Hi..Im looking for a bike to ride on dirt, gravel and easier trails. Id like to do some rails to trails as well and imagine I would need some longer battery life for that endeavor. I have a juiced current s and its good although, the battery doesn't last for more than about 40 miles if I use it on the rails to trail near me. I only ride pedal assist but on those rail trails it is easy to cruise. I dont feel very comfortable riding the juiced commuter on anything other than the road. Im wondering if something that has a lower profile- like a mini with fat tires would give me a greater sense of security off road. Is that true? Im 5'4 and 58. Moderately athletic. Love riding since I got the ebike and ride much more often now.
New ebike for lighter trail riding
- Thread starter kimme
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Feliz
Well-Known Member
Well, welcome to the forum. No one else has answered your question yet so I'll try. I also have a Juiced CCS along with four other bikes, I ride a lot on our gravel rail trails and find bikes with wider tires are more confidence inspiring. Being closer to the ground gives a rider a feeling of greater security. Do you have the stock tires on your CCS? Riding more once you get an ebike is common, same thing with me. To really answer your question, yes your assumption is correct, the Juiced bike is great but it's a commuter and not intended for dirt or gravel. Loose gravel can be very intimidating to ride on no matter what your level of experience is. There's lots of good bike dedicated to dirt, are you near a dealer?
Thanks for replying! I did put those Schwalbe Marathons on it and I have tried a little off roading and although, Im fine, I do feel Im on the wrong bike for that kind of riding. Im not near a dealer that carries a wide variety of bikes as one might find in the west. I rode a Hai mtb rental in CO and I was more comfortable on that bike than my CCS even though we were just tooling around Steamboat Spr. Not too many ebikers around Atlanta but I see that it is slowly catching on. I definitely want to pick up some more bikes. I thought the fat tires looked like a comfort and steadying factor. I saw a RAD Rover in person and the thing was a beast. I am imagining there is some little bike out there that I could ride some trails and feel snug and confident. Ive had a spill and a 60lb+ bike fall is not fun.
linklemming
Well-Known Member
Have you considering trying some different/more gravel oriented tires?
I have been heavily researching buying a CCX and doing this.
I have two ebikes at the moment. A Bulls Evo 3 27.5 + and an old 94 GT Zaskar MTB with TSDZ2 mid drive kit.
The Bulls with the 27.5x2.8 tires(at 20psi) is a pleasure to ride everywhere even with the fork locked out most of the time. Some rides would benefit with a higher top speed but its a very minor point. The tires have huge grip everywhere and its a very comfortable ride for gravel and actual MTB rides.
I built the Zaskar to be a speed pedelec (+20mph) gravel specific bike. It is setup with a rigid fork and 26.2.1 Conti traffic tires (ran same setup for about 5 years without motor). I consider this bike perfect. The motor is a little noisy (doesnt matter at speed). The tires actually measure 48c which is very close to the 45c on the CCX. This setup seeems to run out of steam at around 25mph although that might change in the next week as I upgrade the battery from 48V to 52V and flash some new firmware to allow higher cadence on the TSDZ2.
A tire like the WTB resolute in 700cx42c actually measure 45C per this article and the tread pattern looks good for gravel.
https://www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle-tech/review-wtb-resolute-42-650b-700c-tubeless-ready-tires/
Supposedly you can get up to 50c on a CCX/CCS. This tire looks nice for that.
http://www.somafab.com/archives/product/cazadero-700c-x-50-tubeless-ready
Personally I prefer fatter MTB tires than this but have been considering this setup
I have even been going down the rabbit hole of research on putting smaller tires on a RipCurrent. I like the ripcurrent but really have no use for tires that big. You can fit Surly 26x3 tires on the 40mm ripcurrent rims but that would lower the Bottom Bracket a inch which is seems like too much. A 29x2.8 tire would have the same general diameter as the RipCurrent tires but at that point Im building new wheels.
I have been heavily researching buying a CCX and doing this.
I have two ebikes at the moment. A Bulls Evo 3 27.5 + and an old 94 GT Zaskar MTB with TSDZ2 mid drive kit.
The Bulls with the 27.5x2.8 tires(at 20psi) is a pleasure to ride everywhere even with the fork locked out most of the time. Some rides would benefit with a higher top speed but its a very minor point. The tires have huge grip everywhere and its a very comfortable ride for gravel and actual MTB rides.
I built the Zaskar to be a speed pedelec (+20mph) gravel specific bike. It is setup with a rigid fork and 26.2.1 Conti traffic tires (ran same setup for about 5 years without motor). I consider this bike perfect. The motor is a little noisy (doesnt matter at speed). The tires actually measure 48c which is very close to the 45c on the CCX. This setup seeems to run out of steam at around 25mph although that might change in the next week as I upgrade the battery from 48V to 52V and flash some new firmware to allow higher cadence on the TSDZ2.
A tire like the WTB resolute in 700cx42c actually measure 45C per this article and the tread pattern looks good for gravel.
https://www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle-tech/review-wtb-resolute-42-650b-700c-tubeless-ready-tires/
Supposedly you can get up to 50c on a CCX/CCS. This tire looks nice for that.
http://www.somafab.com/archives/product/cazadero-700c-x-50-tubeless-ready
Personally I prefer fatter MTB tires than this but have been considering this setup
I have even been going down the rabbit hole of research on putting smaller tires on a RipCurrent. I like the ripcurrent but really have no use for tires that big. You can fit Surly 26x3 tires on the 40mm ripcurrent rims but that would lower the Bottom Bracket a inch which is seems like too much. A 29x2.8 tire would have the same general diameter as the RipCurrent tires but at that point Im building new wheels.
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Feliz
Well-Known Member
You found the Radrover too large? Marathons are good tires I use them a lot but they are not dirt tires. Go to the Biktrix site and see what you think of the Stunner LT, you get your choice of wheel size, and they have larger tires.
I'm not suggesting you buy this bike but this is what you want, choice of battery with up to 1000 WH, choice of 26, 24, or 20" wheels, powerful, 750 watt. Cheap although you never said money is an issue.
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AHicks
Well-Known Member
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If you're 5'4", I would keep my focus on bikes using 26" or smaller wheels/tires. I'm 6'2" but 10 years older, and I learned that lesson the hard way recently. Those tall tires make for some really tall bikes when mounting or dismounting.
Currently on a much modified Rad City that's using 26x2.7" tires. I find them a great compromise for a hybrid bike that sees grass, gravel, hard pack and pavement, but mostly hard pack and pavement. Fat tires make for a great ride, but if your plan is to do the rails to trails thing much, seems like they might have a lot of rolling resistance that's going to cut into your range. 20 amp battery would be on my list as well.
Currently on a much modified Rad City that's using 26x2.7" tires. I find them a great compromise for a hybrid bike that sees grass, gravel, hard pack and pavement, but mostly hard pack and pavement. Fat tires make for a great ride, but if your plan is to do the rails to trails thing much, seems like they might have a lot of rolling resistance that's going to cut into your range. 20 amp battery would be on my list as well.
I an 5'6" tall, 68, and have a Rad Mini with probably 300 miles of dirt, gravel and off pavement. Mine is an older model without front suspension. I did add an inexpensive suspension seat post. I did find that when the seat was close to the proper height for riding I could barely touch the ground. Riding comfort was ok for up to 10 miles.
Last September I purchased a Specialized Turbo Levo FSR because I was riding more off pavement than on pavement. The bike came with a dropper seat post. The bike is a medium frame. With the seat post lowered I can put both feet on the ground. With the post raised up, I have a good riding position. I went with Specialized because the frame fit my body. I had tried several other brands, but this was the best fit for my short legs.
Good Luck in your search.
Last September I purchased a Specialized Turbo Levo FSR because I was riding more off pavement than on pavement. The bike came with a dropper seat post. The bike is a medium frame. With the seat post lowered I can put both feet on the ground. With the post raised up, I have a good riding position. I went with Specialized because the frame fit my body. I had tried several other brands, but this was the best fit for my short legs.
Good Luck in your search.
I'd be surprised if you couldn't get comfortable on a 27.5 bike at your height - this is my 11 yo daughter riding my giant full e pro ( medium size frame) , she's about 5'6". There's a lot more adjustability to make it more compact, eg fitting a shorter stem / lower bars / lowering the suspension pressures. She normally rides my old giant trance - again a medium frame, but with the adjustments mentioned so it is " her" bike.
From what I can see, the big manufacturers are starting to move towards longer frames for 2019 so you might want to look for some 2018 bikes in size small ? ( especially liv / giant who had a relatively compact fra,e geometry for 2018)
From what I can see, the big manufacturers are starting to move towards longer frames for 2019 so you might want to look for some 2018 bikes in size small ? ( especially liv / giant who had a relatively compact fra,e geometry for 2018)
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