Author Topic: Himalo Frames?  (Read 24353 times)

SnowDrifter

Himalo Frames?
« on: March 18, 2022, 12:15:17 PM »
Curious if anyone has any experience with these. They caught my eye when poking around at cheap metal full suspension frames with room in the triangle. I can't find much info on the frame itself, but the same brand of forks seem to be fondly spoken of with respect to budget options.

I want full suspension for an ebike build. My current hard tail rides a bit rough over bumps when I'm at speed. So I'm on the hunt for a sub $600 frame that is not carbon fiber

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33037737225.html
« Last Edit: March 18, 2022, 12:17:17 PM by SnowDrifter »



stumpym4

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2022, 12:33:47 PM »
watching with interest, as looks a half decent frame

SnowDrifter

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2022, 05:30:57 PM »
I stumbled across the odd e-bike build with it, as well as some very close derivative frames. Or at least frames that use some of the same base tubes. While I've not seen anyone openly raving about it, I've also not been able to find any complaints.

I went ahead and ordered one. Will keep everyone updated

Boybiskit

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2022, 11:28:26 AM »
Very interested to see how this works out as a potential alternative to a used frame for my son... if it can handle the abuse!

I couldn't see what the travel is. Any ideas? The geometry looks OK, and seems to assume a 130mm-150mm ish fork.

SnowDrifter

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2022, 11:24:19 AM »
Frame showed up yesterday

Initial impressions: Feels pretty solid. Seat tube is 1.8" aluminum. Other sections are 1/4"

All pivots are sealed ball bearings like what you would find in a skateboard

no rattles or loose bits in the frame

The frame was tweaked about 2mm in shipping. Unknown if this will cause issue or not. Going to build it this weekend and determine more at that point.


Welds all check out. Some of the finish work regarding the paint isn't perfect, but it's nothing I'm concerned about either, especially in the context of a $300 frame.

Included headset is actually pretty good quality. Sealed bearing variety. Press-fit parts all have good tolerance.

The seller indicated that the fork should be 120-160mm, so I'm guessing it was designed around 140. I'll be putting a 160 on it.

Rear travel measures out at approx 130mm

My largest complaint during assembly was on one of the rear pivot arm for the suspension. There are some included shims for the bearings that are a bit fiddly to install.

Included hardware feels a bit cheap, not certain if it's stainless or just chrome plated. But it's nothing that appears proprietary. Looks like m4/m5 hardware.

I am concerned about the rear derailleur hangar. The positioning of the bolt holes appears that it might have a propensity to snap instead of bending. This isn't inherently a bad thing, however, I've been unable to locate a replacement for it thusfar.


Flying Trunk Monkey

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #5 on: March 31, 2022, 11:20:42 PM »
I am concerned about the rear derailleur hangar. The positioning of the bolt holes appears that it might have a propensity to snap instead of bending. This isn't inherently a bad thing, however, I've been unable to locate a replacement for it thus far.

I've had good luck shopping on eBay for RD hangers. I never know what I'm looking for specifically but a few sellers have reference pictures that I just match mine to. I always keep a spare in my tool kit.

SnowDrifter

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2022, 05:42:28 PM »
Well

I never could find any 'locally' available derailleur hangers. I ended up ordering a 5 pack from Ali to keep in the box-o-parts.

Early thoughts on the frame: It's *seriously* impressive for what it is. Couple light jumps, root-stairs (think hiking path), higher speed riding (35+ mph) all feel stable and controlled. Accessories might be difficult to find/fit. There's no center mount for a kickstand. No threaded accessory areas on the rear. And the swing-arms are a bit too large to for most kickstands to fit.

Also of note, the seat post diameter is 30.9mm. The listing indicates as such... But I feel it worth mentioning as the drawings indicate 30.8.

I also go a himalo "180" (actually 160) front fork and a DNM rear shock for it.

The fork: also no complaints. Not quite as free moving as higher end offerings from Fox. Rebound / compression adjustments are pretty limited. There's a little bit of fork flex if you stare at it, but nothing that translates to the riding experience.

The rear shock: Honestly this one's been a gem. Have nothing bad to say about it. The compression adjustment is on-off as opposed to the listing's lightly-implied 3 position switch. I found I had to put the pressure up higher than the included chart indicated. But otherwise, it's all in-spec. I'm 165lbs with a mid-drive motor on it and I'm running it at 200 out of the rated 250psi. If you're over about 190lbs, this might not cut it for you.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2022, 05:47:37 PM by SnowDrifter »

stumpym4

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2022, 09:14:15 AM »

 it's all in-spec. I'm 165lbs with a mid-drive motor on it

whats the above ? .. some kind of electric motor assist ?

SnowDrifter

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2022, 10:51:20 AM »
Correct.

I have a BBSHD kit on it. So, motor + battery adds 20-25lbs of weight in the frame

Icyseanfitz

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2022, 05:37:52 AM »
How did this turn out for you? Able to fit a decent size battery? Going to do a bbshd conversion on a nukeproof scout later this year and my biggest worry is frame clearance for battery.

SnowDrifter

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #10 on: May 29, 2022, 07:56:20 PM »
I put a 13ah/52v unit from UPP in. There is a LOT of extra space. I reckon you can fit a jumbo shark or similar in there without issue. If you went a triangle style, I reckon you could fit 1.5kwh of battery in there if you were careful with it.

If you need, I could get some measurements of how much space I have in the 'triangle'

https://i.imgur.com/5cWv976.png

Icyseanfitz

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2022, 02:36:53 AM »
How are you finding the bbshd kit? Debating between it and the bbs02. And the upp battery, they seem good value, any issues? My only problem with the frame your using is how low the motor sits, other than that it's ideal. What sort of sustained throttle only speeds on flat are you getting and range.

carbonazza

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2022, 06:26:02 AM »
With the BBSHD you can reach 60-70km/h... in aero position  ;)
Coupled with a 3 speed Sturmey-Archer hub at the highest gear.

SnowDrifter

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #13 on: May 30, 2022, 12:21:39 PM »
The motor definitely dangles low. Makes for a bit of a low break-over angle. But with respect to things that have all-tires off the ground like jumps, or general comfort street riding - no issues. Can go up and down curbs just fine. I just can't take it over say..... One of those bumps for car parking, or a log in the middle of the trail.

With my current config, I'll top out around 32-33mph on flat. That's with knobby tires and a relatively upright riding position. With my older (smooth) tires, I'd get 34-35mph. That's with the fenders, rack on it, backpack, street clothes. I'm sure I could get closer to 40 if I was riding tucked in and didn't have the other stuff on. But that's not really my use case - I wanted something comfortable I can commute on as well as have some fun.

It's funny that y'all mentioned the cs-rk3. That's the exact hub I'm running, coupled with an 11-50t wide range. Have a gear for every occasion!

No complaints so far with the UPP battery itself, though the included charger should be thrown in the trash. Long story short, there's a diode isolation setup on the charge port (which is good) that is bypassed when the battery is switched on. The charger's output voltage seems to be designed around plugging the battery in with the unit switched off. It outputs 59.5v - which would charge beyond 4.20v per cell. Lifespan wise, the battery seems to be holding up decent. Last time I checked capacity on charge, it was 11.8ish aH out of a rated 13. It's 8 months old. Take that number with a grain of salt though - the last couple amp hours are going to be really depending on how I discharge it / voltage sag when the motor cuts off. I really need a few more months to plot degradation over time. I know you can get actual battery testers. I just don't have one.

Range wise - honestly that's really difficult to say. It's extremely dependent on how it's ridden and how much I pedal. Really just need to familiarize yourself with your own riding style and just do math from there. I hate to give a nothing-answer, but that's about the most accurate I can give. OEMs generally rate their bikes on low PAS under ideal conditions, but that's not necessarily reflective of the real world. I know from my use, I'll range anywhere from ~5wh/mi just casually on a flat trail (which would be 100+mi range) to 50wh/mi if I'm in traffic or riding it like a dirt-bike(which would be like 10 miles of range). Depends on the terrain and my pedaling.


For the HD / 02 - I've not used the bbs02 so I can't speak to that. But the bbshd has been nothing but reliable for me. I have an egg-rider display, so I've tuned it to my preferences regarding power output, street and offroad settings, and battery settings. The HD PAS is cadence based. The 02 is a torque sensor. Cadence is fine if you're going a relatively constant speed, it hasn't bothered me any. It feels a bit more like cruise control set on your gearing. I keep dogging Luna for their ludicrous controller but they guard it quite closely :P 

Icyseanfitz

Re: Himalo Frames?
« Reply #14 on: May 30, 2022, 01:00:47 PM »
Thanks a million, great information. The bbshd can be run fully with a throttle correct? My use case is going to be 95% commuting to work (20km round trip) with possible trips to the nearest big town and back (50km round trip), and as work has no showering facilities and I'm a sweaty fucker on the best of days pedaling is a no go where at all possible. Most of that will be flat roads with very little elevation btw.

Bike I'm hoping to use is a 2016 nukeproof scout, hopefully will fit a 52v20ah jumbo in the front triangle (if not maybe under the downtube) and then I'll try to fit a clip on rear rack that can hold a battery to use for extended range, probably another 52v20ah.
Are 12sp groupsets strong enough these days? Thinking of using the existing 12sp ltwoo derailleur/shifter with a full steel 11-36 cassette and chain and a 44t chainring up front.

I've heard ap lot about the eggrider display, what's special about it?
« Last Edit: May 30, 2022, 01:19:24 PM by Icyseanfitz »