Full suspension bikes compatible with a frame battery

COAR · Jun 27, 2021

I'm starting this thread to keep track of FS bikes I come across that might accomodate a battery in the frame triangle. I haven't been bitten by the FS bike bug quite yet, but I've been casually browsing for conversion candidates. If you've converted a full squish bike that can hold a battery in the frame, throw it in here!

2019 KHS SixFifty 5500 16.5 in frame. CL price: $1300

COAR · Jun 27, 2021

2011 Trek Fuel EX Medium frame. CL price: $700. Not very desirable personally due to 26" wheels.

2012 EX 8 medium frame. CL price: $1100. Still on 26

COAR · Jun 27, 2021

2015 Trek Fuel EX7 "medium-large" frame. CL price: $2k. 29er

COAR · Jun 27, 2021

2015 Rocky Mtn Element 970rsl large frame. CL price: $1500. 29er. Bike is too XC focused personally but looks like you could squeeze a smaller battery in there.

COAR · Jun 27, 2021

[? year] GT Sensor expert. 27.5. CL price: $1500. Lots of triangle room but mounting a mid-drive (at least a bafang) on that downtube might be a little funky.

E-HP · Jun 27, 2021

2000-2008 Specialized EPIC has an empty triangle, 2003-2008 have disc brakes

Earlier vintage (2010 or earlier), with the straight tubes; Giant Trance and Anthem

Early vintage Rocky Mountain Element:

Early vintage Ellsworth Truth:

2002-2004 Kona Stinky:

Chalo · Jun 27, 2021

1987 Bushido: 11 inches of travel front and rear, wide open front triangle. Find one of the few ever made and convert it, make MTB collectors cry.

https://bicyclist.xyz/provisions/lost-tech/bushido-1987-two-wheeled-nostalgia/

MadRhino · Jun 28, 2021

All FS frames that have enough triangle space for a battery, don’t have a suspension that is suitable to control the rebound of a 20+ lbs hub motor. If you build with one of them you need to limit yourself to small 16- lbs DD hubs or geared hubs.

If you build high power/speed, better fitting your battery outside of the triangle because the triangle of suitable frames are busy with long shocks, and leave you the space for the controller at the very best.

Example here splitting 2.2 kw/h battery between front bag and top tube bag. Could be top and down tubes or front and down tube as well. You can see the controller inside the triangle under the top tube. The small bags near the seat post are for tools and protect/hiding connections.

Unfortunately the Avalanche 5th element titanium shock is hardly visible in this picture because of the angle, and it’s dirty. That is the kind of big upgraded shock that is required to tame the rebound of a big hub motor.

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motomech · Jun 28, 2021

COAR said:
I'm starting this thread to keep track of FS bikes I come across that might accomodate a battery in the frame triangle. I haven't been bitten by the FS bike bug quite yet, but I've been casually browsing for conversion candidates. If you've converted a full squish bike that can hold a battery in the frame, throw it in here!

2019 KHS SixFifty 5500 16.5 in frame. CL price: $1300

It's been done before. Here's are a couple;
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28151&hilit=full+suspension+triangle :shock:

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=32056&hilit=full+suspension+triangle

COAR · Jun 28, 2021

motomech said:
It's been done before. Here's are a couple;
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28151&hilit=full+suspension+triangle
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=32056&hilit=full+suspension+triangle

I'm not surprised that's been asked before, my googling was admittedly very low effort. Still wouldn't hurt to have an updated thread as most of those responses are nearly a decade old. Bike tech has changed a lot in that time

Chalo said:
1987 Bushido: 11 inches of travel front and rear, wide open front triangle. Find one of the few ever made and convert it, make MTB collectors cry.

That is quite the standover height! Not going to be dabbing on that unless you're 6'5 or do a serious lean

Carrera911xc · Jul 5, 2021

ScooterMan101 · Jul 6, 2021

Carrera911xc Which model of Santa Cruz is that red bike ?
What year ?
It looks like that left side swingarm would come very close when at full suspension travel .

Making your own battery pack would help allot when fitting in a pack to any FS bike Frame.

For those looking into Santa Cruz bikes , SC changes designs every few years , The Archive section on their website is excellent .

Carrera911xc said:
E10D7BE4-B723-485C-9014-8C6FABA7DD51.png99C50B8C-6963-43E0-97D7-5CE60C286EF5.png

ScooterMan101 · Jul 6, 2021

MadRhino,

I have always wondered how well a rear suspension design like that bike you show with its two linkage points back at the rear of the swing arm , with a heavy and high torque DD rear hub . I have passed on buying used Specialized Bike frames in the past because of them having the pivots right near the rear axle .

Eastwood · Jul 6, 2021

COAR said:
2015 Trek Fuel EX7 "medium-large" frame. CL price: $2k. 29er

This one

Hillhater · Jul 6, 2021

Carrera911xc said:
E10D7BE4-B723-485C-9014-8C6FABA7DD51.png99C50B8C-6963-43E0-97D7-5CE60C286EF5.png

Can someone explain how that rear linkage works with the rigid LH triangle and that extra top link (black) pivoting on the seat post/ top bar ?
RH linkage looks different with a non rigid triangle ?
..Or am i not looking at the same frame ?

E-HP · Jul 6, 2021

ScooterMan101 said:
I have passed on buying used Specialized Bike frames in the past because of them having the pivots right near the rear axle .

The Horst-link designed, patented by Specialized, has benefits when power comes through the drive train, so probably doesn't work as well for a hub motor. Only a few non-U.S. based companies have been able to infringe on the patent, so very few other companies have used the design (Rocky Mountain, and I think maybe Turner). It might work well for a mid-drive build though.

ScooterMan101 · Jul 6, 2021

They would work good for a mid-drive . When I was looking at bikes or frames I only had rear hub motors .
I believe that the Patent time has run out , it has been 20 or more years already , so other bike Mfg's can use that design now . That is what I read somewhere within the last year or so .

Stealth_Chopper · Jul 7, 2021

Yes https://youtu.be/OfBMSSn_Igs
my torture tested durable waterproof, impact and TANK proof Wolf Pack don't fit :wink:

electric_nz · Jul 7, 2021

Older model Merida one twenty

https://www.thebikelist.co.uk/merida/one-twenty-500-2014

Chalo · Jul 8, 2021

Tout Terrain Panamericana.

Chalo · Jul 8, 2021

Stealth_Chopper said:
Yes my bombproof Wolf Pack don't fit :wink: Jekyll_5.jpg

I think you mean "repair proof".

2old · Jul 8, 2021

E-HP said:
ScooterMan101 said:

I have passed on buying used Specialized Bike frames in the past because of them having the pivots right near the rear axle .

Click to expand...

The Horst-link designed, patented by Specialized, has benefits when power comes through the drive train, so probably doesn't work as well for a hub motor. Only a few non-U.S. based companies have been able to infringe on the patent, so very few other companies have used the design (Rocky Mountain, and I think maybe Turner). It might work well for a mid-drive build though.

The Specialized patent, acquired from Horst, has elapsed. There's even a Walmart Mongoose with it now for $500 or so. IMO, the best pedaling platform ever, but maybe not needed for e-power.

MadRhino · Jul 8, 2021

The only Specialized suspension bikes that I have had were all Demo 8 DH racing bikes of various years, and none of them had a Horst suspension (see pics below). They are not easy to make custom torque plates for, but they sure can take high power since I had done over 35000 miles (on and off road) on one that was fed 25 kw acceleration bursts everyday, and a 60 mph top speed. I have fried a few motors on it in the first years, until the advent of the first cromotor. It was sold 2 years ago and still riding hard and fast with the same cromotor v1 that never required any other repair than bearing changes. This bike is a 2009 and had suffered countless crashes with only cosmetic damages.

E-HP · Jul 8, 2021

MadRhino said:
They are not easy to make custom torque plates for, but they sure can take high power since I had done over 35000 miles (on and off road) on one that was fed 25 kw acceleration bursts everyday, and a 60 mph top speed.

I see this posted on the local Craigslist; $1200. Looks like a good candidate for custom bolt on dropouts.

MadRhino · Jul 8, 2021

E-HP said:
MadRhino said:

They are not easy to make custom torque plates for, but they sure can take high power since I had done over 35000 miles (on and off road) on one that was fed 25 kw acceleration bursts everyday, and a 60 mph top speed.

Click to expand...

I see this posted on the local Craigslist; $1200. Looks like a good candidate for custom bolt on dropouts.

That is a Heckler. I have one here, that I had built twice, going on a 3rd with geometry mods, and stiffened swing arm.

Custom tru-axle bolted torque plates:

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