Donor for tall guys

[e-beach]

Just an follow-up after my first month with my bike.......About the only thing I would do differently on the next build would be suspension. Regardless of the road, you still feel a lot of it with this steel frame.

E-bikes are fun and convenient that is for sure. Full suspension bikes are a lot more comfortable, but you still feel bumps. Not as bad as a suspension-less bike. The extra weight of the battery and motor weight seems to add to the harsher ride of an e-bike.Two ways to counter some of the harshness is to get something like a thud-buster. Some people like big tires that are not inflated to be hard. That way the tires cushion the bumps somewhat. A seat with springs can also help. On my hard tail bike, I tend to stand a lot and on my full suspension bike I need to ride in a way that the rear suspension doesn't recoil and slam me between the legs... :lol:
Edit: You might also consider looking around for suspension forks that fit your frame. Is that a 1 inch steerer tube?
Anyway, glad you are enjoying it!

 

[neptronix]

Didn't i tell you you wanted suspension? well, you learned the same way i did... :lol:

Rear suspension is a game changer. Front suspension on an upright bike isn't too useful but helps a bit - i wouldn't spend more than $10-$20 trying it out. I believe you still have a bicycle parts recycling place somewhere in Hillsboro that probably has used forks lying around. But i haven't been in the PDX area since 2010.

front suspension fork plus short travel thudbuster might make that bike rideable.

Wait until you find out how cool full suspension recumbents are.

 

[E-HP]

front suspension fork plus short travel thudbuster might make that bike rideable.

Based on the "after" picture, it doesn't look like there's enough exposed seat post for the thudbuster to fit, even the ST model.

 

[neptronix]

Based on the "after" picture, it doesn't look like there's enough exposed seat post for the thudbuster to fit, even the ST model.

Oops, i forgot about that.

You can fix that with an angle grinder to some degree, but i'm thinking you're right in that the extra vertical space that even the short travel thudbuster requires makes that a 'no'.

 

[neptronix]

Back to the suspension stuff.

Our misconception about suspension often comes from the acoustic bicycling world.
Yes, a nice chromoly MTB with zero suspension DOES feel better than an aluminum one without suspension.
At the 12-16mph that a non-aerodynamic bike with a non-road oriented set of tires typically travels at.
So, clueless first time ebike builder is gonna go.. 'well, if i just use steel, things will work themselves out'.

Which is true. Until you throw on a 16lb rear wheel, 10-20lbs of batteries, and exceed 20mph. The faster you go, the more jarring any imperfection in the road is. The faster you go, the less time you have to notice a pothole and slow down.

There is now an inverse correlation with the capabilities of your motor and your comfort as a rider, and eventually the safety aspect, because when your wheels go airborne from hitting a bump because they don't have suspension, and then they land in a place you didn't expect, i'd call that a safety hazard. And yes, that also happened to my dumb ass.

But the worst part is that it discourages you from using the motor's full capabilities and hitting an irregularity in the road. You either slow down, or you ramp up your attention to the road surface and now you're thinking more about avoiding imperfections and less about enjoying the ride itself.

And it's kinda fun to drop off curbs like they were nothing.

 

[rootshell]

To be honest, the suspension isn't that bad for my current use case. I know where the divots in my route are by now, but if I were to use this bike on an uncharted run, it would present more of a problem. Still a 1000x better than the communal 'worksman' single speed bikes I used to putt around on. :wink:

 

[e-beach]

Don't shy away from front suspension. Around $50 for something new is what you might expect. If you can go with less money, so-much-the-better. It is easier on the wrists and solders which appreciate it over time.