1st build, BBSHD in a ???

[OlderGiantFan]

I just ordered a Bafang HD motor, the 68/73mm BB variant. My original plan was to install it in a mint 2016 Giant Talon-1 i've had collecting dust for nearly a decade, but when I cleaned off said dust I realized what a great bike it was and decided not to butcher it. I have several older MTBs from the late 1990's and a decent retired Giant Toughroad sitting around. I'm thinking the more modern 29er Toughroad would make a good project bike. All have no suspension, the Talon has good air forks, which was why I originally picked it, and my only experience with these heavy e-bikes is the circa 2004 pre-made Giant NRS I bought which has full suspension.

This NRS is rooted now, the forks are shite and the wheels are out of true, the disc rotors bent too I suspect. The only thing it excels at is getting punctures
It has a BBS02 donk, and the 48V battery is getting... Tired.
I haven't ordered a battery for the new motor yet, I though I could swap this one across initially since I plan to buy the 48V. I read they are more reliable and I don't need the high speeds the 52V gives.



Do many here ride e-bikes with no suspension, front or back? What are the down-sides... I'll be riding on blacktop mostly and some good gravel roads perhaps but all the roads here are a little bumpy in places. Is it practical given the weight of the motor and battery, the stresses like? I could just go and buy some second hand full suspension bike but I like the geometry of the older MTBs and the Toughroad. Plus they have a big triangle which would make battery fitment easier.

Here is the Toughroad, a 2014 model. An 18-speed, 9-speed rear cluster and decent derailleur. I guess I'll have to run lower pressures than I normally do (65psi), to compensate for having no suspension and the extra weight? Thoughts anyone???

 

[gromike]

The faster you go the more you need suspension. I had the handlebars almost ripped from my hands due to road irregularities. That was on a Trek 7.2 that I installed a bbs02 in, no suspension.
I then installed a suspension fork. Found out you don't need rear suspension until you have it up front, so I installed a parallelogram suspension seatpost.

 

[Kottbullar]

"Do many here ride e-bikes with no suspension, front or back? What are the down-sides..."

My first build was a trek FX2, no suspension.
Smooth, crisp, however every single bump was BANG, BANG, BANG, especially after 25 km/h

My second build is a hardtail .....

 

[RunForTheHills]

I ride Surly Disc Trucker with no suspension and a rear hub motor, but I ride on pavement and usually well under 20 mph. I just get out of the saddle if I see rough pavement like I would with an analog bike.

 

[OlderGiantFan]

Well the jury says full suspension so that it is. I grabbed this today, the last Large 2025 within 300 km and I feel lucky to have got it too because it was reduced to clear. Giant Stance base model, basically the only one made from all Aluminum. Tubeless tires, through axles, dropper post and free-hub. The BB is a standard screw fit 73mm. It's a 29er

The axles purportedly really stiffen things up and the dropper post is a boon! Best of all, no more punctured tubes
I bought a little plugger kit for bigger punctures and will carry CO2. If it doesn't effect the goop in the tires? I'll put some pedals on it and ride it around a little first to get the feel of things before I do the conversion. That will give me a good baseline to work with. Or in other words, I'll know what things are not working as they were before. The suspension primarily. The rear shock can go up to 300 PSI but for my weight should be set at 150. With the extra weight I'll have a lot of leeway. Tires are hugely wide too which is nice. Like a fat bike without actually having to have a fat bike. Will definitely have to get the little bling ring I guess. Or loot it off the other bike...

 

[OlderGiantFan]

Oh this is gonna be good, it runs a 30T chainring and the chain stays balloon out like hookers legs. I'm going to have fun getting a decent chainline

 

[Apartunis]

Oh this is gonna be good, it runs a 30T chainring and the chain stays balloon out like hookers legs. I'm going to have fun getting a decent chainline

It is the chainline to the gears you use that matters. Most ebikers don't use their lower gears because they do not have to.

You can break up the cassette if it is made from plate sprockets and put a selection of ratios you want in the best positions for chainline. Put the other sprockets behind them as spacers. Don't forget to use the derailleur limit screws to keep your chain from going there.

 

[OlderGiantFan]

It is the chainline to the gears you use that matters. Most ebikers don't use their lower gears because they do not have to.

You can break up the cassette if it is made from plate sprockets and put a selection of ratios you want in the best positions for chainline. Put the other sprockets behind them as spacers. Don't forget to use the derailleur limit screws to keep your chain from going there.

That's good advice, I don't want to make life hard for myself. Once I've familiarized myself with how the bike handles stock I'll pull the crank and fit the motor and see how things look. Then I can order the appropriate ring. The lower gear sprockets seem to be all riveted together, what's the procedure of 'breaking it up'.

 

[2old]

The Stance is a great bike IMO and I ride mine (no e) off road in socal. The Rock Shox front and rear suspension and 29 X 2.4 tires allow me to basically ride like a monster truck over most terrain. I operate a BBS02 hardtail with 3 gears (11-17-28) spaced 8-speed and it performs flawlessly. The "17" was aligned with the chainring so each of the other two gears is only slightly "off" and wear is minimal. The gears can be purchased individually (ebay or equivalent). A Lekkie chainring will neutralize the offset of the cranks.

 

[Zambam]

Giant Stance Mountain Bike | Giant Bicycles US says it has a Praxis press fit bottom bracket? Is that so on your's?

 

[Apartunis]

The lower gear sprockets seem to be all riveted together, what's the procedure of 'breaking it up'.

If they are riveted to each other and not to an aluminum spider, you can either drill or grind the heads off the rivets to separate sprockets and spacers. My wife asks me to do this with used up cassettes so she can decorate things with metal flowers.

 

[LeoSuperMoin]

I just ordered a Bafang HD motor, the 68/73mm BB variant. My original plan was to install it in a mint 2016 Giant Talon-1 i've had collecting dust for nearly a decade, but when I cleaned off said dust I realized what a great bike it was and decided not to butcher it. I have several older MTBs from the late 1990's and a decent retired Giant Toughroad sitting around. I'm thinking the more modern 29er Toughroad would make a good project bike. All have no suspension, the Talon has good air forks, which was why I originally picked it, and my only experience with these heavy e-bikes is the circa 2004 pre-made Giant NRS I bought which has full suspension.

This NRS is rooted now, the forks are shite and the wheels are out of true, the disc rotors bent too I suspect. The only thing it excels at is getting punctures
It has a BBS02 donk, and the 48V battery is getting... Tired.
I haven't ordered a battery for the new motor yet, I though I could swap this one across initially since I plan to buy the 48V. I read they are more reliable and I don't need the high speeds the 52V gives.

View attachment 384106

Do many here ride e-bikes with no suspension, front or back? What are the down-sides... I'll be riding on blacktop mostly and some good gravel roads perhaps but all the roads here are a little bumpy in places. Is it practical given the weight of the motor and battery, the stresses like? I could just go and buy some second hand full suspension bike but I like the geometry of the older MTBs and the Toughroad. Plus they have a big triangle which would make battery fitment easier.

Here is the Toughroad, a 2014 model. An 18-speed, 9-speed rear cluster and decent derailleur. I guess I'll have to run lower pressures than I normally do (65psi), to compensate for having no suspension and the extra weight? Thoughts anyone???


View attachment 384105

I find that for an ebike going faster than 20mph/32kph you want to have front suspension forks.
If you ride on the street and a bit of unpaved roads a hardtail is perfect.
If you want to actually ride i really recommend to get at least a hardtail with bolt through axles that can fit 2,6" or wider tires otherwise you are gonna have a bad time on the landings on the tougher trails.

Full suspension bikes have by far the best riding experience but it's a pain in the ass to find a frame where a big enough battery can fit without interfering with the rear suspension.

 

[Apartunis]

I find that for an ebike going faster than 20mph/32kph you want to have front suspension forks.

Most of my many ebikes cruised at a higher speed than that. Only one had a suspension fork, and it bent in a low speed fall.

If your tires are big enough for conditions and you ride like a cyclist instead of like a spectator, suspension is more expense than benefit. As ebikes become more common where I am, their riders conduct themselves more like oblivious inconsiderate lazy sedentary car drivers.

 

[OlderGiantFan]

Giant Stance Mountain Bike | Giant Bicycles US says it has a Praxis press fit bottom bracket? Is that so on your's?

No, that must be an earlier version, or a US version. In Australia we only have one version and it's threaded.
Some blurb from flowmountainbike.com

In for testing we have had the Stance 29, which is the only model available in the Stance lineup within Australia, which retails for a very reasonable $2,999 AUD

While at first glance the Giant Stance 29 appears the same as its predecessor, the frame is actually all-new for 2025, with refinements throughout to improve capability and frame stiffness. The Stance 29 now comes stock with a 140mm fork, a 10mm increase from previous generations. To balance things out, rear travel has also increased from 120mm to 125mm, though it still features the same FlexPoint suspension design as years past.


Most notably, the rear swingarm of the 2025 Stance 29 now sees a Boost 148x12mm thru-axle, doing away with the flimsy quick-release system. While this may not seem that much of a big deal, the Boost axle standard is by far the most common across the industry and delivers a stiffer and stronger wheel-to-swingarm interface. This is paired with a matching Boost 15mm axle on the fork, improving the overall stiffness of the chassis. Removing and installing the rear wheel is just as easy, and ensures the brake disc is in exactly the right spot every time to avoid brake drag caused by misaligned wheels.


The frame is only available in aluminium, and sports internal cable routing up at the headtube for a clean aesthetic. There is plenty of room within the front triangle for large-sized water bottles, and Giant has even included additional mounts on the underside of the top tube for mounting accessories. Other frame details include a threaded bottom bracket, a tapered head-tube with a sealed bearing integrated headset, along with generous frame protection on the chainstay to prevent chain slap.

I shouldn't have any dramas getting a good size battery pack in the triangle.

 

[OlderGiantFan]

If your tires are big enough for conditions and you ride like a cyclist instead of like a spectator, suspension is more expense than benefit.

I'll be riding it mostly on the blacktop but the rural roads out here come with lots of bumps and potholes so full suspension will be a boon. I've been riding the bike 'factory' for a bit to get the feel and there is zero bobbing, even the dropper post is as solid as a rock. Yet as firm as it feels it still absorbs dips and bumps like they aren't even there. There is nothing worse in my mind then riding a bike that's bobbing on every pedal stroke.

I think they have made some major improvements with this tech in the last few years, they are not at all like the earlier suspension bikes I've owned, more like a quality sportbike with the compression and rebound damping they now sport. Once I get the motor and battery on then I'll really notice the benefits, there will be less jarring on them. It's easy enough to float your bum over the rough stuff but the e-hardware can't do that. I wonder how many motor and battery failures could be traced to hard impacts? It's not the sort of thing you can quantify and that's probably why no one brings it up. Doesn't mean it's not occurring though...

 

[99t4]

Have you checked for battery fit?

 

[n00b]

I just ordered a Bafang HD motor, the 68/73mm BB variant. My original plan was to install it in a mint 2016 Giant Talon-1 i've had collecting dust for nearly a decade, but when I cleaned off said dust I realized what a great bike it was and decided not to butcher it. I have several older MTBs from the late 1990's and a decent retired Giant Toughroad sitting around. I'm thinking the more modern 29er Toughroad would make a good project bike. All have no suspension, the Talon has good air forks, which was why I originally picked it, and my only experience with these heavy e-bikes is the circa 2004 pre-made Giant NRS I bought which has full suspension.

This NRS is rooted now, the forks are shite and the wheels are out of true, the disc rotors bent too I suspect. The only thing it excels at is getting punctures
It has a BBS02 donk, and the 48V battery is getting... Tired.
I haven't ordered a battery for the new motor yet, I though I could swap this one across initially since I plan to buy the 48V. I read they are more reliable and I don't need the high speeds the 52V gives.

View attachment 384106

Do many here ride e-bikes with no suspension, front or back? What are the down-sides... I'll be riding on blacktop mostly and some good gravel roads perhaps but all the roads here are a little bumpy in places. Is it practical given the weight of the motor and battery, the stresses like? I could just go and buy some second hand full suspension bike but I like the geometry of the older MTBs and the Toughroad. Plus they have a big triangle which would make battery fitment easier.

Here is the Toughroad, a 2014 model. An 18-speed, 9-speed rear cluster and decent derailleur. I guess I'll have to run lower pressures than I normally do (65psi), to compensate for having no suspension and the extra weight? Thoughts anyone???


View attachment 384105

I have a similar frame and got 40-lb babompa bompa tires.
Max for the clearance on the frame I'm using is 29X1.75 in the rear. Front will take 29 x 2.125.
Air them up as low as possible to where you don't roll them when hard cornering.

 

[OlderGiantFan]

Have you checked for battery fit?

Now I have It's basically the only bike of this style (dual suspension) that I've looked at with a decent size triangle and that doesn't have the shock protruding below to foul the motor, so I just bought it.

This is the old hailong battery out of my existing e-bike, a 10+ year old 48V 11.6Ah unit. I assume I'll be able to buy something new of the same size or less with a higher capacity these days? It doesn't look like I'll have enough room to slide this battery in or out if the tray is bolted down in this position though? I'll have to go lower down the tube.

EDIT: I dropped the pressure in the shock and tested it, it basically goes straight down and won't interfere with the battery if I put it closer. I won't know until I go to install it, I definitely wouldn't want a larger battery box though. Looks tight doesn't it.



360mm long, 90mm high minus the bottom mounting panel. I can't see any way that shock could move across to bash it. I'll take most of the air out of the shock, sit on the bike and see how far forward it travels. If it looks like a lot I'll measure it.



Here it is in the old bike. It's only held on by one screw into one of the bottle cage holes. I understand that's pretty normal?



I suppose I'll start looking for batteries now. I've been putting it off because of the uncertainty about them. This bike I trust 100%, the BBSHD, the same. But a battery in this day and age? God have mercy on me.

 

[OlderGiantFan]

People are out there spending $8000 and more on ebikes, and ones that have sketchy motors to my mind. I've spent $3600 so far, chump change considering I expect to get 10 years or so out of it. Even with a decent battery it will be like 5000, or $500 a year so to speak, all paid in advance! That's about what I spend now on fuel tooling around on my motorcycles, and they have insurance and registrations costs, $700 for a set of good tires that last say 6000 km. In the scheme of things this ebike is a great investment and I envisage offloading a few motorcycles in the days to come. But which ones? I love them all

 

[OlderGiantFan]

Air them up as low as possible to where you don't roll them when hard cornering.

What's the benefit of that? I'm riding road, and high pressures gives me better mileage and better handling, less chance of punctures too. The bike has huge knobbies on it now which I'll swap out for smooth 2" road tires. I'm not sure why everyone thinks 2.5+ tires are the bees knees, I've been riding on 2" high psi forever and have zero complaints.

 

[Zambam]

No, that must be an earlier version, or a US version. In Australia we only have one version and it's threaded.

Do you have a link to your Australian version? I'd like to compare specs to the US version. I emailed Giant US on what year is the one on sale but have not heard back.

 

[n00b]

What's the benefit of that? I'm riding road, and high pressures gives me better mileage and better handling, less chance of punctures too. The bike has huge knobbies on it now which I'll swap out for smooth 2" road tires. I'm not sure why everyone thinks 2.5+ tires are the bees knees, I've been riding on 2" high psi forever and have zero complaints.

Knobbies are like Road-driving with Super Swampers.
I like those uhh.. Maxxis..gah!
Overdrive Excel. 50-80 lbs.
Hardtail bike, I done went to the "diamond tread" "up to" 40 PSI tires, and I'm not going up to 40.
They are the baboompa boompa tires.
Used to have some Cheng Shins kinda like that to switch out for riding up at Croom.
Daily tires were 1.5 90-lbers.
We'll see how it does. Rear won't take more than a 2.0 tire.
It kept rubbing with the other Baboompa tire.
I filed a bit and grinded a little bit and started messing it up and stopped. And it still rubbed.
It's a uhh... Giant "Escape".
So it has 1.75 on the rear and 2.125 on the front. Gives it a little more "slackness".

 

[99t4]

Here it is in the old bike. It's only held on by one screw into one of the bottle cage holes. I understand that's pretty normal?

The ones I've come across usually are screwed into both bottle cage holes. Regardless if one screw only is "pretty normal," is that what you want for yours? Battery attached to the frame with only one m5 screw?

 

[99t4]

The bike has huge knobbies on it now which I'll swap out for smooth 2" road tires. I'm not sure why everyone thinks 2.5+ tires are the bees knees, I've been riding on 2" high psi forever and have zero complaints.

Good plan, should be good on a FS bike ridden on the road. Personally I like 2.35" on mine.

 

[OlderGiantFan]

Do you have a link to your Australian version? I'd like to compare specs to the US version. I emailed Giant US on what year is the one on sale but have not heard back.

Well mine is the 2025 version, I don't know if they are even making them this year? Here is a link to a local dealer's page, as you can see they are all sold out there but it has the specs. Giant Australia has 404'd the webpage on them and I got the last new Large in SE QLD. They are getting thin on the ground.

Giant Stance 29 2025

DIAL UP THE FUN WITH FULL-SUSPENSION CONFIDENCE The all-new Stance 29 is built for flowy singletrack, chunky rock gardens, and everything in between. Its balanced geometry, smooth suspension, and confident handling help you elevate your skills and explore new trails with ease. Key Performance...

www.giantnorthlakes.com.au

Here is a good aussie vid by Flow MTB that goes into the specs