Every vehicle, if it moves reasonably fast, naturally has suspension. So why should E-MTBs be any different? A completely rigid bike doesn't filter out impacts and has no place off-road.
- Here we clarify the Differences between E-MTB hardtail and fully
Tip: The damping should be adjustable
Most mountain bike suspensions work with air. Oil is responsible for damping. When buying an E-MTB, make sure that this is the case. Simple and inexpensive suspension forks in particular have a steel spring and no adjustable damping. These forks are often sluggish and do not fulfil the demands of off-road riding. A good suspension fork on an E-MTB has an adjustable air chamber and adjustable damping. The rear suspension element on a fully (shock) should also be adjustable both in terms of suspension (air) and damping (oil).
However, there are also high-quality suspension elements for mountain bikes with steel springs. These have a finer response behaviour than their air spring forks and air spring dampers. However, they are heavier and less easy to adjust. You may have to replace the springs to adjust them to your body weight. Steel spring shocks make more sense for expensive performance e-bikes. Advantage: Less maintenance compared to air spring dampers.
How much suspension travel does my E-MTB need?
"I only ride on gravel, so I don't need that much suspension travel" - this statement is only partially true. Because less suspension travel also means less comfort. This also applies if you only use part of the travel. Especially with E-MTBs, where the weight and direct propulsion play a rather subordinate role and the losses due to suspension bobbing are negligible, you can actually be quite wasteful with the suspension travel. And when you're pedalling in the saddle, where the bobbing is particularly annoying, you're hardly moving with motor support anyway. That's why our recommendation for suspension travel on an e-mountainbike is 140 millimetres and more actually only have advantages for comfort riders.
