I want buy sonders fat bike

[choucas]

Hi,

I'm leaving in France and I woul dlike to buy a Sonders fatbike and i want some concils before.
I'm 50 years old.

I want to know if it is better to buy a fat bike with suspension fork or not?

Thanks,

 

[Ann M.]

@choucas, in general, suspension forks can make a bike feel more comfortable; however, I'm not so sure that it's really necessary when you've got 3 or 4 inch wide tires being run at a fairly low tire pressure. Those wide tires are going to feel pretty cushy just on their own. Sometimes the extra bounce from suspension forks can make the handling of a bike feel squirrelly on a rocky path but are nice on a paved road. Those forks will also add more weight to an already heavy bike and additional cost, so you have to decide if you 'spring' for them

 

[Rincon]

Sometimes the extra bounce from suspension forks can make the handling of a bike feel squirrelly on a rocky path but are nice on a paved road.

Hmmm... If you find suspension forks squirrelly off road, then they may need to be adjusted. Riding a rocky path without front suspension is the very definition of harsh and squirrelly. The rocks bump the tire up and out of contact with the road, decreasing control. Properly adjusted shocks absorb bumps and rebound, keeping mountain bike tires in contact with the path, maintaining control.

I just installed shocks on my Stromer after riding over single tracks and fire roads on the stock CF forks. The handling is much more sure footed with the shocks. However I won't be riding the Stromer on single tracks again. It just isn't agile enough for them, but rutted dirt fire roads are a lot of fun now.

@Ann M. is correct that low pressure 3-4" fat tires will give you a cushy ride anyway. If you are going off road on rocky trails I'd get shocks too. But if you're just riding around town, on the beach, or smooth trails then shocks won't matter much with those tires.

 

[GeorgeE8]

I heard about the Sonders e-bike as well. A decent bike but it's a little pricey. But hey, if you can afford it and that's what you like, then go for it. I like I bought recently ( Pedecotech 400 ) and I plan to keep this bike for a very long time.

 

[harryS]

I don't know that the Sondors is that expensive in the USA, as I see the original listed for $599 plus $200 shipping? Main thing is it usually takes 3 months to ship. They get them from China in batches by boat. One thing I didn't like about a Sondors is that it's a single gear bike in its basic mode.

My home built fat bike with a rear motor has no front suspension and I don't need one as it's only used on pavement. I think the inexpensive $100 sets they sell are just for looks or casual commuting anyway. Serious mountain bikers appear to spend far more money for forks.