Folding electric fat-bike

[Mammalian04]

One idea thats pretty may be wishful, a front suspension fork for this little fattie. I think it might be worth exploring at least.
Well keep me posted if you think your moving forward with this. I may be test riding one of these in about a week so I gotta keep in mind some things to be looking out for.

Yes, front fork is an option (Mozo which I think is on the economy side of things).

 

[The Stig]

Good to hear there is a fork. I'm definitely interested in that then.
Also, have they been telling you what cells come with these bikes?? Thats definitely something we should be making the extra investment on, no matter what the quality of the bike.

 

[Chalo]

[Chalo, you seem to be involved in both this and the Full Suspension fatbike thread. What do you think? Maybe I can just being one in and you can tell us what you think. I appreciate the opinion of someone critical of the design. Should help identify issues to be resolved in a production run (or to avoid the run altogether)!

This kind of bike is so far out of my normal riding experience that I don't know how much I can offer. I can say that in my observation from the service stand, folding bikes whose folding joints play a part in their basic structures tend to be more solid and a lot quieter than those that just hinge in the middle.

I have more experience with small wheels and fat tires. None of the 20 inch fat tires I've come across would be high on my list of options unless I was adding a substantial amount of motor power. But in this case, that's sort of the idea.

The 3G bikes Twenty-G tire, labeled 20 x 3.45" but actually more like 2.75", is the fastest, nicest riding fat 20 incher I've ever come across. It's a slick, so not a great choice for dirt. The worst ones I've tried were the 20 x 4-1/4" rear tires intended for the 2000s era Schwinn Stingray. Soooo slow, stiff, dead feel, heavy as hell, hard to mount and dismount, just awful all the way around. My very positive experience of the 26 x 3.0" Kenda Kraze suggests that the 20 x 3.0" version should be a great option.

Whatever tire you choose, you'll want a rim that is proportional to its width. About half as wide on the inside of the sidewalls as the tire is on the outside seems to be pretty optimal. Narrower than that sacrifices stability; wider diminishes ride quality.

 

[Mammalian04]

Thanks for the input Chalo. We'll see what information comes back on the finer details.

 

[Toango]

I like the idea of the Swift Folder.

If anyone can make a solid bike that's lighter, more compact than Brompton but folds just as fast I'd be very interested. It kills my elbow to lug it around and it's still pretty bulky on a bus.

jpgey, how long does the Trail Viper take to fold?

new entry is helix from canada. lighter but not smaller. but probably rides just as good if not better than a bromtpon.

http://www.ridehelix.ca