can they handle it?

[stevieb]

i was riding at a mountainbike trail centre recently on my non electric bike and met a guy on an electric downhill haibike.
it certainly looked the part and this got me wondering how well it would handle a spot of downhilling.
i have some knowledge of the sport and know how punishing {and expensive} it can be.
can the electrical components stand up to the constant jarring and sudden impacts on landing jumps?
also does the different weight distribution have any significant effect on the handling, bearing in mind that dh bikes are heavier than ordinary xc bikes ?
thanks

 

[Jay Russell]

There are some videos on YouTube about e-mtb riding. They look fine but the extra weight affects handling on high speed corners.

I think that if you have bought an electric MTB from a proper 'brand' turn you should be able to expect performance.

 

[flecc]

Quality crank drive unit e-bikes like the Haibikes maybe, since the motor unit and battery are usually both central and therefore substantially protected from shocks by the suspension and indirect position of shock origin. The battery mountings on some might need reinforcement though.

But hub motors no on all counts, handling, weight distribution and impacts.
.

 

[soundwave]

the dh pro is 24.6kg its a lot more heavy than a normal dh bike and you will feel it on the turns and over the jumps on landings.

with the extra 10kg and you on top it will land like a tank over the jumps and take its toll on the wheels wheel hub and rear sus and battery mount over time.

a normal dh bike will win every time as its just to heavy for technical stuff and jumps so doubt you will see 1 on red bull or other events.

also the 15mph limit will just slow you down even more with out a dongle.

this is my 11spd xd hub after jumping it up the forest dh section.

it took an hour to remove it and was destroyed and a new 1 was 90 quid

 

[stevieb]

thanks for the replies.
a bit disappointing if the battery mounts on some need reinforcing and the handling not being great.
is this the same with the haibike all mountain type bikes?
by this i mean how do their other bikes compare to non electric hard tail and full sus ones ?
i realise that there has to be a weight difference but its not good if you cannot ride over the same terrain as ordinary bikes without worrying about damaging them
ta

 

[soundwave]

mine is a haibike all mtn pro with 150mm front rear sus and is fine bar jumping it as above.

the extra weight makes you slower round tight bends and technical stuff @speed and am on the brakes way b4 my m8 on a normal full sus bike.

tho on up hill and long straights can pass him with not much effort but always catches me up on the turns jumps ect as i have a lot more weight to slow down if on steep dh sections.

i did get a new xd hub after a few weeks but i never said it was a electric bike taking on 1m high jumps on a dh tracks.

i also have full body armour and full face helmet id not even try it with out it.

 

[EddiePJ]

Here is your next bike SW. http://espacevelo.fr/2013/11/nicolai-ion-16-e-boxx/



.

 

[soundwave]

batt position sucks tho but more protected than others and 15kg more like it

 

[soundwave]

 

[stevieb]

fine bar jumping it as above.[/QUOTE]

not being able to negotiate jumps in roughly the same manner as a non electric bike would be too restricting/expensive
it would mean knowing your routes well and having to descend those that you do with more caution.
i suppose that on a route with no jumps or anything too technical these bike would be great and worth considering.
thanks for the info

 

[stevieb]

have now watched the youtube videos as suggested and the bikes are being used to great effect on a variety of terrain .
looking at these it appears that the bikes can take more punishment than expected.
so i,m now back where i started with wondering "can they handle it"
i can understand members reluctance to state that the bikes will stand up to certain things just in case someone goes off and tries them and damage happens, but the manufacturers should be able to commit themselves.

 

[flecc]

have now watched the youtube videos as suggested and the bikes are being used to great effect on a variety of terrain .
looking at these it appears that the bikes can take more punishment than expected.
so i,m now back where i started with wondering "can they handle it"
i can understand members reluctance to state that the bikes will stand up to certain things just in case someone goes off and tries them and damage happens, but the manufacturers should be able to commit themselves.

My only reservation with good crank motor bikes was the battery security, since there have been odd cases of batteries not locking on securely or coming off on the road.

But with downtube batteries, to deal with that possibility it's simply a matter of putting a couple of loops of duct tape around battery case and down tube before any event. Held in place like that they should be fine.
.
.

 

[soundwave]

can you afford to brake it tho if you crash i dont bounce anymore

 

[stevieb]

thanks flecc for clearing that up.
i think my skills don,t extend to the level in the video soundwave
i don,t mind fixing normal cycle part damage in the event of a minor spill but are you saying that the electrical parts can suffer badly ?
have you experience of this with your own bike?
thanks

 

[soundwave]

motor is not the problem its the weight of the bike and landing jumps it will use all the rear sus and some as its only 180mm and air.

the mavic back wheel on the dhp is £380 plus 50 for a new axle if you bend that so not cheap.

as there is hardly any about at the moment id not like to be the 1 to find out what brakes first tbh and if you come off going 50mph down hill you could right off the hole bike if you bend the frame ect.

if i had my choice again id go for the new nduro as will be a better bike all round gearing wise.

a dh bike is only good for down hill it will be a dog to go up 1 on it with the gearing it has on it and just drain the batt faster.

looks bad ass tho but not for me @25kg and the frame size is max 45cm.

nduro and add these http://www.dvosuspension.com/products/emerald/

 

[electrickery]

Here is what appears to be an objective video of a haibike nduro capabilities.

regards

 

[EddiePJ]

Jumps aside, the video didn't show anything over and above what my bike is easily capable of, so if that is the kind of riding that the OP is after, then yes some e-mtb's are capable of it.

If I know that I'm off to somewhere like Friston Forest for example, I do add a cable tie around the battery and frame. I haven't lost one yet, but it does rattle about, and yes my battery mount is adjusted properly.
The only other issue, is that when really pushed in dry bumpy conditions, the chain can jump the front sprocket, and that is with the rear mech clutch engaged. It has only happened twice though, so not exactly a big deal.

 

[stevieb]

great video thanks.
that gives a good review of the bike.
pardon my stupidity eddie but when you say" jumps aside " do you mean that you think your bike should or should not be used for them .
thanks

 

[soundwave]

this is the trails that i went on last year that broke my xd hub

 

[EddiePJ]

great video thanks.
that gives a good review of the bike.
pardon my stupidity eddie but when you say" jumps aside " do you mean that you think your bike should or should not be used for them .
thanks

I'm not into jumps anyway, but even if I had been, I personally wouldn't want to subject my bike to the jumps as shown in the first clip, as I wouldn't know what the limitations of the bikes design capabilities were. (If that makes sense)

I only flicked through the clip that SW has just shown above, but I didn't see anything in that, that would put me off riding my bike down it.

This track belongs to one of my good mates, and is only minutes away from my house, but I wouldn't subject my bike to having to go down it, and certainly wouldn't expect it to cope with the jumps at about the 5 minute mark, or the road gap.