Suspension? Folding bike?

[staft]

Hello, wise folk,

I am still gathering info prior to my first build, and think I need some help picking the donor bike. First, although I ride a Brooks sprung saddle, I have never had a bike with suspension. Good or bad for all-street riding by older, largish man? Does suspension cost efficiency for motor?

Second, I am considering a folder (very tight on space). Like the Montague full size, but would be interested in a 20" wheel like the Downtube 9FS or Dahon Boardwalk. I have read the posts on converting them, but is a small folder going to hold up under my 230 pounds?

I am interested in cost being held in check - I still have the conversion to fund. And my aging bod would appreciate a nod towards comfort. So what has been your experience, and would you recommend suspension and folding for a beginner who plans 10-15 miles a day?

[neptronix]

You are about the same weight as me. And looking at the specs of various folding bikes ( just out of curiosity ), it seems like we are a bit too fat for most of them. Their weight rating seems to be in the 200-250lb range. But then you add batteries and you are really pushing it..!!

Another downside is the giant handlebar stem. These tend to be flexy. The heavier you are, the worse the problem is.
Every folding bike i've tested seemed to be a little scary under my weight.

Don't know what to tell you if you're tight on space. But for 26" wheel bikes, my early 2000's Trek 4300 and 4500 are tough as hell and deal with my weight just fine.

The walmart Genesis V2100 has tolerated me catching a foot of air and riding over all sorts of awful potholes and pavement that looks like it was part of a war zone. It seems to be built pretty tough. There are people who are 300lbs riding them.. ( according to wal-mart reviews )

[staft]

Yeah, that had me worried, too. The Downtube is rated to 230, but i was forgetting the kit weight. I wonder how close those specs are calculated?
That Walmart bike looks too good to be true - disk brakes for $150? But I think a visit to the store is in order. Thanks!

[dogman]

Well, they are too good to be true. But they will get you by if you cannot afford something much better in a used FS mtb. I'm not terribly impressed with the genesis, but it is the best in that price range.

A pretty decent commuters setup for 15 miles per charge tends to cost at least $1000, and can go to $1500 for a nicer bike. Don't go buy the bike till you sort out a few things, how you will carry the battery in particular.

How big that battery will be will depend on how far between charges you need to go. 15 miles will require a fairly large battery that may not fit into the triangle area of the bike frame. You might want to go with a front only suspension bike to fit more battery in the frame space.

If you can charge halfway on the 15 mile trip, that changes everything, and you can save money, space , and weight by carrying a small battery.

[staft]

Most of the time I will be able to charge half way. I am simultaneously seeking advice on the battery motor side of this, but I am trying to figure out the style of frame to go with. How important is suspension? Will a cruiser with big tires give me as comfortable a ride? And is a folder (probably full-sized Montague Crosstown) rated to my weight range a realistic candidate? I am happy with my Cannondale hybrid with a sprung seat, but power and higher speed must change that, I'm assuming.

[dogman]

For me, suspension is absolutely needed. I've got a few crushed disks, so I must have cush. Roads are bad around here in the older parts of town. In general, younger guys with a bit more spring left in their bodies have no trouble riding hardtails, they just use 26" ones and run balloon tires for some extra cush, and a good seat of thier preference. Some will add a seatpost shock like a thudbuster.

In general, decide what you want to do, street or dirt, grades and distances. Then pick the motor and battery size. Then look into what bike it can fit on. Rear motors and big batteries on rear racks really handle bad. Some will pick a front motor to avoid that. My favorite commuter bike is front motor. But front motor is best done on steel forks, so that limits your choices for suspension to cheap junk.

The general ideal hubmotor ebike has a rear motor, and carries the battery in the frame triangle. Some will mount a battery on the forks.

If you choose a folder, you likely lose the frame triangle, usually folders have a beam frame. You will need 135 mm rear end, and lots of folders have narrower rear dropouts, so watch out for that.

I think a stiff frame is a far more important thing than folding. But I'm biased, I have a house with 3 garages.

[staft]

Ha! Would I be right in assuming 2 of the garages are full of bikes and projects?

[neptronix]

Throw away all the steel components, put a decent shock and fork on it and they're awesome. There is even a little triangle room for batteries. I picked mine up used for $80, and i already had all sorts of components lying around already.

You are basically buying a frame with the shittiest components possible thrown on to make the bike affordable. The Fork is basically welded together by chinese kids suffering of parkinsons disease. The wheels are a joke and warp almost instantly after a few good jumps. The stock spring creaks along, but is actually very firm - perfect for someone who is You can drop about 8 pounds off the bike's weight with aluminum. The bikes are often very poorly assembled as well. But if you are a DIYer, can work on a bike etc, they are a steal, because people often abandon them and put 'em up on craigslist after a month or two.

The frame construction looks tougher than 90% of dual suspension bikes i've ever seen. Considering that i will put >30lbs of battery on it, and i'm about 240lb, confidence that the bike can handle the weight is concern #1.

I would not ride anything at the weight rating! Those folding bikes are just really flexy by nature. Turns out that a triangle is the strongest shape in geometry...

And yeah, i would fork over for a better used full suspension bike. But i looked for one with decent dropouts, construction, etc for a year and finally just settled on the genesis since it met my requirements already.

[The Stig]

If you were going a for a ready made ebike I would say go for this one, it has a pretty stiff rear spring for my light weight. The hinge is good quality and components are decent.
http://www.amazon.com/-Moto-Folding-Electric-Mountain-26-16-Inch/dp/B0043E6V5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332373199&sr=8-2

[dogman]

FWIW , One garage is mine. It's packed with 4-5 bikes, 6 windsurfers, 2 kyacks, 2 hot air balloons, a small hardware store, and lots of carpentry tools. One is the wifes, packed to the walls with wife stuff. The two car garage attached to the house has a car, washer and dryer, 3-4 more bikes, and a huge pile of bike parts, somewhere buried in there is also a complete pottery studio.

[newb]

I have converted a 9fs and love it though, not quite as stiff as I might like it to be but still very stable. My wife also has an electric folder w/o suspension and the 1" or so of travel on the 9fs makes all the difference. I did put a thud buster on hers and since she is much happier. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about the 9fs conversion.

Cheers, newb

[bc_dc]

I've been commuting on a Montague (no motor) for a while and have probably 10000+ miles on it. It has been a very solid bike and I have never thought twice about going over obstacles with it. Granted, I'm a lot lighter than you. I think the biggest downside to the Montague is the lack of downtube for battery placement.

[MattyCiii]

I ride a Dahon Jetstream http://www.dahon.com/bikes/2011/jetstream-p8 folding bike with front & rear suspension & 20" wheels. Its max rider weight is 230 lb. I swear by it, but (1) I weigh 175 (closer to 190 before I started riding every day) and (2) I'm not electrified.

I'll bet I've stressed the bike as much as a 230 lb rider however, I use the bike like a pack mule with trunk bag, pannier and basket in the rear (often carrying heavy stuff) and 7-10 lbs of stuff on a handlebar mounted pack. No signs of stress/strain, but it's an Al frame so I wouldn't see a failure coming, would I?

If you're in the position to drop a little weight, and plan on a light electric assist (RC, friction drive), etc. I highly recommend it. Nothing beats loading the bike onto a bus, train or into a taxi when riding just isn't an option.