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The shocks on most cheap bikes are questionable at best. Lots of stiction and you're lucky if there's any dampening at all. Downhill mountainbikes are popular

The shocks on most cheap bikes are questionable at best. Lots of stiction and you're lucky if there's any dampening at all. Downhill mountainbikes are popular conversions. They are designed with high speeds and impacts in mind. The cost may be prohibitive to many DIYers though. For high speed (50km/h), adequate tires are also necessary. E50 rated tires are now widely available that can handle the speeds and loads.

dzhiurgis 5y ago
DIY downhill ebike is around $4000 NZD, while the cheapest, lowest spec downhill ebike from manufacturer is $6000 or so. There's a sizeable savings to be made.
- swader999 5y ago
  Yeah I think you don't need to do this to an expensive bike. Mechanical disc brakes and just a front shock are probably fine if you want to go 50km/hr. A heavier sturdier frame and burlier tires are ok because it is powered. I wouldn't recommend converting a road bike as they are more fragile.
  - dzhiurgis 5y ago
    I’d love a utility ebike but afaik they just don’t have enough weight and hence - the grip at high speeds to be safe. I’d guess e-scooter/moped is next best thing tho parking is an issue in some places.
    - NathanielK 5y ago
      Mechanical grip is entirely a function of tire compounds. In fact, ebikes can have even more tractive grip because you can make them AWD! This makes them much safer in snow and ice compared to other two wheeled vehicles.
    - swader999 5y ago
      They are fine at 45-50 km/hr. That keeps pace with car speed on residential roads fairly well. Any faster and I agree you could look at scooter or moped.
gHosts 5y ago
What is this "shock" thing you speak of? Is this a nasty side effect of "e" bikes? A "cheap" bike is just a rigid frame with rigid forks.
- ip26 5y ago
  Imperfections in the road at 30mph are very different than at 15mph. Especially on a cheap frame. A fat tire can stand in for a shock, but "cheap" bikes don't usually fit 3" of rubber either.
  - tpm 5y ago
    Relatively cheap electric fatbikes like [1] are currently very popular in Italy, as far as I have seen on a recent holiday: [1] https://elettrica-bike.it/en/product/fat-bike-vulcano-s-tipe-250w-36v-electric-bike/ https://elettrica-bike.it/en/product/fat-bike-vulcano-s-tipe...
- namdnay 5y ago
  Shock absorbers = Suspension I don’t see any ebikes being sold without at least a 50mm front shock. The added weight of the battery+motor makes it essential
  - tmccrary55 5y ago
    I have a Trek Allant+ 9.9S that is shockless.
    - namdnay 5y ago
      Wow carbon fibre, and the tyres don't seem too thick.. How does it ride? Ahhhh I think I understand - it's a "speedbike" right? So only for driving on roads like a car, so there's no question of forest tracks or gravel walkways.
      - tmccrary55 5y ago
        I upgraded from a Trek xm700+ with a front shock. Both served me well but I don't miss the shock. Yep, they're both commuter/cruiser type bikes, so probably not best offroad. Both have the top end Bosch Class 3 motor, so they're usually against the rules on trails in my area.
mikeryan 5y ago
"Downhill" mountain bikes is a term of art and, as an avid mountain biker, I'd guess not actually the type being used for conversions to commuter bikes. You're much more likely to target a "trail" full suspension mountain bike or fixed tail bike. You'll have a lot more cost options and they're more suitable for a commuting purpose, they'd still have plenty of travel and braking compared to a standard commuter or utility E-bike. As a note, my mid-level trail bike came with a better set of brakes then my high end cargo hauler e-bike which weighed about 10 times as much.
- namdnay 5y ago
  Yeah there’s no way you could use a DH bike as a daily rider, even with an electric conversion. The geometry and shock travel is just wrong (when you try to pedal a DH bike on the flat, you look like you’re riding a chopper with the added bonus of your knees going up to your waist)
  - NathanielK 5y ago
    The implication is that most DIY ebikers don't bother with pedalling. Hand throttle keeps you at 50km/h fine. Long seatposts that bring you up to a typical height are fine. The suspension is doing the work, no need to leave the saddle.

dzhiurgis 5y ago

DIY downhill ebike is around $4000 NZD, while the cheapest, lowest spec downhill ebike from manufacturer is $6000 or so. There's a sizeable savings to be made.

swader999 5y ago
Yeah I think you don't need to do this to an expensive bike. Mechanical disc brakes and just a front shock are probably fine if you want to go 50km/hr. A heavier sturdier frame and burlier tires are ok because it is powered. I wouldn't recommend converting a road bike as they are more fragile.
- dzhiurgis 5y ago
  I’d love a utility ebike but afaik they just don’t have enough weight and hence - the grip at high speeds to be safe. I’d guess e-scooter/moped is next best thing tho parking is an issue in some places.
  - NathanielK 5y ago
    Mechanical grip is entirely a function of tire compounds. In fact, ebikes can have even more tractive grip because you can make them AWD! This makes them much safer in snow and ice compared to other two wheeled vehicles.
  - swader999 5y ago
    They are fine at 45-50 km/hr. That keeps pace with car speed on residential roads fairly well. Any faster and I agree you could look at scooter or moped.

gHosts 5y ago

What is this "shock" thing you speak of? Is this a nasty side effect of "e" bikes? A "cheap" bike is just a rigid frame with rigid forks.

ip26 5y ago
Imperfections in the road at 30mph are very different than at 15mph. Especially on a cheap frame. A fat tire can stand in for a shock, but "cheap" bikes don't usually fit 3" of rubber either.
- tpm 5y ago
  Relatively cheap electric fatbikes like [1] are currently very popular in Italy, as far as I have seen on a recent holiday: [1] https://elettrica-bike.it/en/product/fat-bike-vulcano-s-tipe-250w-36v-electric-bike/ https://elettrica-bike.it/en/product/fat-bike-vulcano-s-tipe...
namdnay 5y ago
Shock absorbers = Suspension I don’t see any ebikes being sold without at least a 50mm front shock. The added weight of the battery+motor makes it essential
- tmccrary55 5y ago
  I have a Trek Allant+ 9.9S that is shockless.
  - namdnay 5y ago
    Wow carbon fibre, and the tyres don't seem too thick.. How does it ride? Ahhhh I think I understand - it's a "speedbike" right? So only for driving on roads like a car, so there's no question of forest tracks or gravel walkways.
    - tmccrary55 5y ago
      I upgraded from a Trek xm700+ with a front shock. Both served me well but I don't miss the shock. Yep, they're both commuter/cruiser type bikes, so probably not best offroad. Both have the top end Bosch Class 3 motor, so they're usually against the rules on trails in my area.

mikeryan 5y ago

"Downhill" mountain bikes is a term of art and, as an avid mountain biker, I'd guess not actually the type being used for conversions to commuter bikes. You're much more likely to target a "trail" full suspension mountain bike or fixed tail bike. You'll have a lot more cost options and they're more suitable for a commuting purpose, they'd still have plenty of travel and braking compared to a standard commuter or utility E-bike. As a note, my mid-level trail bike came with a better set of brakes then my high end cargo hauler e-bike which weighed about 10 times as much.

namdnay 5y ago
Yeah there’s no way you could use a DH bike as a daily rider, even with an electric conversion. The geometry and shock travel is just wrong (when you try to pedal a DH bike on the flat, you look like you’re riding a chopper with the added bonus of your knees going up to your waist)
- NathanielK 5y ago
  The implication is that most DIY ebikers don't bother with pedalling. Hand throttle keeps you at 50km/h fine. Long seatposts that bring you up to a typical height are fine. The suspension is doing the work, no need to leave the saddle.