Looking for folder with suspension and hub gears - do they exist?

[JohnMalc]

Hello all, 1st post here (hopefully of many). Background is I'm early 70's, reasonably active (but not superfit!). Prior to this year myself and wife have used Marin Redwood comfort bikes and cycled on towpaths and mild trails around the Derbyshire reservoirs but not extreme hills or trails.
We now moved and downsized to an apartment in Worcestershire which has secure parking and, surprisingly, a couple of bike sheds within a gated environment. At this stage we will probably keep our existing (non-electric) bikes and are considering a couple of folding e-bikes which will enable us to put them in the boot of the car and travel a bit further and explore our new surroundings (particularly the Cotswolds).
Something that will affect any buying decision is that fact that I have arthritis in my hands and wrists (worse in the left) to the extent that I can't use the triple front chainwheel on my Marin but can manage the rear changer with my right hand. For this reason I would like front suspension to take the shocks out the bumps and, for the same reason, I would like to think about hub gears (mainly to future-proof myself in case the arthritis gets worse).
At the moment I am looking at 3 bikes which are (1) Woosh Rambletta, (2) Roodog Bliss and (3) Volt Metro. It seems impossible to get a folder with both suspension and hub gears - unless anyone knows otherwise.
I did contact Woosh and got a very helpful reply from Tony Lee and I do favour the style of the Rambletta with the mono-shock (is that the right term?) but the other 2 bikes have more traditional suspension. Batribikes have the hub gears but no suspension so I have ruled them out.
My riding will be on roads, trails with some bumps and tree roots and canal towpaths (which vary in smoothness). Sorry this a long 1st post but I would really appreciate any advice, particularly relating to efficacy of the different types of suspension.
Finally, my wife loves the Gocycles (and I'm mightily impressed as well) but cost and lack of suspension rules them out for now but maybe they'll be an expensive treat somewhere down the line
Many thanks for any help,
John.

 

[Jonah]

Gocycle GX is about the only one I know. Quite a bit more expensive.

 

[Croxden]

Hello all, 1st post here (hopefully of many). Background is I'm early 70's, reasonably active (but not superfit!). Prior to this year myself and wife have used Marin Redwood comfort bikes and cycled on towpaths and mild trails around the Derbyshire reservoirs but not extreme hills or trails.
We now moved and downsized to an apartment in Worcestershire which has secure parking and, surprisingly, a couple of bike sheds within a gated environment. At this stage we will probably keep our existing (non-electric) bikes and are considering a couple of folding e-bikes which will enable us to put them in the boot of the car and travel a bit further and explore our new surroundings (particularly the Cotswolds).
Something that will affect any buying decision is that fact that I have arthritis in my hands and wrists (worse in the left) to the extent that I can't use the triple front chainwheel on my Marin but can manage the rear changer with my right hand. For this reason I would like front suspension to take the shocks out the bumps and, for the same reason, I would like to think about hub gears (mainly to future-proof myself in case the arthritis gets worse).
At the moment I am looking at 3 bikes which are (1) Woosh Rambletta, (2) Roodog Bliss and (3) Volt Metro. It seems impossible to get a folder with both suspension and hub gears - unless anyone knows otherwise.
I did contact Woosh and got a very helpful reply from Tony Lee and I do favour the style of the Rambletta with the mono-shock (is that the right term?) but the other 2 bikes have more traditional suspension. Batribikes have the hub gears but no suspension so I have ruled them out.
My riding will be on roads, trails with some bumps and tree roots and canal towpaths (which vary in smoothness). Sorry this a long 1st post but I would really appreciate any advice, particularly relating to efficacy of the different types of suspension.
Finally, my wife loves the Gocycles (and I'm mightily impressed as well) but cost and lack of suspension rules them out for now but maybe they'll be an expensive treat somewhere down the line
Many thanks for any help,
John.

What price are you looking at?
I had a look on OnBike's web page and this I would like to have.

Electric Bike | Specialist | OnBike Electric Bikes | West Midlands

OnBike has the largest electric bike collection by Riese & Müller, KTM & many more. We offer expert advice and great customer service. Call 01905 611774!

www.onbike.co.uk

 

[Poolepete]

Gocycle GX is about the only one I know. Quite a bit more expensive.

Hello! Funnily enough, I was just looking at the Whoosh folder whilst queuing outside my local Boots just now. It looked a very smart little bike, that was full of shopping with basket style panniers on either side. Obviously used for utility...

I don't understand (and forgive me for being dense) why derailleurs would be harder to use than hub gears. My young eight year old daughter found twist shifts hard to change on her derailleur bike but a quick conversion to trigger shifts solved her problem!

My wife suffers from severe carpal tunnel syndrome and has no issues with the trigger shifts on my bike.

I am sure there are others, a lot more experienced than me, will tell me why I am wrong (I too, am eager to learn and hear the views of others), but good luck in your hunt. I am sure you will love the move to e bikes, though fear it may mean your existing bikes will remain in your cycle locker...!

 

[JohnMalc]

Hello! Funnily enough, I was just looking at the Whoosh folder whilst queuing outside my local Boots just now. It looked a very smart little bike, that was full of shopping with basket style panniers on either side. Obviously used for utility...

I don't understand (and forgive me for being dense) why derailleurs would be harder to use than hub gears. My young eight year old daughter found twist shifts hard to change on her derailleur bike but a quick conversion to trigger shifts solved her problem!

My wife suffers from severe carpal tunnel syndrome and has no issues with the trigger shifts on my bike.

I am sure there are others, a lot more experienced than me, will tell me why I am wrong (I too, am eager to learn and hear the views of others), but good luck in your hunt. I am sure you will love the move to e bikes, though fear it may mean your existing bikes will remain in your cycle locker...!

Thanks everyone (so far). The Gocycle and KTM look fantastic machines but I can't see either have front suspension which is the most important of my requirements. If I'm looking at them wrong I'm sure will enlighten me.

As far as the gears are concerned, trigger shifts on the right-hand side are ok at the moment. On my current bike pushing the left trigger is very painful to the extent I can change down by pulling the appropriate trigger but pushing to change back up to the bigger front chainwheel is not possible for me. Hence the thought of hub gears with a twist shift seemed an idea to consider.

But, as I said, suspension at the front to do away as far as possible with the shocks from bumps is more important.

By the way, my wife does like the Gocycle suggestion and se could well sell the family silver to go that way! But for myself, I'd still welcome any thoughts on the different types of front suspension i.e. Rambletta type or Roodog/Volt type.

Thanks again,
John (and yes the existing bikes may well end up being left in the shed!!)

 

[sjpt]

You can easily have twist shift with derailleur gears. I think it would cost around £10 for £15 for a twist shifter for the Rambletta. Integrated gears and brake levers make the change more difficult. (Woosh may correct me that there is some reason twist shifters wouldn't work.) Some twist shifters are still quite stiff even with hub gears.

I cut my right thumb muscle when little so can't oppose it. I couldn't effectively manage the early thumb shifters at all, but can manage more modern ones which seem to have much better ergonomics. I still prefer twist shift, but haven't bothered to change the thumb shift on our tandem. (I also cut the tip of my left thumb cooking a couple of days ago so couldn't easily change up on our tandem's left (front) thumb shifter today)

 

[Chainring]

Hello all, 1st post here (hopefully of many). Background is I'm early 70's, reasonably active (but not superfit!). Prior to this year myself and wife have used Marin Redwood comfort bikes and cycled on towpaths and mild trails around the Derbyshire reservoirs but not extreme hills or trails.
We now moved and downsized to an apartment in Worcestershire which has secure parking and, surprisingly, a couple of bike sheds within a gated environment. At this stage we will probably keep our existing (non-electric) bikes and are considering a couple of folding e-bikes which will enable us to put them in the boot of the car and travel a bit further and explore our new surroundings (particularly the Cotswolds).
Something that will affect any buying decision is that fact that I have arthritis in my hands and wrists (worse in the left) to the extent that I can't use the triple front chainwheel on my Marin but can manage the rear changer with my right hand. For this reason I would like front suspension to take the shocks out the bumps and, for the same reason, I would like to think about hub gears (mainly to future-proof myself in case the arthritis gets worse).
At the moment I am looking at 3 bikes which are (1) Woosh Rambletta, (2) Roodog Bliss and (3) Volt Metro. It seems impossible to get a folder with both suspension and hub gears - unless anyone knows otherwise.
I did contact Woosh and got a very helpful reply from Tony Lee and I do favour the style of the Rambletta with the mono-shock (is that the right term?) but the other 2 bikes have more traditional suspension. Batribikes have the hub gears but no suspension so I have ruled them out.
My riding will be on roads, trails with some bumps and tree roots and canal towpaths (which vary in smoothness). Sorry this a long 1st post but I would really appreciate any advice, particularly relating to efficacy of the different types of suspension.
Finally, my wife loves the Gocycles (and I'm mightily impressed as well) but cost and lack of suspension rules them out for now but maybe they'll be an expensive treat somewhere down the line
Many thanks for any help,
John.

If you find a folder with hub gears, it will probably have a front hub motor. I thought of changing the front forks for suspension, but this might not be easy with a motor involved. If it's a rear hub motor, changing the forks should not be a problem. I can understand your wish for suspension. Rigid forks send a lot of shocks up your arms and body! (I've just realised, if you go for a rear motor then the Rambletta is a good bet!)

 

[Jonah]

Thanks everyone (so far). The Gocycle and KTM look fantastic machines but I can't see either have front suspension which is the most important of my requirements. If I'm looking at them wrong I'm sure will enlighten me.

As far as the gears are concerned, trigger shifts on the right-hand side are ok at the moment. On my current bike pushing the left trigger is very painful to the extent I can change down by pulling the appropriate trigger but pushing to change back up to the bigger front chainwheel is not possible for me. Hence the thought of hub gears with a twist shift seemed an idea to consider.

But, as I said, suspension at the front to do away as far as possible with the shocks from bumps is more important.

By the way, my wife does like the Gocycle suggestion and se could well sell the family silver to go that way! But for myself, I'd still welcome any thoughts on the different types of front suspension i.e. Rambletta type or Roodog/Volt type.

Thanks again,
John (and yes the existing bikes may well end up being left in the shed!!)

It’s a mono shock, don’t know how it is.

 

[Jonah]

I meant don’t know how good it is!

 

[sjpt]

As far as the gears are concerned, trigger shifts on the right-hand side are ok at the moment. On my current bike pushing the left trigger is very painful to the extent I can change down by pulling the appropriate trigger but pushing to change back up to the bigger front chainwheel is not possible for me. Hence the thought of hub gears with a twist shift seemed an idea to consider.

Very few folders will have a front derailleur, so you probably won't have a left gear lever of any sort for either hub or derailleur.

 

[Croxden]

This is an alternative to a folder, it has a small length, the steering turns right around to take up less space. it has front suspension and a hub gears but Nuvinci type.
Worth a look https://www.onbike.co.uk/folding-electric-bikes/tinker-vario.html

 

[JohnMalc]

This is an alternative to a folder, it has a small length, the steering turns right around to take up less space. it has front suspension and a hub gears but Nuvinci type.
Worth a look https://www.onbike.co.uk/folding-electric-bikes/tinker-vario.html

That's a beauty. Probably more than I want to spend for my first ebike but certainly extremely desirable and ticks all the boxes. Thanks.

 

[JohnMalc]

Very few folders will have a front derailleur, so you probably won't have a left gear lever of any sort for either hub or derailleur.

Very true, thanks.

 

[JohnMalc]

If you find a folder with hub gears, it will probably have a front hub motor. I thought of changing the front forks for suspension, but this might not be easy with a motor involved. If it's a rear hub motor, changing the forks should not be a problem. I can understand your wish for suspension. Rigid forks send a lot of shocks up your arms and body! (I've just realised, if you go for a rear motor then the Rambletta is a good bet!)

Thanks. Yes, don't want to get into changing forks at this stage and that would probably invalidate any guarantee anyway. So I think any of the 3 bikes I originally mentioned would be a good introduction to e-biking. I'd just like to know how effective the different types of suspension are. Thanks again.

 

[Woosh]

I made the Zephyr CDN for 5 years. It's not in production now.
Crank drive + hub gear + full suspension, 20" wheels, in frame battery.

The Zephyr CDN | Chain Drive Foldable Electric Bikes with Nexus hub gears from Woosh

The Zephyr CDN is the lightest chain drive foldable electric bikes from Woosh with Nexus hub gears and hidden 8AH battery.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[JohnMalc]

You can easily have twist shift with derailleur gears. I think it would cost around £10 for £15 for a twist shifter for the Rambletta. Integrated gears and brake levers make the change more difficult. (Woosh may correct me that there is some reason twist shifters wouldn't work.) Some twist shifters are still quite stiff even with hub gears.

That's very helpful. I hadn't thought about changing a trigger shift to a twist shift. It means that if my right hand/thumb get worse I can do that at some time in the future so not being able to do so immediately isn't a great problem. Plus if I enjoy e-biking as much as I expect whatever I get is unlikely to be my last purchase.

All of which means I'll probably end up with a fairly modestly priced bike for now with the prospect of upgrading once I really know what works for me and what doesn't.

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed. Hopefully we may be able to travel about fairly soon and I can arrange some test rides.

Cheers,

John.

 

[JohnMalc]

I made the Zephyr CDN for 5 years. It's not in production now.
Crank drive + hub gear + full suspension, 20" wheels, in frame battery.

The Zephyr CDN | Chain Drive Foldable Electric Bikes with Nexus hub gears from Woosh

The Zephyr CDN is the lightest chain drive foldable electric bikes from Woosh with Nexus hub gears and hidden 8AH battery.

wooshbikes.co.uk

Thanks (although also want to say shame you don't still make it ) But your Rambletta is a very stylish alternative and it's high on my list. Just wish I could pop down to you to have a proper look and test ride - hopefully soon.

Cheers,

John

 

[JohnMalc]

I'm getting very close to a decision but just wanted to mention that I've been in touch with a couple of dealers and got a very helpful reply from a nice guy called Bryn at Juicy Bikes. I asked him about the different suspension on their 2 folders which have the 2 suspension types I've been querying.
Basically he said "The suspension on both bikes would be absolutely fine for the type of riding and terrain you mention. The mono shock basically refers to a single point of travel above the forks, where the standard has two points further down either side of the forks. Both have a very similar level of travel and are both very effective at reducing the impact of bumps over the kind of terrain found on towpaths, canal paths and trails. The main noticeable difference is the monoshock is a lighter weight system helping to reduce the overall weight of the bike."
Just before I make a final decision, could I ask forum members if they agree with this - that the amount of travel would be similar and give fairly equal amounts of comfort over bumps?
Many thanks in advance for further help.
John.

 

[Woosh]

could I ask forum members if they agree with this - that the amount of travel would be similar and give fairly equal amounts of comfort over bumps?

not quite.
The single or mono shock on my Rambletta has 25mm travel.
The RST Omega on my Zephyr-B folding bike has 100mm travel.
Most hybrid e-bike suspension forks like the popular Suntour NEX has 63mm travel.

 

[JuicyBike]

I'm getting very close to a decision but just wanted to mention that I've been in touch with a couple of dealers and got a very helpful reply from a nice guy called Bryn at Juicy Bikes. I asked him about the different suspension on their 2 folders which have the 2 suspension types I've been querying.
Basically he said "The suspension on both bikes would be absolutely fine for the type of riding and terrain you mention. The mono shock basically refers to a single point of travel above the forks, where the standard has two points further down either side of the forks. Both have a very similar level of travel and are both very effective at reducing the impact of bumps over the kind of terrain found on towpaths, canal paths and trails. The main noticeable difference is the monoshock is a lighter weight system helping to reduce the overall weight of the bike."
Just before I make a final decision, could I ask forum members if they agree with this - that the amount of travel would be similar and give fairly equal amounts of comfort over bumps?
Many thanks in advance for further help.
John.

I'm pleased Bryn was helpful John.
The only advice I can give is that you do take a test ride. Many of our stockists are still operating, as allowed by Government advice. You can find our retailers list at our website or here for convenience.
We are growing all the time, perhaps because of our policy to work WITH local bikes shops, which you can read here.
And if you cannot find a test ride then you can return the bike, preferably via a stockist which makes the process a lot simpler.
I will let Bryn know - there is just me from Juicy who can only occasionally look in on these forums - always fascinating and useful, which is why we support them with advertising!
Hope you find the perfect bike and enjoy it - many do already.
All the best, Bob

I should add, my personal feeling FWIW, is that a great deal of energy is lost as bike suspension transfers momentum up and down, rather than along. Unless you are planning off-trail rides then 30mm travel and wide tyres are more than comfortable and a good compromise with efficiency.
Hope this helps. KR, Bob