EP801- hit it with dielectric grease when brand new?

[lovespicyfood]

Hey All,

Excited to get a Spectral ON CF8 this week, it'll be my first e-bike.

Seeing a lot of vids on the benefits of dielectric grease for all of the motor connections. Would it be recommended to spray those areas on a brand new motor? As I understand it, you don't really spray into the connectors, but over them? Generally I will not be riding the bike in really wet/muddy conditions but there is one ride that has creek crossing when it rains during the winter...
Lastly, what brand do you recommend? Seems like there's bike specific sprays like Muc Off but also a lot of choices of tubes of the stuff for general use. Seems like a spray might be better...

 

[Montana St Alum]

I wouldn't.

 

[lovespicyfood]

Is this more a measure if/when the motor gets soaked?

 

[Mikerb]

There is at least one other thread on here dealing with the use of dialectric grease which may be worth reading.
you are right that you do not want to apply/spray anything on the actual contacts other than proper electrical contact cleaner. The use of dialectric grease is to prevent arcing from the metallic contact area to neighbouring metal areas. Most ebike electrical connections consist of male plugs with sealing rings pushed into female recieving points. It helps to smear some grease ( any waterproof grease will do) on the outside of those connections just to help prevent any potential water ingress into the made contact.
Where dialectric grease may be applicable is on the typical battery to main plug connector. Again it is male metal connectors ( usually on the plug) and female receptors on the battery but there is no specific protection from water ingress. If water does get onto that battery to plug connection it can cause a short between the connections. So a smear of dialectric grease on the flat mating surface can help protect against that. Care needs to be taken to ensure no grease actually gets onto the contacts however. If the bike has a fully enclosed downtube the likelihood of water ingress is much less likely in the first place. Bikes with open fronted downtubes are more likely to suffer issues of that kind if the downtube cover does not seal well. It is better however to make sure that seal is good in the first place!

 

[Tony4wd]

one ride that has creek crossing when it rains

If the water is deep it's safer to carry the bike across - submerging the motor could suck water in through the crankshaft seals.

 

[DeanBeanoTaylor]

I've just got a Spectral:ON CF9, love it already you'll love yours.

I tried the dielectric grease (grease applied not sprayed) trick on my old Shimano EP8 powered Nukeproof, after a previous sensor failure.

It didnt make a difference as the same thing happened again a while later. (I live in the not so sunny Lake District, UK).

Personally I wouldn't bother as the motor and battery charger points are fairly well covered and sealed on the canyon, the EP801 apparently has much improved sealing over the EP8 too. It may just end up being another excuse for warranty voiding. You would be very unlucky to get voided for it but you know what some warranties can be like...

The spectral:ON doesn't have a front opening on the underside downtube for the battery, so its not as exposed as some bikes that do have that, my old bike did have one which didnt seal very well, which certainly didnt help.

 

[lovespicyfood]

Thank you all for your advice, much appreciated! Excited to get the bike tomorrow...

 

[lovespicyfood]

I've just got a Spectral:ON CF9, love it already you'll love yours.

I tried the dielectric grease (grease applied not sprayed) trick on my old Shimano EP8 powered Nukeproof, after a previous sensor failure.

It didnt make a difference as the same thing happened again a while later. (I live in the not so sunny Lake District, UK).

Personally I wouldn't bother as the motor and battery charger points are fairly well covered and sealed on the canyon, the EP801 apparently has much improved sealing over the EP8 too. It may just end up being another excuse for warranty voiding. You would be very unlucky to get voided for it but you know what some warranties can be like...

The spectral:ON doesn't have a front opening on the underside downtube for the battery, so its not as exposed as some bikes that do have that, my old bike did have one which didnt seal very well, which certainly didnt help.

Appreciate your insight, thank you!

Any advice on things to look for or watch on the Spectral?

I almost bought the Bulls Copperhead EVO AM 4 750. It's a really solid setup and arguably the better motor (Bosch CX and 750w battery). However, it's heavy at 59 pounds and though the Suntour suspension is their top of the line, I was hesitant of long term serviceability. The bike is only $3.5k which is a screaming deal imo.

However, I think I got a good deal on the CF8 at $4,399. I figured $900 for a full carbon frame, lighter weight (52lbs), more mainstream suspension (at least here in the U.S.), 900w battery and more modern geometry was worth the difference.

 

[DeanBeanoTaylor]

Appreciate your insight, thank you!

Any advice on things to look for or watch on the Spectral?

I almost bought the Bulls Copperhead EVO AM 4 750. It's a really solid setup and arguably the better motor (Bosch CX and 750w battery). However, it's heavy at 59 pounds and though the Suntour suspension is their top of the line, I was hesitant of long term serviceability. The bike is only $3.5k which is a screaming deal imo.

However, I think I got a good deal on the CF8 at $4,399. I figured $900 for a full carbon frame, lighter weight (52lbs), more mainstream suspension (at least here in the U.S.), 900w battery and more modern geometry was worth the difference.

You're welcome,

I've only had mine a couple of weeks covered 40 miles over a couple of small rides on it so I cant offer a full review haha! But first impressions are very good. It handles so well, feels planted as well as being nimble which is great.

Bike overall feels really good quality, my only annoyances are that the only bottle cage that fits is canyons own Spectral:ON sideloader cage, due to the bolt orientation on the frame. The fact that it has headset cable routing aswell is a bit of a pain, Ill just give it to the local mechanic if that needs work done for any reason! However the cockpit does look nice and tidy for it, especially because the mode switch cable is routed through the internals of the handlebar!

My CF9 has the GX AXS T type transmission, I honestly think it makes the bike I'm so impressed with it. I know the CF8 doesn't but that was the deal breaker for me personally getting the CF9.

I'm riding this off the back of a Deviate Claymore high pivot bike and honestly it feels just as good.

Really happy with my purchase, especially when I grabbed it at 30% off and they've recently went back to retail price!

I had a go on my friends Orbea Wild FS with the Bosch motor the other day, it does feel awesome. It performs differently to the Shimano in the way that it'll give you full power no matter how much effort you put in, whereas the Shimano is more cadence based, which isn't a bad thing at all, both feel equally as powerful.

Mine came with the 720wh battery as I went for the small frame based off their size chart, the 900wh apparently doesn't fit which is a shame. But I still have 100wh more than my old bike which had a 620wh and I could get 30+mile (50km) with over 6000ft (1830m) of climbing out of that smaller battery, so I'm expecting this to be fine for my needs. I'm 5'9" / 73kg for reference.

 

[lovespicyfood]

You're welcome,

I've only had mine a couple of weeks covered 40 miles over a couple of small rides on it so I cant offer a full review haha! But first impressions are very good. It handles so well, feels planted as well as being nimble which is great.

Bike overall feels really good quality, my only annoyances are that the only bottle cage that fits is canyons own Spectral:ON sideloader cage, due to the bolt orientation on the frame. The fact that it has headset cable routing aswell is a bit of a pain, Ill just give it to the local mechanic if that needs work done for any reason! However the cockpit does look nice and tidy for it, especially because the mode switch cable is routed through the internals of the handlebar!

My CF9 has the GX AXS T type transmission, I honestly think it makes the bike I'm so impressed with it. I know the CF8 doesn't but that was the deal breaker for me personally getting the CF9.

I'm riding this off the back of a Deviate Claymore high pivot bike and honestly it feels just as good.

Really happy with my purchase, especially when I grabbed it at 30% off and they've recently went back to retail price!

I had a go on my friends Orbea Wild FS with the Bosch motor the other day, it does feel awesome. It performs differently to the Shimano in the way that it'll give you full power no matter how much effort you put in, whereas the Shimano is more cadence based, which isn't a bad thing at all, both feel equally as powerful.

Mine came with the 720wh battery as I went for the small frame based off their size chart, the 900wh apparently doesn't fit which is a shame. But I still have 100wh more than my old bike which had a 620wh and I could get 30+mile (50km) with over 6000ft (1830m) of climbing out of that smaller battery, so I'm expecting this to be fine for my needs. I'm 5'9" / 73kg for reference.

Nice, thanks for the info!
I agree with everything you said...all the cables going through the headset looks scary...I like to wrench on my own bikes but I too would pay someone to deal with that.
I see you're in the UK. In the U.S. we can only get "up to" the CF8. I love the SRAM transmission...maybe someday I'll upgrade.
Lastly, the bottle cage is annoying. I guess I sort of know why they did it as they didn't want bolts going into the battery compartment. However, here in the U.S, I shake my head at their customer service sometimes....the bottle cage has been out of stock apparently for a long time and they said it won't be in stock until summer 2024! W.T.H. Canyon! They told me to order it on the website but not available for the U.S. Infuriating to say the least and seems like they don't care for their U.S. customers because couldn't they just transfer some inventory? Either way, found a solution...it will raise the universal cage just a bit I think but should be ok and look ok.

How to get a Spectral ON Water Bottle Cage?

Not sure why they ever decided to create a proprietary water bottle cage with all of that real estate on the downtube of the Spectral On.... Waiting on the arrival of my Spectral ON CF8 but frustrated that Canyon is indicating that the water bottle cage won't be in stock until summer of '25...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[lovespicyfood]

Wanted to share pics of the color. On the website it says "stealth" and the pics aren't really good... it seemed to me it was a matte black. However, it's more like a deep grey...in the light it looks lighter, but in normal light it looks dark like charcoal and its gloss. It looks really good to me so I'm happy. I hear you on the sizing...I'm 5'11" and it was recommending the small but I really wanted the bigger battery. I have a Canyon Grail I bought 1.5 years ago and I stressed on that selection as well...recommending a Small when I felt a Medium made more sense. I got the Grail in Medium and have been happy with it. Glad I got the medium here...I haven't ridden it yet but standover height is fine and I think the reach is perfect. Lastly, I had ordered a ride wrap but they are having supply issues in the U.S. for some reason, they were telling me up to 18 business days to get it. I was bummed, wanting to apply it before the first ride. However, this Spectral has a lot of protective film I wasn't aware of and isn't detailed on the website. It has it in the most prone areas and areas that are really hard to apply: all of the downtube facing the ground, the inner parts of the swingarm (especially hard to install and or cut for). I cancelled my ridewrap order.

 

[Mikerb]

I have never wrapped a bike but I have one that was wrapped by a previous owner. Never thought it was a good idea to cover a bike in plastic!! That bike is 4 years old and would look a damned sight smarter with the wrap removed. Edges are lifting and dirty.
With a new bike I use proper helitape to protect areas vulnerable to stone attack.....the rest I protect with polish and silicone shine. So much easier to clean with paintwork protected that way.

 

[lovespicyfood]

I have never wrapped a bike but I have one that was wrapped by a previous owner. Never thought it was a good idea to cover a bike in plastic!! That bike is 4 years old and would look a damned sight smarter with the wrap removed. Edges are lifting and dirty.
With a new bike I use proper helitape to protect areas vulnerable to stone attack.....the rest I protect with polish and silicone shine. So much easier to clean with paintwork protected that way.

Oh my, yea, yellowing tape looks terrible!
I wish all bike manufacturers would protect their bikes more or even offer it as a option (smart way for them to make more $). Paying $125 for a kit to wrap a bike isn't cheap and it's so easy for a manufacturer to do it on a bare frame...
Like I said, though, I'm impressed with what Canyon did with this bike...quite pleased. However, the Grail I got from them about a year and a half ago had no protection except for a little on the chain stay. I put some 3M tape on some areas, esp. where cables would rub...

 

[bikerider]

So I just wanted to point out my experience with dielectric grease. This is a long story so I will condense it. I purchased a new Santa Cruz Heckler EMTB last June (EP801 with Darfon 720 battery). While riding, the the motor would shut down with the error code 924 which points to the battery connection. After working with Santa Cruz and performing a lot of troubleshooting, they finally told me to pack the female connectors of the Darfon battery with a substantial amount of dielectric grease. They said don't be shy about the amount of grease - more is better. Voila! it worked. No more issues whatsoever, but this was a temporary fix. Turns out the female connectors on the battery were too big and not maintaining a tight connection with the plug on the bike. They sent me a new battery where they put in tighter connections. I checked the connection with the battery charger adapter plug and it was indeed a tighter fit. Before, the connection with the charger was loose and sloppy, but now there was much more friction and resistance when making the connection. I've had no problems ever since.

 

[sulsj]

Yes I did. All connectors including shimano connectors. I did just for peace in my mind while washing.

 

[Downhillr]

Hey All,

Excited to get a Spectral ON CF8 this week, it'll be my first e-bike.

Seeing a lot of vids on the benefits of dielectric grease for all of the motor connections. Would it be recommended to spray those areas on a brand new motor? As I understand it, you don't really spray into the connectors, but over them? Generally I will not be riding the bike in really wet/muddy conditions but there is one ride that has creek crossing when it rains during the winter...
Lastly, what brand do you recommend? Seems like there's bike specific sprays like Muc Off but also a lot of choices of tubes of the stuff for general use. Seems like a spray might be better...

I use Permatex (automotive brand) dielectric grease on outdoor lighting/electrical connections, automotive electrical connections etc… as well as bike’s battery charge port connections and battery terminal connections on my Shimano powered Santa Cruz
Bullit. I prefer grease to spray as the consistency is resistant to wash-out, you can use it in connectors as it conductive.

 

[DeanBeanoTaylor]

I have never wrapped a bike but I have one that was wrapped by a previous owner. Never thought it was a good idea to cover a bike in plastic!! That bike is 4 years old and would look a damned sight smarter with the wrap removed. Edges are lifting and dirty.
With a new bike I use proper helitape to protect areas vulnerable to stone attack.....the rest I protect with polish and silicone shine. So much easier to clean with paintwork protected that way.

I’m assuming you’ve never used or seen Invisiframe products

 

[Mikerb]

I’m assuming you’ve never used or seen Invisiframe products

Seen but not used. I prefer helitape for protection only where needed. It is far more protective.