I have commuted to work on bikes for years, purchased a Ghost SLAMR (E8000 system) back in January. Commute now loads more fun, sometimes just keep riding until battery runs out after work. Work shifts so fitted supernova headlight, which is great never need to charge. Changed front chainring for 38t as more time spent on road session, also normally run mudguards (although not at the moment as weather’s so good). I use 2X RRP Pro Guard front on both ends, found this protects suspension linkage on rear (Sam Hill trick).
@@MrTomparvin mine cuts out fully at 16.5mph. I'm gona leave it standard until the warranty runs out. I heard that bosch has anti tuning software that knows if u chip it. So goes into lump mode. It isn't too bad. Steep steep hills at 15mph instead of 2mph is great😁😁😁. No lung burn or dying legs anymore!
Hi Phil Charlton...I have a 2020 Specialized Turbo Levo Comp. Came from the factory as well as yours with OEM Praxis Specialized Spec'd e-Alloy Cranks (160mm). I don't know about flex and I am still a big rider @255 lbs after losing 70+ lbs. Last Thursday I crashed the bike (pedal/crank arm strike) due to a hidden bit of rock under some new Green undergrowth. I was pitched a good 16-18' and down the bench cut hill. Long story short, through no fault of Praxis, I had a severely bent crank. My guess is that Specialized/Giant says something like, "we need x length at x weight w/ x bolt style w/ x offset @ no more than $28 bucks a set and we'll take 1,500 sets". That said, my guess is that product finalizes as 6061 instead of 7075 alloy on the Specialized/Giant, OEM etc. I bet e-Alloy direct from Praxis will be a slightly stiffer crank, crafted of better material in the same or slightly less weight range. I believe nobody knows more about e-crank arms than Praxis since they have been OEM equipment for so many Comos, Vados, Levos and Kenevos, Giant and others that I pulled the trigger directly w/ Praxis and purchased the Praxis Specialized e-Carbon crank set ($280). They offer for Yamaha & Bosch as well. Mine arrived afternoon 6/3/2020 installed them, drove up to Sandy Ridge and hammered out 10 miles of trails. You will not feel the weight savings but the increase in Carbon stiffness is immediately noticeable! Awesome and they look good! I hear you on pedal strikes. I believe that is mainly due to the ability to ride more difficult trails sections with rocks, boulders and protruding roots where we used to push-a-bike w/o motors. I stayed with 165 mm as that length came standard. I believe they said they had 160 mm as well...can't remember if that was alloy only or carbon set as well. Shorter might be better and not make a difference due to the motor. Vanessa is beyond knowledgeable about Praxis product and the customer service @Praxis is excellent!!! Has me thinking about their carbon wheel set now! Give them a shot if you want stiff, light and perfect fitment!
Beucky, I also have Giant Phatom and I didn't change 9spd system because a) not worth it as you'd need lots of new components and b) 9speed chain is stronger than 11spd one, and that is very important on ebikes. What I did was putting in new 9spd shifter (XT), new brakes (XT with 180 discs), and Badass box for Giant to derestrict it. Now it is great all round bike that can stop confidently. Commuting I make 90ish km on level 2/3 modes.
The main thing for commuting is puncture resistant tyres and security. You will be late for work if you have a puncture. Scwalbe Marathon GT365 are great with Slime or some other sealant in your tubes.
great video on commuting. i'm looking to start commuting on my trek rail 7. i would also like to be able to ride trails in the evenings or on weekends...question is tires/wheels. is the only way to get around having to swap tires all the time would be to buy another wheelset? any other creating ideas that would be more cost effective. and if another wheelset is the best alternative can you give me tips on how to do on a budget...one consideration is that i would need to get another sensor for the motor i guess too. thank you
Hello, I ride a Cube Touring Hybrid and really enjoy how comfortable it is going over grass slowly it is a shame that it feels a bit too adventurous to take it onto fire roads and potentially the national park routes or scenery, I find the Cube Touring Range very exciting and would really like to keep the Touring Dynamics of by Bike, Can you cover any in-depth understanding about the models that offer Off-road adventure? Yours sincerely Joe
NOOOOOOOO 9 speed cassette uses a narrower freehub than 11 speed, 10 speed would be compatible with your current wheelset, have a clutch and available in wide range cassettes 11-42 shimano and wider third party ones on ebay. PS youd also need new derailleur, shifter and chain but still better than buying those with a new wheelset
2k commuter bike... If you do any off road then Id go with mid drive. For less than 2k though youd have to build your own and for commuting you want at least 500 watts nominal.
Is Dielectric grease ok for battery contacts I haven’t had any issues yet with my levo but a friend purchased a used bike from a rental fleet and It loses power occasionally battery contacts have some wear would the grease be temporary fix until new battery is ordered
Regarding the problem with changing cassette size on the Giant Fathom... The 9 speed derailleur doesn't have a clutch. So changing to something like the Shimano spirit system with a clutch means going for at least a 10 speed. I personally find the 11 tooth cog incompatible with the current restrictions. That's the ninth gear... I find I don't need more than seventh gear, but more teeth on the first cog would be better for climbing... Yes/No?
I got maxxis torch 29x2.1for commuting on my HT levo. Too wide but much faster than the 2.3 knobby tires the bike came with. Horrible in water, goes everywhere. Anybody recommendation on width? 1.9...1.7???
For 8 miles each way just get a cheap hack, a vintage Raleigh team Banana? Insane to use a 3-7k bike and lock it up somewhere. The lock on your ebike would have to cost more than a cheap bike.
GMBN & EMBN Must upload 4k videos! its 2020, cmon guys!! huge difference!!! 4K PLEASE Every time I want to hear a good review I come here, but when I want to see a good quality image there are others electric mountain bikes channels out there!
Would it not be hard to prove speed converter had been turned off? I had the understanding that any speed converter was illegal to be fitted on the road regardless of being turned off?
Got a question about electric mountain bikes? Submit it below by using the hashtag #AskEMBN and maybe it will feature on the channel! 👇
I have commuted to work on bikes for years, purchased a Ghost SLAMR (E8000 system) back in January. Commute now loads more fun, sometimes just keep riding until battery runs out after work. Work shifts so fitted supernova headlight, which is great never need to charge. Changed front chainring for 38t as more time spent on road session, also normally run mudguards (although not at the moment as weather’s so good). I use 2X RRP Pro Guard front on both ends, found this protects suspension linkage on rear (Sam Hill trick).
Cube reaction pro 500 is a great bike for the 2grand ish budget
Hi Neil, do you have one? If so, have you desristed it? I'm considering it but the limiter is off putting. Cheers
@@MrTomparvin mine cuts out fully at 16.5mph. I'm gona leave it standard until the warranty runs out. I heard that bosch has anti tuning software that knows if u chip it. So goes into lump mode.
It isn't too bad. Steep steep hills at 15mph instead of 2mph is great😁😁😁. No lung burn or dying legs anymore!
Hi Phil Charlton...I have a 2020 Specialized Turbo Levo Comp. Came from the factory as well as yours with OEM Praxis Specialized Spec'd e-Alloy Cranks (160mm). I don't know about flex and I am still a big rider @255 lbs after losing 70+ lbs. Last Thursday I crashed the bike (pedal/crank arm strike) due to a hidden bit of rock under some new Green undergrowth. I was pitched a good 16-18' and down the bench cut hill. Long story short, through no fault of Praxis, I had a severely bent crank. My guess is that Specialized/Giant says something like, "we need x length at x weight w/ x bolt style w/ x offset @ no more than $28 bucks a set and we'll take 1,500 sets". That said, my guess is that product finalizes as 6061 instead of 7075 alloy on the Specialized/Giant, OEM etc. I bet e-Alloy direct from Praxis will be a slightly stiffer crank, crafted of better material in the same or slightly less weight range. I believe nobody knows more about e-crank arms than Praxis since they have been OEM equipment for so many Comos, Vados, Levos and Kenevos, Giant and others that I pulled the trigger directly w/ Praxis and purchased the Praxis Specialized e-Carbon crank set ($280). They offer for Yamaha & Bosch as well. Mine arrived afternoon 6/3/2020 installed them, drove up to Sandy Ridge and hammered out 10 miles of trails. You will not feel the weight savings but the increase in Carbon stiffness is immediately noticeable! Awesome and they look good! I hear you on pedal strikes. I believe that is mainly due to the ability to ride more difficult trails sections with rocks, boulders and protruding roots where we used to push-a-bike w/o motors. I stayed with 165 mm as that length came standard. I believe they said they had 160 mm as well...can't remember if that was alloy only or carbon set as well. Shorter might be better and not make a difference due to the motor. Vanessa is beyond knowledgeable about Praxis product and the customer service @Praxis is excellent!!! Has me thinking about their carbon wheel set now! Give them a shot if you want stiff, light and perfect fitment!
First rule of commuting, in contrary to all other cycling, get a set of full mudguards. Everyone that don't have those is part time commuter.
Beucky, I also have Giant Phatom and I didn't change 9spd system because
a) not worth it as you'd need lots of new components and
b) 9speed chain is stronger than 11spd one, and that is very important on ebikes.
What I did was putting in new 9spd shifter (XT), new brakes (XT with 180 discs), and Badass box for Giant to derestrict it. Now it is great all round bike that can stop confidently. Commuting I make 90ish km on level 2/3 modes.
Great episode. I think emtb's make awesome commuters.
I do it daily! On my hardtail trek Roscoe converted
changed front sprocket & longer chain to raise speed to middle of the cassette
Turbo levo with Levociraptor. Total beast.
The main thing for commuting is puncture resistant tyres and security. You will be late for work if you have a puncture. Scwalbe Marathon GT365 are great with Slime or some other sealant in your tubes.
Great info guys always enjoy your vids :) any chance on review of light kits and repair\maintenance stands maybe ? Nav options
great video on commuting. i'm looking to start commuting on my trek rail 7. i would also like to be able to ride trails in the evenings or on weekends...question is tires/wheels. is the only way to get around having to swap tires all the time would be to buy another wheelset? any other creating ideas that would be more cost effective. and if another wheelset is the best alternative can you give me tips on how to do on a budget...one consideration is that i would need to get another sensor for the motor i guess too. thank you
Hello, I ride a Cube Touring Hybrid and really enjoy how comfortable it is going over grass slowly it is a shame that it feels a bit too adventurous to take it onto fire roads and potentially the national park routes or scenery, I find the Cube Touring Range very exciting and would really like to keep the Touring Dynamics of by Bike, Can you cover any in-depth understanding about the models that offer Off-road adventure? Yours sincerely Joe
Surly they’re going to make a range extender for a turbo levo fsr as the batteries are massive/heavy!!
Surely for an 8 mile each way commute you don’t need to change anything? Just jump on it and ride!
NOOOOOOOO 9 speed cassette uses a narrower freehub than 11 speed, 10 speed would be compatible with your current wheelset, have a clutch and available in wide range cassettes 11-42 shimano and wider third party ones on ebay. PS youd also need new derailleur, shifter and chain but still better than buying those with a new wheelset
2k commuter bike... If you do any off road then Id go with mid drive. For less than 2k though youd have to build your own and for commuting you want at least 500 watts nominal.
Commute with a class 1 ebike on the road?
Is Dielectric grease ok for battery contacts I haven’t had any issues yet with my levo but a friend purchased a used bike from a rental fleet and It loses power occasionally battery contacts have some wear would the grease be temporary fix until new battery is ordered
Regarding the problem with changing cassette size on the Giant Fathom... The 9 speed derailleur doesn't have a clutch. So changing to something like the Shimano spirit system with a clutch means going for at least a 10 speed.
I personally find the 11 tooth cog incompatible with the current restrictions. That's the ninth gear... I find I don't need more than seventh gear, but more teeth on the first cog would be better for climbing...
Yes/No?
I got maxxis torch 29x2.1for commuting on my HT levo. Too wide but much faster than the 2.3 knobby tires the bike came with. Horrible in water, goes everywhere. Anybody recommendation on width? 1.9...1.7???
For 8 miles each way just get a cheap hack, a vintage Raleigh team Banana? Insane to use a 3-7k bike and lock it up somewhere. The lock on your ebike would have to cost more than a cheap bike.
Chris Smith is Google Elexa aka Alexa
GMBN & EMBN Must upload 4k videos! its 2020, cmon guys!! huge difference!!! 4K PLEASE
Every time I want to hear a good review I come here, but when I want to see a good quality image there are others electric mountain bikes channels out there!
for example? always on the hunt for some good channels. 😁
Can I ride my turbo levo ebike in the rain? Thank you.
At least once yes.
It's all fun until the battery is dead
Worst. Legal. Advice. Ever.
Would it not be hard to prove speed converter had been turned off? I had the understanding that any speed converter was illegal to be fitted on the road regardless of being turned off?