That's where this discussion is getting tangled. I'm talking solely about serious (more than gravel tow paths) off road, cross country use only. This thread is in the mountain bike section of the forum you might have noticed? I'm not referring o road, hybrid, commuter or expedition bikes.

 

That opens up a whole new debate. The amount of companies that list bikes as wanna be mountain bikes/ eMTB's, but would fail at the first sight of proper off road use. It is one of my pet hates.

 

Love it. Nice looking Orange as well.

 

 

I'd say that you and your mate have raised the goal post by a very long way.

 

I must try harder! Mudguards long since gone in the bin.

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 20169 yr by EddiePJ

I should have added this.

 

I find that there are two issues with having a rear mech. Wet mud doesn't seem to cause much is an issue, but it certainly becomes an an issue in winter when it freezes when out on a ride. You just have to hope that the rear mech freezes in the best gear to get back home.

The second issue is grass and debris becoming tangled up in the jockey wheels and cassette.. That is often enough to start problems.

That opens up a whole new debate. The amount of companies that list bikes as wanna be mountain bikes/ eMTB's, but would fail at the first sight of proper off road use. It is one of my pet hate

 

Love it. Nice looking Orange as well.

 

 

I'd say that you and your mate have raised the goal post by a very long way.

 

I must try harder! Mudguards long since gone in the bin.

 

 

 

Ha ha that was 24hr race and it was horrendous! If that inspires you try the salisbury plain challenge in winter (if they still do it) truly awful, so muddy you had to pedal flat out to move just at walking pace, downhill!

I borrowed that 5 from him for a week, didnt let on but it really nice. Bought a full sus not long after.

How do you find the ktm?

I should have added this.

 

I find that there are two issues with having a rear mech. Wet mud doesn't seem to cause much is an issue, but it certainly becomes an an issue in winter when it freezes when out on a ride. You just have to hope that the rear mech freezes in the best gear to get back home.

The second issue is grass and debris becoming tangled up in the jockey wheels and cassette.. That is often enough to start problems.

 

I've never had one freeze on me and I've ridden in Wales in a blizzard! That's a new one!

It happened twice last year. It was bloody cold though! Both rides started very wet and muddy, then without warning and seemingly seconds, both bikes started clunking on gear change, then suddenly couldn't change gear, the mud having gone like concrete.

 

I recently spent an afternoon riding an Orange Five Factory. It had me grinning from ear to ear within the first few metres of setting off. It was just ridiculously fast and easy to ride, and I really didn't want to give it back.

 

I have been on a couple organised events where everything has just locked solid with mud, and have had to push the bike down hill just skidding along. One event was two years running, and as much as I love mud and gruelling conditions, I didn't go back for the third year.

 

I'm one of those people that has to be out riding, whatever the conditions, and all year round, and want a bike that will also cope just the same. Many just don't know what they are missing out on by not using their eMTB's during those long winter months. They can be some of the best rides.

 

In respect of the KTM, I had a few issues initially with chain suck in muddy conditions, but engaging the clutch on the rear mech, solved that one, and it has never happened since.

I really do love the bike, and it does everything that I want from it. I'd like greater rear chainstay clearance as fitting 2.3 rear tyre is pushing things, meaning that I now run 2.25. Besides that, I couldn't want or ask for more.

It happened twice last year. It was bloody cold though! Both rides started very wet and muddy, then without warning and seemingly seconds, both bikes started clunking on gear change, then suddenly couldn't change gear, the mud having gone like concrete.

 

I recently spent an afternoon riding an Orange Five Factory. It had me grinning from ear to ear within the first few metres of setting off. It was just ridiculously fast and easy to ride, and I really didn't want to give it back.

 

I have been on a couple organised events where everything has just locked solid with mud, and have had to push the bike down hill just skidding along. One event was two years running, and as much as I love mud and gruelling conditions, I didn't go back for the third year.

 

I'm one of those people that has to be out riding, whatever the conditions, and all year round, and want a bike that will also cope just the same. Many just don't know what they are missing out on by not using their eMTB's during those long winter months. They can be some of the best rides.

 

In respect of the KTM, I had a few issues initially with chain suck in muddy conditions, but engaging the clutch on the rear mech, solved that one, and it has never happened since.

I really do love the bike, and it does everything that I want from it. I'd like greater rear chainstay clearance as fitting 2.3 rear tyre is pushing things, meaning that I now run 2.25. Besides that, I couldn't want or ask for more.

 

Surprising from ktm, they know a thing or two about off road!

 

'clutch on the rear mech'?

 

How is the electric assistance on steep/slippery/rooty climbs? Does it not put too much power down, losing traction? Or you get in tbe habit of turning it off/down?

it will wheel spin even in the dry on climbs over roots ect m8 behind gets a face full of gravel as well

You can see the clutch mechanism in use here. It isn't the same derailleur though.

 

 

The Bosch motor climbs incredibly well in all conditions, but my bikes geometry also helps in that respect, as I have maintained the OE longer stem.

I thrive on hill climbing, and it is only twice that I have struggled with traction.

 

The first time was trying to make a climb up from Beachy Head on the Southdowns. The grass was wet, and there was nothing that I could do to go forward. No bike would have made that climb on that day.

 

The second time was on my recent Swiss trip, but the climb was 53% plus gradient on loose stone and trying to maintain any forward momentum was nearly impossible, with the front wheel off the ground. The bike just looped in the end, and I had to push it up that particular section.

 

Wet slippery roots have never been an issue, and most of my rides take in off camber rooty sections. I do run very low tyre pressures though, which obviously helps greatly as well. As a whole, I tend to try to use as lower power setting as I can get away with, but that is really only to preserve the battery, and not because of traction issues. Much of the rides here also consist of sand stone, which is usually wet and slimy, and if anything is going to catch you out and put you on your backside it is going to be that. I now just tend to hit them at speed and hope that the front clears with out letting go. Not very scientific, but it seems to work.

 

Chalk is another major and unpredictable hazard, fine when dry, but I approach slowly and in a low power setting and higher gear when I think that things could be iffy.

 

Not very off camber or wet, but this is a typical root section.

 

 

 

The bike takes sections like this with ease. I'd certainly not want to tackle anything like this on a hub drive bike though.

 

 

Edited September 19, 20169 yr by EddiePJ

If you ever want to come and try the bike, you would be more than welcome to do so.

 

Out of interest, your first name doesn't happen to begin with S?

If you ever want to come and try the bike, you would be more than welcome to do so.

 

Out of interest, your first name doesn't happen to begin with S?

 

Yes.. Are you psychic?!

ur fkn doomed now

Yes.. Are you psychic?!

 

 

I'll drop you a PM.

 

 

.

Edited September 19, 20169 yr by EddiePJ

I think motorized gearboxes are coming, it's just a matter of when. Scroll to the bottom of the page....

 

http://ebiketips.co.uk/content/news/eurobike-2016-six-new-e-bike-drive-systems-429

Well thought out bike there, crank gearbox/ carbon drive and hub motor!.

 

Funny that you should say that, this just happens to be my favourite looking ebike. So simplistic looking and clean. A Rohloff bike would look just as lovely.

 

I see that they also make a full suspension bike as well. Not sure that the shock position would be very nice in the event of an off. http://www.cheetah.de/e-bike/e-bike-mountainspirit.html

I see that they also make a full suspension bike as well. Not sure that the shock position would be very nice in the event of an off. http://www.cheetah.de/e-bike/e-bike-mountainspirit.html

Intetesting. Know anything else about them?

That's a complete waste of good bike and gearbox. A heavy direct drive motor like that in the wheel will prevent the rear suspension from working properly. If you want a proper mountain bike with working full suspension, you need a middle motor, but then you can't have that gearbox.

Intetesting. Know anything else about them?

 

 

Afraid that I know nothing about the brand, or even where I got the photo from.

 

I suspect that it was probably from Instagram, as a photo of the hardtail has been stored on my phone for ages, and I can't think where else that I would have spotted it.

I really can't get excited about the full suspension bike though. The company have seemingly produced a nice looking hardtail, then blown it when it came to the full suspension bike.

That's a complete waste of good bike and gearbox. A heavy direct drive motor like that in the wheel will prevent the rear suspension from working properly. If you want a proper mountain bike with working full suspension, you need a middle motor, but then you can't have that gearbox.

 

Wouldn't they have thought of that and designed tbe rear suspension accordingly?

Personally I love planetary gears. I commuted with a variety of shimano derailleurs over about 2 years, about 6000 km, and I always needed to clean or the jockey cogs wore out so changing became pants. Also in the city so lots of gear changes on each ride. I went for an Alfine 8 speed and it changes everything for me. My maintenance schedule was severly reduced and I have not had to replace it , changed the oil in it once and done about 9000km on it no worries. For me that and the change gear when stopped just kills the derailleur for me.

 

Currently thinking about putting one on my BBS02 electric. I don't see why it would cause a problem if anything I should get a smoother chainline.

Personally I love planetary gears. I commuted with a variety of shimano derailleurs over about 2 years, about 6000 km, and I always needed to clean or the jockey cogs wore out so changing became pants. Also in the city so lots of gear changes on each ride. I went for an Alfine 8 speed and it changes everything for me. My maintenance schedule was severly reduced and I have not had to replace it , changed the oil in it once and done about 9000km on it no worries. For me that and the change gear when stopped just kills the derailleur for me.

 

Currently thinking about putting one on my BBS02 electric. I don't see why it would cause a problem if anything I should get a smoother chainline.

 

Hub gears are great, I think most people dont give them a chance, put off by weight related scaremongering. I'm a pretty experienced rider and I'm buggered if I can notice any tangible difference to a non hub bike in terms of handling. The weight (more so rohloff than alfine) you can feel when you pick the bike up but when you consider people add racks, mudguards, lights etc in all disciplines it seems churlish to worry about.

It seems manufacturers have fitted hub gears to mid motored bikes so why not? Like you, I can't stomach the idea of going back to derailleurs again!

This thread sprang to mind a few nights ago, as a fair bit of my local riding is through non existence tracks, which I just make up as I go along . I was making a track roughly 200 metres long through a very tall section of bracken, and the back wheel locked solid a good hand full or so times due to bracken wrapping it self around the jockey wheel and worse, the cassette. Trying to un pick it all the first time was pain, but doing it many times, the novelty quickly wore off.

there not any good if doing this tho

But you aren't doing that!

because paki keeps stitching me up lol.

 

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk37/necromunger666/DSC_0446_01.jpg

Edited September 27, 20169 yr by soundwave