Pantour hubs (was plans for suspended LWB?)

[bikeman]

Thanks to meb and PaPa for your responses. I'll need a final project for my welding class, so wood
and carbon just won't do. I like the ride of a tour easy, and have really detailed plans for one,
but is is not suspended. Since I'll sink some $$ into this, I want a super plush luxo-mobile that I
can ride for miles of smiles.

Does anybody have any experience with the Pantour suspended hubs? Especially anybody over 200 lbs?
I'm not looking to make a gonzo MTB, so .5 to 1 inch of travel may be enough, if it really works and
does not increase rolling resistance. Comments? Thanks. Dan

 

[PaPa]

Originally posted by bikeman
Thanks to meb and PaPa for your responses. I'll need a final project for my welding class, so wood
and carbon just won't do. I like the ride of a tour easy, and have really detailed plans for one,
but is is not suspended. Since I'll sink some $$ into this, I want a super plush luxo-mobile that I
can ride for miles of smiles.

Does anybody have any experience with the Pantour suspended hubs? Especially anybody over 200 lbs?
I'm not looking to make a gonzo MTB, so .5 to 1 inch of travel may be enough, if it really works and
does not increase rolling resistance. Comments? Thanks. Dan

I certainly don't wish to wrinkle your wish list, but, home-brew suspension on any hpv is no piece-a-cake. Cost aside, alignment difficulties alone are a teeth clencher. And I seriously doubt you'll be pleased with the end results - considering the added weight. If persistance prevails, here's a link for rear the MTB suspension assy and shocks. Just click the "frame" button on left side of the home page. (I no experience with them). http://destinyparts.com/

Although Pantour has its followers, I'm not one of them. Others here can help in that arena.

 

[Gene Whittle]

[email protected] wrote:

>
> Does anybody have any experience with the Pantour suspended hubs? Especially anybody over 200 lbs?
> I'm not looking to make a gonzo MTB, so .5 to 1 inch of travel may be enough, if it really works
> and does not increase rolling resistance. Comments? Thanks. Dan

Bikeman...

I have around 18 months (abt 7-8k miles) of experience with two Pantour front hubs. I recommend
them highly.

The first one was unfortunately crunched in an accident and used the firmer of the two elastomers.
The soft/firm cutoff is 200 pounds and I'm usually around 195. Mine is used alternately between a
V-Rex and a HepCat where the front wheel is lightly loaded so I asked for the softer elastomer on
the replacement and like it best.

With a Pantour front hub one can mount a narrow high pressure tire (I use a Stelvio) and lose the
jittery ride that goes with that type tire. Control on less than smooth surfaces is helped greatly
as the tire stays on the pavement rather than bouncing around.

The only negative I've found is that my hub will generate a creak that sounds like it's coming from
the crank if its skewer is not kept tight. Took weeks of frustration to discover this.

Gene Whittle Gatesville, Texas

 

[landon2]

I ride a Hepcat with a Pantour front hub as well, and I'm extremely pleased. Though the amount of
travel is small, it does make a difference on my bike. I'm 200 lbs, and have had no issues with it.
Getting the brakes adjusted was a little tricky at first.

I've had it about 6 months, and about 2 months ago I started hearing this "tick, tick, tick" some
where up front. At first I thought I had a BB problem, but it continues when I quit pedalling. I got
to thinking I had a spoke problem and have lubricated the spots where the spokes cross on the wheel-
no change (spokes are all tight). I'm curious about your 'creak' you discovered with the hub.
Exactly how did it sound? What's causing it? I can't duplicate the sound when I have the bike on a
stand. People tell me they can hear it when riding next to me, but can't pinpoint it. Any help is
appreciated.

Chuck

On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 05:46:40 -0600, Gene Whittle <[email protected]> wrote:

>[email protected] wrote:
>
>> Does anybody have any experience with the Pantour suspended hubs? Especially anybody over 200
>> lbs? I'm not looking to make a gonzo MTB, so .5 to 1 inch of travel may be enough, if it really
>> works and does not increase rolling resistance. Comments? Thanks. Dan
>
>Bikeman...
>
>I have around 18 months (abt 7-8k miles) of experience with two Pantour front hubs. I recommend
>them highly.
>
>The first one was unfortunately crunched in an accident and used the firmer of the two elastomers.
>The soft/firm cutoff is 200 pounds and I'm usually around 195. Mine is used alternately between a
>V-Rex and a HepCat where the front wheel is lightly loaded so I asked for the softer elastomer on
>the replacement and like it best.
>
>With a Pantour front hub one can mount a narrow high pressure tire (I use a Stelvio) and lose the
>jittery ride that goes with that type tire. Control on less than smooth surfaces is helped greatly
>as the tire stays on the pavement rather than bouncing around.
>
>The only negative I've found is that my hub will generate a creak that sounds like it's coming from
>the crank if its skewer is not kept tight. Took weeks of frustration to discover this.
>
>Gene Whittle Gatesville, Texas

 

[meb]

Originally posted by bikeman
Thanks to meb and PaPa for your responses. I'll need a final project for my welding class, so wood
and carbon just won't do. I like the ride of a tour easy, and have really detailed plans for one,
but is is not suspended. Since I'll sink some $$ into this, I want a super plush luxo-mobile that I
can ride for miles of smiles.

Does anybody have any experience with the Pantour suspended hubs? Especially anybody over 200 lbs?
I'm not looking to make a gonzo MTB, so .5 to 1 inch of travel may be enough, if it really works and
does not increase rolling resistance. Comments? Thanks. Dan

There have been an overwhelming number of Kudos from Pantour front hub users, with some small reports of $6 elastomers wearing out and some hubs that weren't lubricated properly. Green light, just check for lubing and expect to replace the elastomers.

Lots of problems with the rears. They 've done some reenginering to correct those problems including using stronger bearings. Wait till they get the teething problems worked out on the rears.

Alternatively, you could try adapting a mountain bike style triangle chain stay assembly to the rear of the Tour Easy.

 

[PaPa]

Originally posted by meb
Alternatively, you could try adapting a mountain bike style triangle chain stay assembly to the rear of the Tour Easy.

Sure you can.... but I wouldn't recommend it unless an elastomer is used to minimize swing arm travel distance (ala Fold Rush). Another crucial issue I failed to mention earlier is; Chain line management should be well thoughtout in advance to avoid "pogo-ing". Not unlike the Termite Taxi, the chain line needs to intersect, at, or slightly below the swing arm pivot point (This is especially important in lower gears). Not an easy trick to do.

 

[Dave Kee]

meb wrote: There have been an overwhelming number of Kudos from Pantour front hub users, with some
small reports of $6 elastomers wearing out and some hubs that weren't lubricated properly. Green
light, just check for lubing and expect to replace the elastomers.

Lots of problems with the rears. They 've done some reenginering to correct those problems including
using stronger bearings. Wait till they get the teething problems worked out on the rears.

I agree with meb. My rear Pantour hub is now on its second trip back to California. It still wobbles
after replacing the bearings twice. Absolutely no problems with the front hub. I still think the
folks at Pantour are great, but the rear hub is a work in progress. Maybe this time.

Dave Kee Dual 26 Wishbone

 

[Gene Whittle]

[email protected] wrote:

> I'm curious about your 'creak' you discovered with the hub. Exactly how did it sound? What's
> causing it? I can't duplicate the sound when I have the bike on a stand. People tell me they can
> hear it when riding next to me, but can't pinpoint it. Any help is appreciated.
>
> Chuck
>

Chuck...

The creak was exactly what you would have expected from a crank with a loose fastener or bottom
bracket cups that needed some grease on the threads or some tightening. On every push with the right
foot the thing would creak which is what made me so sure it was in the crank. One day on
reinstalling the wheel after fixing a flat I tightened the skewer nut a little more than usual and
the creak went away. The creak came back a few months later but a
1/8 turn on the skewer nut fixed it.

Your "tick-tick" sounds like it could indeed be in the hub. Have you checked those side plates to be
sure one isn't dragging on the hub? That would be easy to fix. Aside from something catastrophic
like a cracked race there's not much to go wrong with those hubs.

Gene Whittle Gatesville, Texas