruising speed...

electricbikereview.com

 

[iabob]

I did thousands of miles on a road bike in my younger years, and when I decided to buy an e-bike this year a test rode a bunch. I don’t think the vibration and bumps of an unsuspended fork would prevent me from doing a 50 mile ride, the human body is pretty darn good at handling it. But due to the comfort of a quality suspended fork, I wouldn’t even consider a rigid now. Maybe in warm weather climates where the roads don’t go through numerous freeze-thaw cycles every year...maybe those areas have glass smooth roads. I’m in a 4 seasons climate and the difference in comfort between rigid and suspended forks was significant.

 

[Coolbob]

I've never owned a bike suspension of any kind. I bought my first mountain bike in 1983, a Ross Force 1 and I don't recall any bikes with suspension being available at the time. As time went by some of my riding buddies started adding suspension forks to their bikes or upgrading to bikes with suspension forks. I contemplated the extra couple of pounds of weight and watched them lube and rebuild their forks and decided it wasn't for me. In 1999 I had to order a Canondale M400 from my local bike store because all they had in stock were suspension bikes.

I've only put a bit over 500 miles on my Momentum Transend E+ and not once have I wished it had a suspension, nor do wish to add an isolation stem or seat post. But I'm weird that way, every car I have owned between 1978 and 2012 had a manual transmission. Eventually rigid bikes may go the way of manual transmissions and I'll have to buy one.


Addendum - I apologize to anyone who may have interpreted my comments as judgmental, that was not my intention. I am just sharing my preference for the simplicity and clean look of a rigid bike. Those same preferences led me to a bike with an internal battery and an internal geared hub. I should also mention that I rarely wear Lycra and I am not a member of any LBS Secret Society that looks down on anyone who can't ride a 100-miles before lunch. I'm just an old fart who likes to ride my bike.