Giant Fathom E+3 Power 29er - Belgium

BelgianTriple

New Member
Aug 20, 2019
42
14
Belgium
Hi there,

October 2018 I bought a new Giant Fathom E+ POwer 29er. Purpose: start MTB-en again to get fitter (120 kgs/1m91)and use it to commute (70% offroad to get from home to office). I bought a fairly low budget e-bike as I was curious if I was going to like it or not. And if it was going to help me to be able to ride without having a painful back after +15 km. Also Giant is one of the makes where system weight is higher.

I love the bike. I'm a big fan of emtb-ing. Perfect for the commuting and great in the woods and in the fields. Love the Yamaha engine as well.

Issues until now:
1) Suntour front fork. I quickly bottomed it out on a few jumps and drops. After only a few months the fork got stuck. Low price, low quality I suppose. But I expected more from Giant. Giant proposed a new one or a partial refund. LBS offered me a Manitou Machete with discount and I went for it. Happy with this one, altough not flawless either.
2) Chain slap or chain suck. After a new rear casette I started having troubles with the chain especially in muddy conditions. It damaged my frame. New front sprocket. Things got better but not entirely.
3) Snapped the chain on a steep hill.
4) With the new front fork I noticed my front wheel doesnt stay in the middle. Need to take the bike back to LBS for this. I think it is becaus of the quick release that seems to have a smaller diametre than the fork.


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Rusty

E*POWAH BOSS
Jul 17, 2019
1,513
1,673
New Zealand
Issues until now:
1) Suntour front fork. I quickly bottomed it out on a few jumps and drops. After only a few months the fork got stuck. Low price, low quality I suppose. But I expected more from Giant. Giant proposed a new one or a partial refund. LBS offered me a Manitou Machete with discount and I went for it. Happy with this one, altough not flawless either.

Yes, the Suntour forks are pretty much low-cost junk that manufacturers use for base models. They are reasonable enough for lightweight riders that don't go offroad much but that is about it. The difference between the lowest spec model and the next one up is often just the forks or the fork/shock combination.

2) Chain slap or chain suck. After a new rear casette I started having troubles with the chain especially in muddy conditions. It damaged my frame. New front sprocket. Things got better but not entirely.

3) Snapped the chain on a steep hill.
I think 2 & 3 are possibly linked. When you replaced the rear cassette did you replace the chain? If so, with what type/grade of chain?
I am a big unit too at 112kg (sh) and have been riding Singlespeeds over the past 10 or 12 years as well as regular analogue bikes with eMTB coming into the fold a year ago. Used to break chains regularly on my SS bikes until I started running beefier chains. Those I had been using successfully for years on my regular bikes could not handle the stress of me getting up on the pedals to grunt up a climb.

4) With the new front fork I noticed my front wheel doesnt stay in the middle. Need to take the bike back to LBS for this. I think it is becaus of the quick release that seems to have a smaller diametre than the fork.
My first question here is what size QR is on that?
Personally, I would never - EVER ride an ebike with a 9mm QR at my weight. Actually, my LBS reckons anyone over 100kg should stay away from 9mm QR on anythign that goes off-road.
 

BelgianTriple

New Member
Aug 20, 2019
42
14
Belgium
Upgraded my bike with a e-thirteen TRS+ dropper post
Rather complicated to get the cable thru. Had to partially remove the engine but works fine. Like the dropper post.
 

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