review of my wattwagon full suspension bike
- Thread starter vincent
- Start date
TomD
Well-Known Member
Not sure if he is factoring in it's a titanium frame (so perhaps you can get away with more than you might otherwise). As far as rack design, the unsprung mass will affect the suspension dynamics (since the rack is attached to the swingarm which isn't suspended). I wish there were more FS options out there besides R&M suspended rack but looks like Dost is toying with it for a future bike. Note how the rack is attached to the suspended frame instead of the swingarm in the mock up below.
vincent
Well-Known Member
ok so the worry is the rack may not hold up long term to weight? or that the rear suspension parts will have problems eventually?
i am heavy but riding the bike pretty light to medium, do not jump anything and try to avoid harsh bumps etc
to be clear i ride dirt roads that are washed out etc but am not mtn biking this or ever going fast on bad terrain
maybe i should go with a front rack also in order to spread the weight around, was considering this anyway - i tend to carry a decent amount of stuff with me
got in another 30 mile ride on dirt roads today and it handles/rides really well, very pleased with the bike
if it does not rain may do a 65 mile ride tomorrow
i am heavy but riding the bike pretty light to medium, do not jump anything and try to avoid harsh bumps etc
to be clear i ride dirt roads that are washed out etc but am not mtn biking this or ever going fast on bad terrain
maybe i should go with a front rack also in order to spread the weight around, was considering this anyway - i tend to carry a decent amount of stuff with me
got in another 30 mile ride on dirt roads today and it handles/rides really well, very pleased with the bike
if it does not rain may do a 65 mile ride tomorrow
TomD
Well-Known Member
I think it's fine. The suspension just won't perform as well as if the rack weight was unsprung. In theory you want minimal unsprung weight on the wheel so that the rear suspension can do it's thing (court has a video on unsprung weight if you google it). I have similar concerns with my yet to be received Frey CC. The feedback I got from those that had ridden it was that it works well enough and provides more options than not having a rack.
You seem to find the suspension doing its thing to your satisfaction. That's all that ultimately matters.
You seem to find the suspension doing its thing to your satisfaction. That's all that ultimately matters.
vincent
Well-Known Member
excited to hear about your frey cc, i considered that one but the weight scared me off- think my ww came out about the same though
when is the frey supposed to get here?
hoping to ride to the bike shop tomorrow and talk over/look at front rack and front bag stuff
at this point i am planning to get a little more weight on the front end anyway so maybe that will help some
will watch courts video
when is the frey supposed to get here?
hoping to ride to the bike shop tomorrow and talk over/look at front rack and front bag stuff
at this point i am planning to get a little more weight on the front end anyway so maybe that will help some
will watch courts video
vincent
Well-Known Member
got an ortlieb roll type bag for the front, it fits with my small jones bar bag in the center of the handlebars
think it is overall good to distribute the weight better, even for the life of the bags
did a 60 mile ride yesterday and the bike did great, took both batteries and swapped in the middle of the ride , 1st battery was at half
used about 13wh per mile, mostly 15-16mph
some dirt but 75% paved, last 20 miles into the wind
this is a little faster than i usually run on the forest roads so hope to do a little better wh wise on those
only did the math on 2 other rides, 40 miles and 13 wh on those 40 miles
1 ride with 29 miles i think and used 16/17 on that one, more windy and 15mph that ride
have not been watching my battery usage at all , this is just about where all my bikes end up on wh i think
overall have ridden about 150 miles on it the past week and very pleased with how smooth the bike is and how the rohloff does
on another thread we are discussing how to carry extra batteries in bags- got an ortlieb computer insert for the panniers and think this is going to help a good bit
need to get more pictures tomorrow and then will post about that
think it is overall good to distribute the weight better, even for the life of the bags
did a 60 mile ride yesterday and the bike did great, took both batteries and swapped in the middle of the ride , 1st battery was at half
used about 13wh per mile, mostly 15-16mph
some dirt but 75% paved, last 20 miles into the wind
this is a little faster than i usually run on the forest roads so hope to do a little better wh wise on those
only did the math on 2 other rides, 40 miles and 13 wh on those 40 miles
1 ride with 29 miles i think and used 16/17 on that one, more windy and 15mph that ride
have not been watching my battery usage at all , this is just about where all my bikes end up on wh i think
overall have ridden about 150 miles on it the past week and very pleased with how smooth the bike is and how the rohloff does
on another thread we are discussing how to carry extra batteries in bags- got an ortlieb computer insert for the panniers and think this is going to help a good bit
need to get more pictures tomorrow and then will post about that
vincent
Well-Known Member
steve will update this if any problems with the frame in the future
but my understanding is pushkar commuted on a frame just like this - most likely at much higher speeds than i ride - for hundreds if not thousands of miles
will keep an eye on it for cracks etc
i know nothing about this stuff, but the bike rides super smooth
hopefully the titanium is tougher and my mild off road riding will be ok for it
sure pushkar has more insight on this , and him and the frame builder felt it will be fine
but my understanding is pushkar commuted on a frame just like this - most likely at much higher speeds than i ride - for hundreds if not thousands of miles
will keep an eye on it for cracks etc
i know nothing about this stuff, but the bike rides super smooth
hopefully the titanium is tougher and my mild off road riding will be ok for it
sure pushkar has more insight on this , and him and the frame builder felt it will be fine
Deacon Blues
Well-Known Member
Vincent, in one of your posts you mentioned a clunk from the drive train. A couple of days ago I took out a Biktrix full suspension Ultra and heard the same thing. I wonder if this is a common trait with the ultra motor.
You're sure racking on the miles.
You're sure racking on the miles.
vincent
Well-Known Member
Deacon that is definitely an issue with this motor although I think mine is a little better with this different programming on it
There are quite a few threads here and on a couple of other forums talking about this, for me it seems to depend a lot on what terrain I am on and how fast I’m going, mostly notice it when it’s very slow and on pavement
OffRoad I barely noticed it at all
I have high hopes that with some more programming and possibly some different controllers that we can get this quite a bit smoother
But this may just be a trade off for having 160NM....
There are quite a few threads here and on a couple of other forums talking about this, for me it seems to depend a lot on what terrain I am on and how fast I’m going, mostly notice it when it’s very slow and on pavement
OffRoad I barely noticed it at all
I have high hopes that with some more programming and possibly some different controllers that we can get this quite a bit smoother
But this may just be a trade off for having 160NM....
vincent
Well-Known Member
using the front ortlieb roll bag have redistributed the weight some and feel this is overall better
got another 30 miles off road yesterday and cannot get over how smooth this bike is, my arms and shoulders are never tired after riding no matter how long, big improvement from all the other bikes
looking forward to some 75-85 mile rides this summer
got another 30 miles off road yesterday and cannot get over how smooth this bike is, my arms and shoulders are never tired after riding no matter how long, big improvement from all the other bikes
looking forward to some 75-85 mile rides this summer
pushkar
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the kind words. This means a lot! Thanks for being patient and persistent. Your suggestions definitely helped me get better!
TForan
Well-Known Member
Vincent, in one of your posts you mentioned a clunk from the drive train. A couple of days ago I took out a Biktrix full suspension Ultra and heard the same thing. I wonder if this is a common trait with the ultra motor.
You're sure racking on the miles.
Zero clunking in my 2017 Biktrix Ultra. Whether or not, It might be the steel gears, I don't know , because I still have the nylon.
Deacon Blues
Well-Known Member
The clunking seemed to come from the rear and could be felt every time I coasted for a bit and then started pedaling again. Kinda felt like driveline slap. The bike was a demo, so it was probably used and abused. Also, the battery was almost dead, so the motor was not putting out anywhere near peak power/torque. I had a chance to ride the bike again with a fully charged battery, but declined because I didn't like the bike that much.
TForan
Well-Known Member
What didn't you like and what did you end up buying ? I have the rigid frame. It had the Mozo fork on it but I installed a rigid, which I like a lot more.
Deacon Blues
Well-Known Member
It was my first time riding a fat tired bike and much prefer an ebike with a narrower tire. I haven't bought anything yet.
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