Suspension Noticeable shimmy/wobble on my step through fat tire bike

[Annieolnie]

Trekcraze T600, rebadged TST/Hovsco.

I'm confused, how is it rebadged? Is it a Trek or a Hovsco? Wait, OK I found your picture of the bike on a different thread, but I still don't know how Hovsco comes into this.

 

[ramrezz425]

I'm confused, how is it rebadged? Is it a Trek or a Hovsco?

It's not a Trek, these bikes are all made in the same Chinese factories and are sold in the US without a brand "non-branded". companies will buy up these frames and add their own badge. My bike is an off the grid Company, but all parts and warranty service is handled by TST and Hovsco. I have no complaints on most of this bike except these front forks.

 

[Annieolnie]

It's not a Trek, these bikes are all made in the same Chinese factories and are sold in the US without a brand "non-branded". companies will buy up these frames and add their own badge. My bike is an off the grid Company, but all parts and warranty service is handled by TST and Hovsco. I have no complaints on most of this bike except these front forks.

Yes, the original company no longer exists as far as I can tell. Their websites all lead to deadends. I would imagine that they had some copyright issues given that Trek is Trek and they do make a T600. Changing out the front fork definitely seems to be needed. Did Hovsco make your battery? If they didn't and it's generic cells, I would consider your first thought of selling it and just starting over. Sorry.

 

[ramrezz425]

Yes, the original company no longer exists as far as I can tell. Their websites all lead to deadends. I would imagine that they had some copyright issues given that Trek is Trek and they do make a T600. Changing out the front fork definitely seems to be needed. Did Hovsco make your battery? If they didn't and it's generic cells, I would consider your first thought of selling it and just starting over. Sorry.

Thank you for your comments, but I'm not sure how to reply constructively. The battery and the electrical system are the same if not better than the other brands I've purchased previously but for thousands of dollars more. I do think the trek name is possibly the reason why they fell off the radar. Like I said previously, I'm happy with the bike except for the forks if you don't do any of your own work or do not have mechanical aptitude then I would imagine somebody would deal with a bike shop and purchase more well-known brands. If I cannot get rid of this wobble, then I will consider replacing this bike but for now all I need is to deal with the wobble stuff and I'll be happy.

 

[Annieolnie]

Thank you for your comments, but I'm not sure how to reply constructively. The battery and the electrical system are the same if not better than the other brands I've purchased previously but for thousands of dollars more. I do think the trek name is possibly the reason why they fell off the radar. Like I said previously, I'm happy with the bike except for the forks if you don't do any of your own work or do not have mechanical aptitude then I would imagine somebody would deal with a bike shop and purchase more well-known brands. If I cannot get rid of this wobble, then I will consider replacing this bike but for now all I need is to deal with the wobble stuff and I'll be happy.

If you are happy with it that's fine. Replacing the fork is not that big a deal. I’ve just never run into so many dead websites trying to track down a company, and frankly, it has made me lose some respect for Hovsco. Good luck to you.

 

[RoostChucker]

I would pull the forks apart and take a closer look at everything. If this is like a conventional non-adjustable compression fork they aren't all that hard to take apart, they are really very simple. Yours may have a cartridge in it instead of just a mechanical spring but I'm pretty sure they all come apart the same way. Probably take you 5 minutes. When the tubes aren't under load you will be able to inspect the travel for excessive play. Who knows you may even find something is broken or bent in there. Look closely for hairline cracks on the tubes and the fork brace.

Clean and re-lube all that stuff when you reassemble.

I would use a ratchet strap instead of a rope but this video should be very similar to your bike.

 

[ramrezz425]

Great video thank you so much. I'm gonna work on those forks this coming week since things will be kind of slow due to the holiday. Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

 

[Rawly Old]

I would pull the forks apart and take a closer look at everything. If this is like a conventional non-adjustable compression fork they aren't all that hard to take apart, they are really very simple. Yours may have a cartridge in it instead of just a mechanical spring but I'm pretty sure they all come apart the same way. Probably take you 5 minutes. When the tubes aren't under load you will be able to inspect the travel for excessive play. Who knows you may even find something is broken or bent in there. Look closely for hairline cracks on the tubes and the fork brace.

Clean and re-lube all that stuff when you reassemble.

I would use a ratchet strap instead of a rope but this video should be very similar to your bike.

When it doubt, search tutorials, many as you find. Some better than others: each may have something missed in others.
After a few set backs, I've become a pretty good wheel builder.

 

[ramrezz425]

Fork changeout to beefier adjustable spring fork. $100 on Amazon. I had issues with the bearing changout and repositioning the brake caliper. Stiffer faster rebound reduces wobble but still there. Had to add spacers Amazon could only send me red ones overnight free so I got them.

 

[DieselTech]

Fork changeout to beefier adjustable spring fork. $100 on Amazon. I had issues with the bearing changout and repositioning the brake caliper. Stiffer faster rebound reduces wobble but still there. Had to add spacers Amazon could only send me red ones overnight free so I got them.

Take off that big azz spoke reflector on the front wheel. Then go ride it & see if the wobble/shimmy gets better/improves.

 

[Annieolnie]

Well, if the reflector is a problem, then you need to check your spoke tension. If you still have trouble, you may need that dampener m@Robertson was talking about. I've always wondered about the tolerances on ebikes compared to analog builds, granted, we are asking these frames to do a lot. A bike tool nut on YouTube loves this laser thingy for checking alignment on everything from, stems to wheels. It might be worth having. I've been meaning to pick one up just to check a few things. Also, I have to say, your new fork looks pretty.

 

[ramrezz425]

If this was a namebrand bike like a Trek or Cannondale, then I would invest in calibration tools. This is a generic no name bike that was under $1000. The replacement forks eliminated 70% of the wobble issue. The rest is due to my weight and the bike being a step through. My belief is that since there is no upper crossmember that this bike has a natural fishtail effect since it only really has a backbone and a truss welded to the bottom, but like somebody else mentioned, it’s like the tail of a dog when it wags its front legs and body also wiggle too.IMHO.

 

[m@Robertson]

Stiffer faster rebound reduces wobble but still there

Unfortunately $100 still just buys you a low end cheap fork, but if the problem has gotten better, thats a good thing and tells you the fork you had before was much worse. Based on that earlier vid it was probably incredibly bad/dangerous so anything you'd do would be better than what that video showed.

My belief is that since there is no upper crossmember that this bike has a natural fishtail effect since it only really has a backbone and a truss welded to the bottom, but like somebody else mentioned, it’s like the tail of a dog when it wags its front legs and body also wiggle too.IMHO.

I think thats a pretty safe bet. You can get a quality step thru frame, but not at your price point. The Viscoset or Hellbender or whatever they are calling it now would finish the fix to the problem, but its an expensive piece of kit and I would hesitate to spend more money on that bike if it was me.

 

[ramrezz425]

Unfortunately $100 still just buys you a low end cheap fork, but if the problem has gotten better, thats a good thing and tells you the fork you had before was much worse. Based on that earlier vid it was probably incredibly bad/dangerous so anything you'd do would be better than what that video showed.

I think thats a pretty safe bet. You can get a quality step thru frame, but not at your price point. The Viscoset or Hellbender or whatever they are calling it now would finish the fix to the problem, but its an expensive piece of kit and I would hesitate to spend more money on that bike if it was me.

Have you seen the Segway xafari that’s supposed to be coming out soon it’s step through design looks very tough.

 

[m@Robertson]

Have you seen the Segway xafari that’s supposed to be coming out soon it’s step through design looks very tough.

The only step thru bike I have ever considered worthy of a purchase is the Frey CC.

I just don't think much of the frame integrity when you kiss goodbye the top tube, regardless of the reinforcement down below. An exception to this was the Sondors LX step thru that had the Bafang Ultra motor. A SUPER implementation of a strong step thru but its rear wheel was not up to the task of handling all the power the motor hit it with.