Thank you for recognition and encouraging words.
I agree, without suspension system, Liberator would be much simple bike to build and maintain, but from personal experience, as I have ride experience with both – Little Blue with hard tail and now second generation suspension, plus white Liberator with first generation suspension, then I choose suspension version. But if someone doubts in suspension, there is always possibility to make Liberator without it.
You could be right, that this suspension could be a bit complicated and expensive for businesses ruled by accountants, but as our team is more like fanatics and inspired from own experience and wish to do things better and offer more comfortable ride, then we like to experiment.
Thank you for the scheme of Triumph sprung hub, this is complicated mechanism! We like to think, that our suspension is much simpler. Actually, this second generation suspension system is developed to be simpler and easier produced than first generation.
Some of our team members are former motorcycle riders who have rode them for several decades, owned, built and rebuilt variety of motorcycles, (from bikes to chopper and trikes, etc). With time they came to understanding, that in town, for everyday use, there is no need for big, powerful, superfast or super loud motorcycle and started with electric bicycles. For now they’ve been in electric bikes for more than 10 years. First electric bikes where conversions from regular bikes with handy household electronics. Time has passed and team has also big role in EXO bike development:
http://exo-bikes.eu/
https://www.facebook.com/exobikes
All this has evolved in parallel with EXO to current Liberator and its suspension system – all to make ride more comfortable. Idea for suspension in first place came from need to ride 60-100 km a day, and without suspension, it would be too stressful. So it was designed to make every day commutes more pleasant.
As I wrote in one of posts, suspension is working on bearings to minimize wear. So life of the system depends on quality of bearings. With low quality bearings, they probably wore out faster, but even then, they are easy to change. Other mechanical parts, if installed correctly and without especial destruction should not contact with each other, to minimize wear. Also we use tougher Aluminium to give better quality and strength to those details.
Well, what concerns “I think some miles on the dial might make it a pain in the arse”, then for example first white Liberator:
with first generation suspension system has covered more than 18 000 km (11 200 miles) within 2 years. That includes riding in every weather condition (from hot sun to heavy rain or snow storms), different pavements, survived several very nasty potholes, etc. Speed range of this bike is pretty big and this bike is heavy, without rider it’s more than 60 kg. Add rider and components of this bike get pretty hard treatment. Within those years battery, motor and tires are replaced and shock absorbers to test different softness/stiffness, but all moving suspension parts have remained same. There haven’t been first generation suspension problems on other bikes too.
Second generation suspension is currently in use and testing on Little Blue:
Little Blue was converted and second generation suspension installed at the end of May. Since that time Little Blue is in everyday use, from teenagers to grownups and has covered more than 1600 km (1000 miles). As first white Liberator and Little Blue belong to same family, then Little Blue gets much more use than white one, because owner just loves that suspension and quietness of BBS. Those 1600 km have been pure joy, but of course, this isn’t distance to confirm, that it’s best and everlasting suspension solution. Hopefully with new bikes (first ones should be done in August-September) we get even more practice and experience.
We’ll let to know how bikes are coming together and how new suspension is performing.
2014 - 2015
