Ebike specific forks

[jimmyjam]

I bought some Fox factory 36 forks for my Levo, but not the ebike version. Should I be worried?

 

[drjarvis2003]

No.

 

[laustin956]

hi i did the same

 

[mxh]

Am I right in saying that the only difference is that they're slightly 'beefed up' (thicker stanchion walls etc) to handle the extra weight of the e-bike?

If that's the case then I would have thought a better way of choosing a fork would be based on total weight - eg a 100kg rider on an analogue bike would be a better candidate for beefed up forks than a 50kg rider on an e-bike.

Unless of course I'm missing some other 'magic' that an e-bike specific fork can only perform when attached to an e-bike?

 

[laustin956]

hi i went for the non ebike version for less weight as i am 65kg and dont do a lot of hard riding all the time

 

[MinusPrevious]

The E-Bike specific may have some slight valving changes for the increased weight.

Update: Went to the Fox site & this is quick comment on the diff:
Our E-Bike forks are made specifically for the rigors of E-Bikes with a stouter chassis and longer durability due to adding material to strengthen critical areas. The design also uses tuning originally done for Enduro use, which fits the needs of the E-MTB and overall E-Bike rider very well.

 

[mxh]

The E-Bike specific may have some slight valving changes for the increased weight.

How does the fork know whether the extra weight is in the bike or the rider?

I agree that 'on average', an e-bike + rider combo will weigh more than a non e-bike + rider

And a heavy rider on an e-bike will probably benefit from the e-bike specific fork. But it has nothing to do with the electric-ness of the bike.

But whilst the e-bike side of it is a bit of a misnomer, if you're a heavier rider of an analog bike (and e-bike of course), these would certainly be worth looking at.

 

[MinusPrevious]

How does the fork know whether the extra weight is in the bike or the rider?

I agree that 'on average', an e-bike + rider combo will weigh more than a non e-bike + rider

And a heavy rider on an e-bike will probably benefit from the e-bike specific fork. But it has nothing to do with the electric-ness of the bike.

But whilst the e-bike side of it is a bit of a misnomer, if you're a heavier rider of an analog bike (and e-bike of course), these would certainly be worth looking at.

I come from the automotive mechanical field & its my opinion that the weight of the bike induces dynamics into the frame & suspension that the rider weight has little bearing over

The engineers have certainly performed FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to determine the effect of a 50lb bicycle moving through its load cycles

Just my opinion / .02 pence

 

[Mikerb]

There are 2 separate aspects I reckon given a rider that knows how to alter position on the bike. One is the additional strength added to cater for higher loads induced by a heavier bike although you would think head angle and intended use would be equally relevant. The other is how the fork is tuned in terms of porting and volume spacers. It is the latter that seems to be overdone for many lighter riders or those riding more xc type trails than enduro. You would think the additional strengthening of an e bike version should only really apply to 150 travel forks and less since 160 plus would be considered more of an Enduro fork anyway.

 

[Ducatijones]

I bought fox factory 36 Non ebike forks a few months ago mainly to save about 400 quid. I cant fault them.