Stick, upgrade, change? (upgrade-itis)

[cjm_wales]

I've been riding my Jam2 plus pro a lot since I got it in March. I'm learning and pushing and it's been a hoot so far.

My riding has been a balance of local trails & bike parks. I'm starting to tackle bigger obstacles at higher speeds.

My Jam2 is completely stock, suspension wise, and I can't shake the feeling that I'd benefit from upgrading the suspension for more plushness & travel; in some high speed corners / berms the front in particular feels a bit 'wobbly' during loading - like the front wheel wants to fold back into the frame. Everything is tight as far as I can tell.

A bigger battery would also be welcome, but I haven't run out of power yet, so I could live without the expensive and heavy TEC pack; I'm using uplifts where available.

So do I:
a) stick with it and see how far I can go before I outgrow the bike (or crash)
b) spend some money upgrading the fork & shock - although I don't really know what I'm looking at & could end up with a mismatch
c) change bikes - a local riding buddy is selling his sam2 with 1000kms on it for a fair price - or just go nuts & get something like a used Levo?

Is the grass really greener?

 

[R120]

Personally what i would do is book in a session with a local skills coach who also offers suspension set up help - now this may cost between £100-200 but will be a great investment.

You will get feedback on correct set up of your current bike, and feedback on your riding - you may find that actually a bit of tuning to your suspension and technique moves things on a lot for you, and it will also give you an idea of what to look for if you do upgrade your suspension.

 

[S D]

I've been riding my Jam2 plus pro a lot since I got it in March. I'm learning and pushing and it's been a hoot so far.

My riding has been a balance of local trails & bike parks. I'm starting to tackle bigger obstacles at higher speeds.

My Jam2 is completely stock, suspension wise, and I can't shake the feeling that I'd benefit from upgrading the suspension for more plushness & travel; in some high speed corners / berms the front in particular feels a bit 'wobbly' during loading - like the front wheel wants to fold back into the frame. Everything is tight as far as I can tell.

A bigger battery would also be welcome, but I haven't run out of power yet, so I could live without the expensive and heavy TEC pack; I'm using uplifts where available.

So do I:
a) stick with it and see how far I can go before I outgrow the bike (or crash)
b) spend some money upgrading the fork & shock - although I don't really know what I'm looking at & could end up with a mismatch
c) change bikes - a local riding buddy is selling his sam2 with 1000kms on it for a fair price - or just go nuts & get something like a used Levo?

Is the grass really greener?

I’m sure the massive Levo marketing machine will soon be on your case?
But seriously, I’ve so far stuck with the stock suspension and have to say
that compared to the fox forks I have on my regular bikes the RS revelation feels very « hard » no matter what pressure I run in it.
I also took out the one and only token just last week as I noticed it wasn’t giving full travel . Maybe it’s stiffer to cope with the extra weight of an ebike .
Being a total novice when it comes to suspension tech I’m probably just wasting my time but I’ve not had chance to get it to someone who knows their stuff yet.

 

[cjm_wales]

Personally what i would do is book in a session with a local skills coach who also offers suspension set up help - now this may cost between £100-200 but will be a great investment.

You will get feedback on correct set up of your current bike, and feedback on your riding - you may find that actually a bit of tuning to your suspension and technique moves things on a lot for you, and it will also give you an idea of what to look for if you do upgrade your suspension.

That is a very sensible suggestion.

 

[R120]

The problem is that it’s just as easy to make your bike worse as it is better when you start swapping major parts out unless you have an idea of what you are doing! Something I have done in the past

 

[Max-E]

I’m sure the massive Levo marketing machine will soon be on your case?
But seriously, I’ve so far stuck with the stock suspension and have to say
that compared to the fox forks I have on my regular bikes the RS revelation feels very « hard » no matter what pressure I run in it.
I also took out the one and only token just last week as I noticed it wasn’t giving full travel . Maybe it’s stiffer to cope with the extra weight of an ebike .
Being a total novice when it comes to suspension tech I’m probably just wasting my time but I’ve not had chance to get it to someone who knows their stuff yet.

Check out some YT videos on suspension set up to start - the Revs on the Levo are stock - no different to other OEM AFAIK. Apart from the most basic forks/shocks you should be able to get good performance from a stock set up. People get too hung up on E-bike specific stuff - at the end of the day it's a heavier bike that's all - and only 10 kilos more than a typical decent FS - ie the difference in sprung weight from a 11 stone guy to a 12.5 stone guy so no need to go crazy HD on everything.

Chris Porter talks a lot of sense for starters:


And: