Suspension pressure for ebike different from std?

[Antz26]

HI, just wanted to get everyone's view on suspension set up. Do you run the recommended pressures displayed on the fork leg? Do you not need more PSI due to the bike weight? Thanks

 

[valium64]

I work on pressure according the SAG I want, and I can say that for Fox Ebike series is very close if not equal to the displayed one on the label.

 

[Antz26]

Cheers mate, thanks for the feedback

 

[MattyB]

I guess because of the increased weight of the total system (bike+rider) that a given sag % must require slightly higher PSI if all other variables are held the same. However, the difference in the real world appears to be pretty small - maybe 1-2 PSI, certainly well within the kind of values that riders adjust their fork pressure purely due to taste/riding style. Keeping it simple, use what is on the fork or shock as a starting point, then adjust as you see fit - suspension kinematics, terrain and riding style are far more important in terms of influencing your settings than the increase in weight.

 

[HikerDave]

HI, just wanted to get everyone's view on suspension set up. Do you run the recommended pressures displayed on the fork leg? Do you not need more PSI due to the bike weight? Thanks

I do not. I run my 2016 Fox 36 fork at 15 percent sag at much less than Fox’s recommended pressure. When I transferred the fork to my eBike I initially increased low-speed compression a couple of clicks on the Avalanche damper, but I’ve backed it off to the same settings I used for my non-eBike. Pressure is the same. With a stock damper on that fork you would probably want more sag than what I run; the stock damper that came with the 2016 Fork had excessive high-speed compression damping even for my 200ish pounds.

 

[Cris]

Also bear in mind that the e-bike specific forks have a smaller volume than the stds because the tubes have a thicker wall. Fox e 34s for example use the volume spacers from the std 32 fork

 

[Avyoung]

I have been using suspension pressures substantially higher than my regular bike. On a Lyrik fork as example I run 10-15psi higher. Hard to get pop on drops and jumps and control the hard slams in compressions and obstacles otherwise. My terrain is steep and chunky so I’m guessing it depends on how aggressive your terrain is where you live.

After 2000km of eMTB trail riding, I have gotten used to stiffer suspension and have been riding more aggressively on my regular bike than before and as a result have made my regular bike stiffer. My tolerance for less plushness is higher now. My regular bike still trails the pressures of my eMTB by quite a margin however.

Don’t be shy on experimenting with suspension pressures!