Ask the experts

[Roxtar]

Pedaling force on a crankarm is entirely nominal compared to the forces from hucking to flat or smashing the crank into a rock. Those forces aren't any less on an ebike.

OK, so there's no problem using burly real-bike crankset on an e-bike, right?

[toast2266]

OK, so there's no problem using burly real-bike crankset on an e-bike, right?

Sure, as long as they're compatible with whatever motor you've got.

[HAB]

Sure, as long as they're compatible with whatever motor you've got.

Which they won't be, they mount up way differently.

[Roxtar]

Yea, probably not much chance of RaceFace's spindle to crankarm interface being the same as their e-bike interface.

Edit: Just looked at the TQ drive unit spindle interface. At least they found a way to use all the old ISIS drive cranks. I should have kept my old FSA Carbon cranks.

[XXX-er]

E-Bike cranksets.
I see many crankset companies offering e-bike specific models.
Marketing or is there an actual difference?
The engineer in me says that the assist would allow using a a far weaker crankarm. The whole point of an e-bike is to use far less pedal force.
You surely aren't applying near the force to them as with a standard bike.
Any reason to not use a standard crankset in an e-bike.

I have always thot cranks were not something worth spending aftermarket coin on, but someone will want to put carbon cranks on an E bike, a full on E-bike is already >50 lb and you got 85nm of assist so why worry about the weight, also IME what happens is I hit a lot of rocks cuz I'm pedaling hard to keep the motor on the boil instead of picking my way thru stuff on the ground

There were instances of non shimano cranksets cracking the splined motor spindle of the EP8 so I would just use whatever the motor mfg spec'ed so shimano arms on an EP8 seem fine to me

Duno about the other motors but the finely splined interface of the EP8 motor shaft is no where near anything I have seen on a mtnbike

[carlh]

I put aftermarket cranks on my cargo e-bike to get a narrower Q factor since the motor is super wide. I bought Bosch compatible cranks from miranda and was happy with the result. They are black aluminum and not bling.

[zion zig zag]

I'm still wringing hands over long shocking my 2019 Smuggler. Current shock is non-piggybacked fox (dps?) at 210x50. Internet seems to agree that a float x 210x55 will fit on a large frame, some suggest using an offset bushing for slightly more clearance. This should take me from 120mm to 130mm, I would increase travel on the fork from 140 to 150 to match the increase.

My question is: I found a new Float X for sale pretty cheap locally, it's a take off from a Stumpy Evo, performance edition so only a rebound adjustment, no compression. Any reason I would struggle to tune that shock to my bike? Like different suspension designs between the two bikes requires a different factory tune to work properly?

[toast2266]

I'm still wringing hands over long shocking my 2019 Smuggler. Current shock is non-piggybacked fox (dps?) at 210x50. Internet seems to agree that a float x 210x55 will fit on a large frame, some suggest using an offset bushing for slightly more clearance. This should take me from 120mm to 130mm, I would increase travel on the fork from 140 to 150 to match the increase.

My question is: I found a new Float X for sale pretty cheap locally, it's a take off from a Stumpy Evo, performance edition so only a rebound adjustment, no compression. Any reason I would struggle to tune that shock to my bike? Like different suspension designs between the two bikes requires a different factory tune to work properly?

Odds that it will be more or less functional on the bike? Pretty good.

Odds that it will have a tune perfectly suited to the bike? Pretty low.

No idea how far away from perfect the tune will be. If you get the tune code for the shock, you can look it up on Fox's website. Transition's customer service is usually good about this sort of thing, so you could potentially email them whatever you find out about the shock and they could give you their thoughts on it.

[zion zig zag]

Odds that it will be more or less functional on the bike? Pretty good.

Odds that it will have a tune perfectly suited to the bike? Pretty low.

No idea how far away from perfect the tune will be. If you get the tune code for the shock, you can look it up on Fox's website. Transition's customer service is usually good about this sort of thing, so you could potentially email them whatever you find out about the shock and they could give you their thoughts on it.

Copy, I'll see if I can get that tune code.

Also found out you can add the compression knob for $25: https://www.ridefox.com/fox17/help.php?m=bike&id=2846

Would that help with the tune situation? Or is it more about how the internals are valved for a specific tune?

[beaterdit]

I'm still wringing hands over long shocking my 2019 Smuggler. Current shock is non-piggybacked fox (dps?) at 210x50. Internet seems to agree that a float x 210x55 will fit on a large frame, some suggest using an offset bushing for slightly more clearance. This should take me from 120mm to 130mm, I would increase travel on the fork from 140 to 150 to match the increase.

My question is: I found a new Float X for sale pretty cheap locally, it's a take off from a Stumpy Evo, performance edition so only a rebound adjustment, no compression. Any reason I would struggle to tune that shock to my bike? Like different suspension designs between the two bikes requires a different factory tune to work properly?

Don't know which orientation you'd want to run the offset bushings but know this: They can only be run one way, with the offset toward the compression direction, resulting in the bike sitting lower. If you try to run them the other way, they'll always settle back to the low position. So if you'd be trying to gain clearance from the rear tire to the seat tube, it won't work. You can only reduce the clearance there.

[Andeh]

Don't know which orientation you'd want to run the offset bushings but know this: They can only be run one way, with the offset toward the compression direction, resulting in the bike sitting lower. If you try to run them the other way, they'll always settle back to the low position. So if you'd be trying to gain clearance from the rear tire to the seat tube, it won't work. You can only reduce the clearance there.

That's not strictly true. You can run offset bushings reversed (to steepen things) provided they're at the end of the shock that doesn't see any rotation and check it periodically. Examples of where this would work would be the lower eyelet on a vertically driven shock, or the forward eyelet of a horizontally driven shock. I ran one in this configuration on my GG Megatrail for over year and it was fine.

[zion zig zag]

Don't know which orientation you'd want to run the offset bushings but know this: They can only be run one way, with the offset toward the compression direction, resulting in the bike sitting lower. If you try to run them the other way, they'll always settle back to the low position. So if you'd be trying to gain clearance from the rear tire to the seat tube, it won't work. You can only reduce the clearance there.

I got most of my info from this thread on MTBR: https://www.mtbr.com/threads/long-sh...1088425/page-2

And I could be stating things wrong, seems like good specifics in this post: "You can put on a 210x55 shock without the offset bushing but you will be pushing the limits of the seat stay brace hitting the seat post. One offset bushing will allow for the extra travel(stroke) while keeping a safe gap to the seat post. It allows you to install the shock with less compression by increasing the eye to eye length of the frame.

It will also steepen the head angle and seat tube by 1/2 degree so if you want to keep the same angles you have to either increase your fork travel by 10mm or use an angle set head set. I'm bumping my Ribbon coil fork up to 150mm."

Am I misinterpreting?

[beaterdit]

Yeah what Andeh says makes sense. So on your bike you could potentially run an offset bushing in the "long" orientation at the lower shock mount if you check it for rotation regularly. When I tried it I found that it had rotated at one point and just scrapped it. That bike did have more than average rotation at the static mount point.

What they say about the head tube angle is true. It'll also raise the BB.

If it were me I'd just be looking for a bike that better fits what I want from it but I assume that's not in the cards right now for you. So failing that I'd want to use an angleset in addition to lengthening the fork to help reduce raising if the BB height. With all that you'd *hopefully* maintain or reduce the HTA while slightly lengthening the reach, steepening the STA, and minimising raising of the BB.

[zion zig zag]

Yeah what Andeh says makes sense. So on that bike you could potentially run an offset bushing in the "long" orientation at the lower shock mount if you check it for rotation regularly. When I tried it I found that it had rotated at one point and just scrapped it.

I need all things suspension explained to me like I'm 5. Wouldn't the offset part tend to migrate down, which is where you would want it? So in the photo below, the hole would be at the bottom?

[beaterdit]

Yes but for your application you'd want to run it in the opposite direction or as shown, for more clearance from the seat stay brace to the seat tube.

Running it in the normal/short/down position would reduce clearance there, guaranteeing the brace would hit the seat tube.

[zion zig zag]

Yes but for your application you'd want to run it in the opposite direction or as shown, for more clearance from the seat stay brace to the seat tube.

Running it in the normal/short/down position would reduce clearance there, guaranteeing the brace would hit the seat tube.

Wouldn't that decrease the eye to eye length of the shock mount? I'm feeling pretty dumb right now

I need a Zoom call with on screen diagrams.....

[beaterdit]

Oops yeah I misspoke. You would want to run it the direction shown at the lower mount. But compression and rotational forces would tend to push it the other way.

[Andeh]

Oops yeah I misspoke. You would want to run it the direction shown at the lower mount. But compression and rotational forces would tend to push it the other way.

Bushings fit pretty snug in shock eyelets; typically you have to press them in with a vise. So as long as the shock isn't rotating around the bushing and the load comes in straight on, the bushing won't rotate. Like I said, myself and others have done this and never had it move.

[g_man80]

ZZZ, if it fits, or if anyone is offset bushing curious, I’ve got a free new one in the beer+shipping thread. 40mm X 8mm size. More dimensions provided in the post (7-13-2023).

[Andeh]

I've got 8x35 & 8x20 offset bushings that I'm not using also that I'm happy to pass on for beer+shipping.

[beaterdit]

Bushings fit pretty snug in shock eyelets; typically you have to press them in with a vise. So as long as the shock isn't rotating around the bushing and the load comes in straight on, the bushing won't rotate. Like I said, myself and others have done this and never had it move.

Hmmm mine just slipped in by hand, maybe my eyelet bushings were worn out and that was my problem.

Maybe I should just pipe down in the "experts" thread, hahaha.

[VTskibum]

UDH, first bike with one and after a crash that I was pretty lucky to come out unscathed (bike and especially body), realized only at the start of a 3+ hour ride that my UDH was slightly bent. Was way too nice of a day out and trails were too perfect to quit, so I rode anyway w extra careful shifting practices. Was solo so was either pushing big gear circa my Singlespeed days or spinning like crazy.

Anyway hit the shop on the way home for a new UDH (of which I’m now going to keep an extra in the truck). One priced at $18 another Wheels Manufacturing was $48!? I went $18, but trying to decide if the wheels is 2x better at doing hanger things? I’ve read the cheapo/normal ones are abs plastic which apparently is ok bc they don’t bend and generally bounce back. Thoughts/experiences from collective?

[zion zig zag]

ZZZ, if it fits, or if anyone is offset bushing curious, I’ve got a free new one in the beer+shipping thread. 40mm X 8mm size. More dimensions provided in the post (7-13-2023).

I've got 8x35 & 8x20 offset bushings that I'm not using also that I'm happy to pass on for beer+shipping.

Shoot, looks like I need a 25x8. Thanks for the offer!

[XtrPickels]

I have a step-cast 34 on the front of my Epic Evo with a remote lock-out FIT4 damper.

When the lockout is engaged there's ~1-2cm of travel before it locks-out.

This a common problem with an easy fix?

[toast2266]

I have a step-cast 34 on the front of my Epic Evo with a remote lock-out FIT4 damper.

When the lockout is engaged there's ~1-2cm of travel before it locks-out.

This a common problem with an easy fix?

That sounds like a normal modern lockout. Most forks / shocks these days don't do an immediate hard lockout. Partly because it'll destroy the damper pretty quick, and partly because a little bit of firm suspension is generally advantageous.