Help the gimp with the limp who's a wimp.

[Cyclingwilly]

OK folks, what I'm going to ask will no doubt have been asked and answered more times than Donald Trump has played his imaginary piano accordian, but, I would say my problem is a little different to the norm.
I suffer badly from arthritis in the hands, wrists and lower back, I also have fibromyalgia, several snapped tendons/ligaments in the right hand side of my back and to top it all off, I'm a right leg below knee amputee, so my right side already has significant weakenesses.
I've always ridden hardtails and my one foray into full suss was not a happy one, but that was a Giant ATX-D970 weighing the same as Saturn, but it was a long time ago. The time has come for me to go electric, but I'm in such a quandary as to which way to go, I'm giving myself headaches. My last bike was and still is a Genesis Core 30, it's a great bike and has given me many happy miles of grins. As I'm approaching 60 and know my conditions are only going to get worse, I'm leaning towards a hardtail again, but my brain is telling me to consider a full boinger, I am totally aware that technology has moved on greatly and recently, but where I live, we're not ones for keep up to date with current trends and I've found out, people have started putting glass into window frames, shame about Elvis though!
Given my medical problems, if I went for full suspension, I might only need/use it for 1 ride in every 10, hence the hardtail being my prefered ride, when I ride alone, I tend to stick to back roads/country lanes, only venturing onto rougher terrain if I'm with friends (for safety reasons). I'm also a glutton for punishment, where I live is in a valley, so within a mile of leaving the house, I'm on an incline and I do tend to torture myself by trying to climb the hills under my own steam and without bailing, while I'm stubborn/stupid enough to try and continue, common sense has to prevail some time and I think it might be my turn now to use it.
I've spent hours and hours reading reviews, bike tests and looking at Youtube videos, my Core 30 has front lock out for climbing and I'm fully aware that full sus bikes have rear lock out, but still feel lost, I am getting very frustrated with myself with being so indecisive. I don't have a lot of money available, so interest free will be the way to go, another issue I have, is allowing myself to buy something, I suffer from terrible guilt if I buy something, knowing I could have bought something else with that money, the thing is, I don't need anything, my bungalow is furnished and is perfectly set up for my requirements, I have no debts and owe no one a penny, I just have a fear of being skint.
What should I do? do I stick with a hard tail and just enjoy it as it is or go full sus, use the lockouts for climbing and know that I have the options to go crazy when the time comes?

I'm 5' 9" (175cm) and 15stone (95kg), down from 18.5 stone (117kg) since January 2019.

One very important thing, with being lop sided, weaker on the right and very ugly, I cannot stand up to pedal, I have tried many times, but the residual strength in what remains of my right leg is really poor. Also, I have a limited degree of available bend at the knee, so normally have to get a size bigger than other riders.

 

[R120]

There are several members in a similar situation @Stumpy can probably offer you some good advice, as he's a member of the one leg crew but you wouldnt know it to see him ride. Personally I would go for a FS if you can afford it

 

[Alex @ PLANET3.bike]

Hi @Cyclingwilly. After reading all of your concerns, I'd sum it up like this: if you can afford a full suspension bike in any way possible - you should get it and put all your worries and concerns aside. Simply put, your quality of riding (and quality of life) will go up so drastically that the mental health benefits will far outweigh the concerns you have. Now, if you want more detailed help - you need to tell us your budget.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Likewise, would do the same.

I had two emtb hardtails last year, one of which I rode daily with a fractured pelvis and so so so wished I'd had an FS bike to remove the pain on any little bump. Was supposed to be on bed rest, but bed rest sucks and the dog still needed walking !

With an EMTB there aren't the same penalties compared to an analogue bike when moving to FS.

For starters, the weight difference is proportionally less. Sometimes just less. My E8000 hard tail weighed 22.5kg's (advertised as 18.5).

On the efficiency side, I did two back to back rides of 30km on a mix of road, tracks and a tiny bit of gnarly. One I did with the suspension fully open, one with it "locked" or as locked as it gets - set "hard". A lot of suspension these days doesn't actually "lock". In terms of power used between the two rides, they were pretty much identical. As were segment times. With the motor and the better suspension/geometry of the bikes, assuming you position your weight correctly, they don't bounce around and you don't waste speed or energy. So now I just leave my suspension unlocked all the time (180mm Kenevo).

In terms of bikes, a good starting spot is the Decathlon Stilus. An FS bike for not much more than a lot of hardtails.

Decathlon STILUS Full Suspension Electric Mountain Bike - SRAM SX - EMTB Forums

If your budget allows more, there's many other options, but the Stilus has a pretty good spec to get you started for the money.

 

[Cyclingwilly]

Thank you for the replies so far, budget wise, I dare say I could stretch to £3,500.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Thank you for the replies so far, budget wise, I dare say I could stretch to £3,500, I can throw down a £1K deposit and pay the rest over 2 years on interest free for just over £100 per month.

Now you've done it .. you've gone from one option to the pain of deliberating between 20 different excellent bikes.

Keep in mind that just because you can stretch to more, doesn't mean you should rule out the Stilus just because it's cheaper.

 

[steve_sordy]

I agree with the thrust of what has been said so far, ie get a full suss, you absolutely will not regret it. If you cannot stand up to pedal, then you will be spending a lot of time seated. You NEED some rear suspension more than most is my view.
Next point is forget about having lockouts. They no longer actually lock out the travel, just stiffen it up a bit. Then when you get to the top of the hill you have to remember to unlock it, or you get a very shaky descent! Bike suspension and geometry is so good these days, that I no longer bother with engaging the "lockout", it is just not necessary. I don't even bother on tarmac.

Be careful buying a bike bigger than you need, can you get longer cranks instead? Yes I can hear the howls of outrage from the short crank brigade that you will be forever be subject to pedal strikes. All I'm saying is that you have to make some compromises to get the right bike for you. Try your hardest to do a test ride on any prospective bike. Maybe you would benefit from a cycle fit? I have two big cycles shops do them near me, maybe you can find one that offers this service near you?

PS: Good luck with your quest.

 

[Cyclingwilly]

I live in County Durham and I'm only 5 miles or so from Hamsterley, I've spoken to a few mates today who are recent e-bike converts and asked where they bought their bikes and if any had tried a demo bike, not one dealer would give them a bike to try, unless they pootled around the car park a few yards away and in full view of a staff member, I cannot make a decision based on this. I'll email a few of the bike dealers within a 25-30 mile range, explain my position and condition and ask for a 1-2 hour test. If no one plays ball, they don't get my money. If Hamsterley was currently open, I would have a drive over and have a chat with a few of the riders.

 

[billwarwick]

Good luck.
By the way, what’s happened to Elvis??

 

[steve_sordy]

Evans Cycles in the centre of Nottingham used to charge £50 for a test ride, may still do so. It was there to make sure you turned up. After the staff had got the bike in from the warehouse and set it up, many riders then didn't show!
After the test ride, if you didn't like the bike, you got your money back.
What was the test ride? You could have 40 mins to go wherever you like - "just avoid the dog turds please, we hate cleaning it off!" OK this was the city centre, or close to it, but there were flights of steps to ride down, big double kerbs to jump off or to ride up. In addition there were cobbled streets to rumble across, tree stumps to ride over. There was in fact all sorts of stuff to test the bike rather than just tooling about in a car park. Certainly enough to know whether the bike fitted you or not.

Remember, you are making a judgement on whether to spend your hard earned cash! Take it seriously!

Tip No1: Take your own pedals. The pedals on one bike I tested and bought had pedals on that had been cross-threaded and no matter how hard the staff tried, they absolutely would not come off! I cannot begin to believe how hard it would have been to convince them that it wasn't me that did it. ("Our staff are all Cycletech trained sir").
Tip No2: Ensure the bike is set up to suit you. Not just saddle height, but fore and aft too. Grips, lever positions, tyre pressures, and suspension sag. Don't forget rebound and compression! Get them to explain which levers/dials do what and if in doubt go for one third away from fast on rebound and one third away from open on compression before you set off then play with them. I do not have the space here to tell you in how many ways test bikes have been declared ready that were patently the exact opposite (was someone having a laugh?)
Tip No 3: Take a mini-tool. During a test ride, I have even swapped the stem spacers about to change the bar height, made further adjustments to lever angles and position, even saddle angle (because I didn't get it quite right in the shop).

 

[Cyclingwilly]

I have to use SPD's, so apart from the pedals, I'll be wearing my Nike Poobahs (1992 vintage).

 

[R120]

Some members have managed to get proper test rides on the Decathlon, as in take it out for a few hours from the store.

The Decathlon might actually be a great shout, because it has pretty long chain stays, making it a very stable bike and a great climber - this means it won't be as nimble as some bikes with shorter rear ends, but might actually be a plus point for you?

 

[Nicho]

Given my medical problems, if I went for full suspension, I might only need/use it for 1 ride in every 10, hence the hardtail being my prefered ride,

With a decent e-bike you can adjust the power settings to suit you (often by a phone app), and by selection of power setting or no power by switching the assist off, you can make the ride or any part of it as hard or easy as you like, or feel up to at the time depending on the type of road you are on.

After a while on a FS e-bike you will, like most other people on the forum, find that you will be taking the e-bike for 10 rides in every 10, as you will have discovered that it is good for all types of riding that you want to do!

All the above people have offered good advice but I woiuld like to suggest that it is not a good idea to publish so many of your personal and financial details on a public forum.

Whilst I cannot begin to know what it is like to ride with your disabilities, I can say that I was in the same position of humming and haring about whether to buy an e-bike last year (due to health issues making it hard to ride my old bike), and wondering if I could justify the expense.

I am glad to be able to report that it was the best decision I have made for years.
I was not able to test ride the bike I bought (Giant Trance) other than on the pavement outside the shop, but before that I did hire a Merida from them (the only e-bike they had for hire) to take a proper off-road test ride, which confirmed beyond doubt that an e-bike was what I needed!

As others have said, I think it is important that you try to arrange a proper test by hiring an e-bike, (or borrowing one from your friends), even if it is not the one you go on to buy, as it will clear up any doubts in your mind as to whether an e-bike is right for you.

 

[Stumpy]

Hi @Cyclingwilly and thanks for the tag to this thread @R120

A lot of good advice above I won't bother repeating. As @R120 mentioned, I'm also an amputee (RBK) and from my point of view the important factors are;

1. Are eBikes right for you? - Apologies if I'm telling you what you already know but the mid-motor bikes that most of us use require a certain amount of force, through the crank, by the rider to allow the motor assistance to be given (proportionally to the amount of force being given). Therefore, depending on the severity of the weakness you mention on your right side may mean the motor has a cutting in/out effect as you transfer the pushing force from your good side to your weak side. Therefore, my advice is to try and test ride different motors rather than bikes (shimano, bosch, brose etc.) and when you find a motor you like the characteristics of then you can start looking at bikes that uses it and take it from there.
2. Full suss vs. Hardtail - As said far more eloquently above, Full suss is the best of both worlds and even if you will only use it 1 out of 10 rides it's still worth having. My prediction is if you go eBike/Full Suss you'll be on the 'rough' stuff a lot more than ever! Also, the locking out thing on a full suss eBike is, in my view, not an issue, I've got front and rear lockout capability and have never used them or even felt the need to.
3. SPD's - I know where you are coming from and also ran traditional SPD's (Crank brothers egg beaters being my favored type) to enable my prosthetic foot to 'stick' to the pedal for years when I rode hardtail. However, as I alluded to above, riding a full suss eBike led me to spend more time 'off road' and inevitably this led to me having a few more 'off's'. As you'll obviously know, detaching from an SPD without an ankle isn't easy at the best of times but nigh on impossible when you've got 25Kg on top of you. However, I discovered magpeds which as the name suggests, attach a metal plate that replaces the SPD cleat on your shoe to a magnet on the pedal. I can not recommend them enough and they work perfectly for my use case.

Hope that all helps a bit and happy to answer any questions you may have - good luck and safe and happy riding!

 

[Cyclingwilly]

Hi Stumpy, thanks for taking the time to engage in my thread and throwing your ideas at me, I like the look of those pedals and will certainly do some research on them.

 

[Cyclingwilly]

My desire for a new e-bike has just gone up several notches after seeing several of the videos posted by fellow riders, I wonder if there are any bike shops open to day in the Durham or Newcastle area?

 

[Janluke]

I'm also a below knee amp and a big fella as well so I'll add a few points from my POV I have 2 full suss, a hardtail and a hybrid all ebikes

Like you I struggle to stand up and pedal and have lop sided leg power.

Fullsuss/hardtail understandably you're looking at it from a non powered cycle POV. The extra weight makes very little difference to climbing, a full suss opens up a lot more terrain and the suspension will offer a lot more comfort if you're a bit creaky. So for example a forestry track that would normally be hardtail terrain you'll manage just as quickly and in more comfort on a full suss. As Stumpy says I don't think I've ever used the lock out on any of my ebikes

Pedals is a very personal thing. I love spds, I bought a set of mag pedals and couldnt get on with them but Stumpy loves them

Something else to consider is how adjustable the motors are. The ability to tune each mode to your own level of effort is quite important. My Giant for example has 5 modes giving me a wider range to play with so I'm working at the same level over various different conditions. Not sure if I explained that very well.

Finally I'm in Central Scotland so not too far away. Once we are able to move around the country a wee bit I'd happily meet you halfway(say Keilder forest) I'll bring a full suss, a hardtail and a hybrid and you can try all three(3 different motors too)

 

[Cyclingwilly]

Thank you Janluke, which model is your Giant?

 

[Janluke]

Giant Dirt E pro +1 its the hardtail

 

[Cyclingwilly]

Afternoon all, I've spent the day doing more research and driving myself even more crazy, I spent a couple of hours looking at the Giants and it a lot of people suggest choosing the Trance over the Stance, with the latter referring the E+3. With a large amount prefering 29ers to 27.5, the option seems a bit odd to me. Is the smaller wheeled Trance +3 so much better than other Giants, even in 29 guise? At £3.5K, it fits within my price range.

 

[Janluke]

The 29vs27.5 debate is long and has many good points on both sides. From the use you are suggesting ie bit of road work, forest tracks and not loads of really rough stuff I reckon a 29er is the better option

 

[R120]

From experience, though haven't ridden one in a while, the Yamaha motor in the Giants delivers its power almost instantly in the pedal stroke, unlike some EMTB's which have a more gradual power up so to speak ( we are talking minimal diffenreces, not whole crank turns). This may be a good thing in your situation? @Janluke can confirm

 

[Janluke]

@R120 Yes thats correct and is useful as an amputee esp on hill starts. I generally start with the prosthetic clipped in which is obviously me weaker side so a slightly earlier power pick up does make a slight difference. The Kenevo(Specialized) has loads of adjustment via the apps as well

 

[Cabby.]

The Cube FS bikes come in at £3500 offering great bang for your buck on spec. deffo worth a look.


Off topic, @Stumpy what an absolutely brilliant username for someone who is an amputee

 

[Cyclingwilly]

I had a 29er a couple of years ago, then a bloke saw me and started asking a few questions, we chatted for a while and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse, so I sold him the bike, after all, a profit is a profit, I'd had the bike two years and came out of it £75 to the better. I always start with my duff side clipped in and go from there, not often I get it wrong.
With the preference for the 29er, I reckon I'll stick with it, but the Giant Trance aren't made in 29, (drums fingers). Infinity near Durham is open tomorrow, so I'll have a quick drive down to see what's what, looking on their website, they don't have much stock. This might seem a daft question, but what percentage should/would/could I be able to get from haggling? I'm guessing with so many bikes going out of the door, dealers will be able to say, "buy it or sling your hook".

 

[Cyclingwilly]

what an absolutely brilliant username for someone who is an amputee.

I wanted it for myself, but it was taken and Stumpjumper would have had connotations.

 

[Cyclingwilly]

I'm back to looking at the Cubes again, and for the love of me, cannot see the difference between the 120 Hybrid Pro 500 and the Hybrid Racer 500? There's 3 colour schemes for each model, is it geometry or use or something else? Is there anything I should be looking for on a bike?

 

[Cabby.]

I'm back to looking at the Cubes again, and for the love of me, cannot see the difference between the 120 Hybrid Pro 500 and the Hybrid Racer 500? There's 3 colour schemes for each model, is it geometry or use or something else? Is there anything I should be looking for on a bike?

One has Fox and the other has RS.

 

[Cyclingwilly]

One has Fox and the other has RS.

Is it worth the £500 difference?

 

[Steve940]

Thank you for the replies so far, budget wise, I dare say I could stretch to £3,500.

Someone on here mentioned a day or two ago that shops were doing cube hybrid stereo for £3300 ish instead of 3999..seems like a huge drop for the new 2020 version but worth an ask