Hi all I have now done 400 miles on this bike now and I love it - I would buy it again it gives me wings unlike red bull.
Motor - The only issue I have had is a squashed sensor wire, it got pinched by the motor mount and was stretched when the rear suspension was compressed. Oddly though it was the only wire on the bike that was not "internal". Since my wire was cut - I extended it and re routed internally from the axel end of the chain stay, I was also able to flip the speed sensor 180 so that the wire pointed backwards and this had the effect of reducing the gap on the magnet from 27mm to 15mm. also I have routed the wire next to the brake hose at the motor end - this means the wire flexes much less.
Gear changing is very clever if I forget to back off the power when changing gear - the motor does it for me!
The Purion display is ok, but it could do with a clock! (and gps maps)
The battery is very easy to change - it takes about 10 seconds to remove the battery (with the bike upright), and of course in winter I can keep the battery indoors - some you can't do on a Focus!
Components -
I had to replace the mech lock lever as a rock flicked up a broke it,
The rear tire (hans dampf) had a massive deformity which was shaking the bike at high speed - I have a specialized grid (2,6) on now which is not perfect - but much better.
Cannondale grips were too narrow for me - you would think they would know that someone ordering an XL bike would have bigger hands than a Korean teenage girl? fitted ergons
I tried to use the saddle but it was groin disaster - so I have a Specialized BG rival on now, which I don't even notice (even after 40 miles off road)
The SLX chain wore out very quickly about 180 miles before the 0.75 gauge would drop in.
The SLX 11-42 cassette confused me- I was never using the top 2 cogs (which alone weigh more than a 9 speed XTR cassette alone) so I am now using a 11-34 (105 cassette) which suits the bike perfectly. I can see why 42T would be used on a none powered bike on steep hills, but on my bike there is no need to go that slow even on very steep hills. plus the 105 is almost 200g lighter!
Brakes are XT - which have not left me wanting to upgrade - but I haven't had it down a mountain in the alps - but for the south of england they have been super
Suspension
Fox leave a lot to be desired and don't seem to do much innovation decade after decade
Rear shock with the air sleeve is a right pain to fill or deflate, and for me (14 stone) it was blowing through its travel too easily and felt awful - so I fitted the largest volume spacer and WOW what a transformation. it ramps up to feel bottomless.
Front forks, well, ignore the set up guide for sag as if I set the correct sag the air is so low 40psi that the forks don't fully extend. I have them on 75psi now and all the compression backed bar 1 click, and medium rebound - and that seems to work- but I suspect I might need spacers up front too.
Also I was surprised at how Flexy the fox 36's are, maybe its the extra weight of the bike acting on them.
Mudguards
in the summer I did get a couple of rides in the dry - which was nice then autumn hit so at first I went for mud huggers Front and rear
The rear mud hugger works fine and doesn't clog even with the 2.6 grid on the back
The front mud hugger was en expensive disaster, there is hardly any clearance at all and as mud and stones went though it, it prematurely wore out the front tire., but it did keep the stanchions clean. Then on one ride the front wheel completely jammed solid and I had to find a stick to try and clean it out. After this I tried the Syncros bolt on guard- which is very small but worked quite well, but doesn't protect the stanchions. Now I have fitted the RRP XL - which is a much better design than the mud hugger - it has loads of clearance. only downside it that it fits on with zip ties- when there are perfectly useable bolt holes in the fork arch (which syncros seem to have embraced) so I don't know why there isn't a big guard that bolts on?
I am under no illusion that I have had any more or less issues than anyone else, infant compared to the 2019 specialised Levo issues, I have been very lucky
in 2019 I will need to replace the front tire, the chain, and if I can find motor mounts in Ti- those too. I don't expect to need the motor servicing until 1500 miles which should this time in 2020
https://ep1.pinkbike.org/p6pb16411773/p6pb16411773.jpg
Motor - The only issue I have had is a squashed sensor wire, it got pinched by the motor mount and was stretched when the rear suspension was compressed. Oddly though it was the only wire on the bike that was not "internal". Since my wire was cut - I extended it and re routed internally from the axel end of the chain stay, I was also able to flip the speed sensor 180 so that the wire pointed backwards and this had the effect of reducing the gap on the magnet from 27mm to 15mm. also I have routed the wire next to the brake hose at the motor end - this means the wire flexes much less.
Gear changing is very clever if I forget to back off the power when changing gear - the motor does it for me!
The Purion display is ok, but it could do with a clock! (and gps maps)
The battery is very easy to change - it takes about 10 seconds to remove the battery (with the bike upright), and of course in winter I can keep the battery indoors - some you can't do on a Focus!
Components -
I had to replace the mech lock lever as a rock flicked up a broke it,
The rear tire (hans dampf) had a massive deformity which was shaking the bike at high speed - I have a specialized grid (2,6) on now which is not perfect - but much better.
Cannondale grips were too narrow for me - you would think they would know that someone ordering an XL bike would have bigger hands than a Korean teenage girl? fitted ergons
I tried to use the saddle but it was groin disaster - so I have a Specialized BG rival on now, which I don't even notice (even after 40 miles off road)
The SLX chain wore out very quickly about 180 miles before the 0.75 gauge would drop in.
The SLX 11-42 cassette confused me- I was never using the top 2 cogs (which alone weigh more than a 9 speed XTR cassette alone) so I am now using a 11-34 (105 cassette) which suits the bike perfectly. I can see why 42T would be used on a none powered bike on steep hills, but on my bike there is no need to go that slow even on very steep hills. plus the 105 is almost 200g lighter!
Brakes are XT - which have not left me wanting to upgrade - but I haven't had it down a mountain in the alps - but for the south of england they have been super
Suspension
Fox leave a lot to be desired and don't seem to do much innovation decade after decade
Rear shock with the air sleeve is a right pain to fill or deflate, and for me (14 stone) it was blowing through its travel too easily and felt awful - so I fitted the largest volume spacer and WOW what a transformation. it ramps up to feel bottomless.
Front forks, well, ignore the set up guide for sag as if I set the correct sag the air is so low 40psi that the forks don't fully extend. I have them on 75psi now and all the compression backed bar 1 click, and medium rebound - and that seems to work- but I suspect I might need spacers up front too.
Also I was surprised at how Flexy the fox 36's are, maybe its the extra weight of the bike acting on them.
Mudguards
in the summer I did get a couple of rides in the dry - which was nice then autumn hit so at first I went for mud huggers Front and rear
The rear mud hugger works fine and doesn't clog even with the 2.6 grid on the back
The front mud hugger was en expensive disaster, there is hardly any clearance at all and as mud and stones went though it, it prematurely wore out the front tire., but it did keep the stanchions clean. Then on one ride the front wheel completely jammed solid and I had to find a stick to try and clean it out. After this I tried the Syncros bolt on guard- which is very small but worked quite well, but doesn't protect the stanchions. Now I have fitted the RRP XL - which is a much better design than the mud hugger - it has loads of clearance. only downside it that it fits on with zip ties- when there are perfectly useable bolt holes in the fork arch (which syncros seem to have embraced) so I don't know why there isn't a big guard that bolts on?
I am under no illusion that I have had any more or less issues than anyone else, infant compared to the 2019 specialised Levo issues, I have been very lucky
in 2019 I will need to replace the front tire, the chain, and if I can find motor mounts in Ti- those too. I don't expect to need the motor servicing until 1500 miles which should this time in 2020
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