Meta Power SX 2021 Ride

[TEE]

Ive just recieved my Meta Power a few hours ago thought id share some pictures. x)
Didnt have the chance to ride it jet and now the sun went down so i cant tell anything about the Riding characteristics jet.
Gonna hit the trails tomorrow.

Swapped the front tire to a DHF. Rear derallier following same goes for the fork cartridge as soon as its available.

Oh btw, the welding/frame quality isnt one of the best ive seen so far.... but it looks solid enough for me.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Got my bike two weeks ago just got it out yesterday. Had to wait for the ride wrap to get here and to be installed. I love how it handles still having some issues getting my shock setup right, the fork feels sticky need to look into it maybe just needs to break in. I have a coil coming this week can't wait to see how it does on the steep stuff. Congrats on the bike!!

 

[TEE]

Nice pictures looks great out in the wild.
A coil shock might definitely raise the bike up to the next level.

Since youve got the same bike i have to ask you something about the ep8.
All i could test so far was the walk mode. And when i enable it and the bikes starts to move forward i can hear a pretty loud crackling/rustling from the motor. Dosnt sound very good tbh. Could you please check the walk mode on your bike and tell me if your motor makes a similar sound when using walk mode?

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Nice pictures looks great out in the wild.
A coil shock might definitely raise the bike up to the next level.

Since youve got the same bike i have to ask you something about the ep8.
All i could test so far was the walk mode. And when i enable it and the bikes starts to move forward i can hear a pretty loud crackling/rustling from the motor. Dosnt sound very good tbh. Could you please check the walk mode on your bike and tell me if your motor makes a similar sound when using walk mode?

So mine is silent in walk mode, that said check what gear you are in. My lowest gear does make a crunching/cracking sound, and I have been having issues getting the rear mech aligned. I am actually about to go into the garage to check adjustments again as I didn't check the b tension and need to verify my H and L screws again.
One major note, check all the bolts before your first ride. Other than waiting on the ride wrap I also took a few hours to check every single bolt and torque them, grease or loctite depending on the bolt. I found a few that were not tight, my brakes were out of alignment, do not trust that it was put together correctly.

 

[TEE]

So mine is silent in walk mode, that said check what gear you are in. My lowest gear does make a crunching/cracking sound, and I have been having issues getting the rear mech aligned. I am actually about to go into the garage to check adjustments again as I didn't check the b tension and need to verify my H and L screws again.
One major note, check all the bolts before your first ride. Other than waiting on the ride wrap I also took a few hours to check every single bolt and torque them, grease or loctite depending on the bolt. I found a few that were not tight, my brakes were out of alignment, do not trust that it was put together correctly.

You are right, when im using the largest sprocket the walk mode is quiet. But when im using the smallest sprocket (what i did) the motor becomes noisy and makes crackling sounds. I should have known better haha. But thanks for the tip.


Thanks for taking your time and giving advices.
I see a lot of people complaining about fallen off crank arms etc on the internet especially when it comes to bikes which where bought online. So what you say is 100% correct and its good that you tell people about it because it seems that most people are not aware of the fact that those companies are not setting up the bikes properly. They just put the parts together and send them to their customers. Sad but true.
But im a bike mechanic the bolts were the first things ive checked, dont worry. ^^
Unfortunately im not certified for Shimano motors and we dont sell them, we are just "Bosch expert" as its called in germany. So i am very new to shimano motors which is the reason why i asked you that question.

Btw, if you are having problems with your rear derailleur then its very likely caused by the derailleur hanger which might be bent. Pretty common for bikes sent by post because the derailleur usually is in direct contact with the sidewall of the box.
The "tl-rd 11" is a beatiful tool for fixing that but its expensive. Youd probably get 10 derailleur hangers for its price haha. :'D

However im talking too much , excuse me and thank your for your kind help.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Btw, if you are having problems with your rear derailleur then its very likely caused by the derailleur hanger which might be bent. Pretty common for bikes sent by post because the derailleur usually is in direct contact with the sidewall of the box.
The "tl-rd 11" is a beatiful tool for fixing that but its expensive. Youd probably get 10 derailleur hangers for its price haha. :'D

However im talking too much , excuse me and thank your for your kind help.

Oh good point, not sure why I didn't think to look at that. Considering my wheel crashed into my frame in transit and chipped the paint and bent the rotor this should have been a common sense thing to look at.
Also its interesting you were using the small cog and it was making sounds mine is the opposite. I would only worry if you have anything making sounds while riding. Mine is very smooth motor wise and its only gear noise when in the lowest gears which just need some fiddling.

 

[azzwethinkweiz]

You are right, when im using the largest sprocket the walk mode is quiet. But when im using the smallest sprocket (what i did) the motor becomes noisy and makes crackling sounds. I should have known better haha. But thanks for the tip.


Thanks for taking your time and giving advices.
I see a lot of people complaining about fallen off crank arms etc on the internet especially when it comes to bikes which where bought online. So what you say is 100% correct and its good that you tell people about it because it seems that most people are not aware of the fact that those companies are not setting up the bikes properly. They just put the parts together and send them to their customers. Sad but true.
But im a bike mechanic the bolts were the first things ive checked, dont worry. ^^
Unfortunately im not certified for Shimano motors and we dont sell them, we are just "Bosch expert" as its called in germany. So i am very new to shimano motors which is the reason why i asked you that question.

Btw, if you are having problems with your rear derailleur then its very likely caused by the derailleur hanger which might be bent. Pretty common for bikes sent by post because the derailleur usually is in direct contact with the sidewall of the box.
The "tl-rd 11" is a beatiful tool for fixing that but its expensive. Youd probably get 10 derailleur hangers for its price haha. :'D

However im talking too much , excuse me and thank your for your kind help.

Since you're a mech maybe you'd know cuz sram won't help me. What is the b gap measurement supposed to be for this sx eagle deivetrain? I've heard conflicting numbers and seen several tools but they're for the earlier models not the ones with the dinner plate cog. I just want the numbers so I can make sure it's good with my calipers.

The sx eagle deivetrain has been the biggest let down on this bike for me but it is my first sram anything I've always been shimano. It was good for about the first 50 miles and it has gotten really sloppy since, I adjust the derailer (can't spell that) and it's good for a bit but slowly goes bad again... but the only thing I haven't checked is b gap.

I wish they would've specd this bike with a lower end shimano like slx or deore because in my experience both of these options work and feel a lot better.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Just set this yesterday manually no tool, used an allen wrench. Per the manual I found its 3mm from upper guide wheel to largest sprocket when in one gear lower than the largest cog. One note the measurement is taken when the rear is under sag. Some of the larger gap numbers are for when you don't sag the suspension. But will defer to @TEE on if there is any better info this is just what I found in the sram eagle manual.

 

[azzwethinkweiz]

Just set this yesterday manually no tool, used an allen wrench. Per the manual I found its 3mm from upper guide wheel to largest sprocket when in one gear lower than the largest cog. One note the measurement is taken when the rear is under sag. Some of the larger gap numbers are for when you don't sag the suspension. But will defer to @TEE on if there is any better info this is just what I found in the sram eagle manual.

So did your bike come with an actual manual for the sram drivetrain? The only sram paperwork mine came with was the warranty pamphlet. The box also had the manual for the Zeb fork but that was it.

Thank you for the info though, I will check mine tonight.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

So did your bike come with an actual manual for the sram drivetrain? The only sram paperwork mine came with was the warranty pamphlet. The box also had the manual for the Zeb fork but that was it.

Thank you for the info though, I will check mine tonight.

Nope not much came with my bike used the old google and sram's website to find it.

 

[azzwethinkweiz]

Nope not much came with my bike used the old google and sram's website to find it.

Oh, hmm. I can only find the manual which applys to the older style eagle cassettes on their site. If you still have the link I'd appreciate a little help! If not I'll try and look a little harder this weekend. Thanks for the response.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Oh, hmm. I can only find the manual which applys to the older style eagle cassettes on their site. If you still have the link I'd appreciate a little help! If not I'll try and look a little harder this weekend. Thanks for the response.

Here is the one I used https://www.sram.com/globalassets/d...1x-mtb-mechanical-derailleurs-user-manual.pdf.... it covers all eagle products and its from 2021... prior to 2020 I think it was they used to measure it a bit different. End result is the same but this method is pretty simple.
I will note my shifting is better but still having some issue, not sure if its bc of the SX set and just not as precise as my old GX and Shimano XT stuff or there is truly something wrong. Bike has only been out twice so letting things break in before saying there is a issue.

 

[azzwethinkweiz]

Here is the one I used https://www.sram.com/globalassets/d...1x-mtb-mechanical-derailleurs-user-manual.pdf.... it covers all eagle products and its from 2021... prior to 2020 I think it was they used to measure it a bit different. End result is the same but this method is pretty simple.
I will note my shifting is better but still having some issue, not sure if its bc of the SX set and just not as precise as my old GX and Shimano XT stuff or there is truly something wrong. Bike has only been out twice so letting things break in before saying there is a issue.

Thank you. For the life of me I could not find this and sram customer support acted like they didn't know what I was talking about.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Thank you. For the life of me I could not find this and sram customer support acted like they didn't know what I was talking about.

Wait they have customer support lol... I have been looking for a way to complain about my fork and my shifting.

 

[azzwethinkweiz]

Wait they have customer support lol... I have been looking for a way to complain about my fork and my shifting.

Haha, I have been a bit of a Fox fan all my life and actually really have taken a liking to this Zeb fork. I'd argue that it actually feels better in mild to medium gnar enduro riding while the Fox is superior feeling from everything above that and handles jumping much better. I'd say it would vary greatly depending on your riding style and the terrain you ride.

Now I couldn't agree more about the drivetrain experience so far. I just checked my B gap with my wife and kid on the bike which is almost exactly my weight and the gap is exactly 3mm on the dot lol. Oh well, I was kind of hoping it was out of spec thinking adjusting it might help.

 

[TEE]

I expected the sx eagle to perform poorly but after riding this bike yesterday for almost 3 hours i think i will stick to the derailleur. ^^
Shifts perfectly i didnt have any problems at all. That surpreised me a lot.

I cant give you numbers in terms of distance by now but im looking for the service manual.
This can only take several hours. :'D The sram doc is an absolute mess if you ask me.

__


This is the gauge youd need: SRAM Einstellwerkzeug Chaingap Tool für Eagle 12-fach Schaltwerk | 50, 5,25 €
I dont know anything about that website so maybe its not even a trustworthy one.

Here is the service manual for the 1x12 group.

https://www.sram.com/globalassets/document-hierarchy/user-manuals/sram-mtb/drivetrain/1x-mtb-mechanical-derailleurs-user-manual.pdf

Seems like it should be a 3mm gap measured from the upper pulley to the biggest sprocket while beeing on the 2nd biggest sprocket when the bike is in sag position.
Check cable tension and adjust if you have to. Maybe thats whats causing your shifting issues.



Copy pasted:
1. For an Eagle drivetrain, shift the chain onto the second largest rear cog. For full suspension bicycles, measure the chain gap while the bicycle is in the sag position.2. Rotate the B-Adjust screw until the gap between the upper pulley and the tallest teeth of the largest cog is 3 mm. 3. Check the upper guide pulley alignment in the large and small cogs. Make adjustments to the high and low limit screws as needed.

__

Seems like Stiggy already posted the correct answer already.
The sram tech channel on youtube might be helpful aswell:

 

[Stiggy_rider]

I expected the sx eagle to perform poorly but after riding this bike yesterday for almost 3 hours i think i will stick to the derailleur. ^^
Shifts perfectly i didnt have any problems at all. That surpreised me a lot.

Impressive, I will have to keep fine tuning it on my bike. I am about 85% there only a few gear shifts on the lower gears are giving me an issue. Consistency is not there like my XT but with time I can probably get it close.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Haha, I have been a bit of a Fox fan all my life and actually really have taken a liking to this Zeb fork. I'd argue that it actually feels better in mild to medium gnar enduro riding while the Fox is superior feeling from everything above that and handles jumping much better. I'd say it would vary greatly depending on your riding style and the terrain you ride.

Now I couldn't agree more about the drivetrain experience so far. I just checked my B gap with my wife and kid on the bike which is almost exactly my weight and the gap is exactly 3mm on the dot lol. Oh well, I was kind of hoping it was out of spec thinking adjusting it might help.

I too have been a fox fan, especially since their service center is 45 min away if I ran into issues I would just drive over and have my issues resolved in 30 min. Unfortunately they have moved their bike support to Reno which isn't too far from Northstar for my summer issues so there is a positive.

I see the Zeb potential but for whatever reason it's not buttery smooth as I would be expecting off the top. My charger upgrade gets here today so I will transform it to a Zeb ultimate. While doing that I will check the grease and oil in the shock as I have a hunch that's the issue/ needing to fully breakin.

 

[azzwethinkweiz]

I too have been a fox fan, especially since their service center is 45 min away if I ran into issues I would just drive over and have my issues resolved in 30 min. Unfortunately they have moved their bike support to Reno which isn't too far from Northstar for my summer issues so there is a positive.

I see the Zeb potential but for whatever reason it's not buttery smooth as I would be expecting off the top. My charger upgrade gets here today so I will transform it to a Zeb ultimate. While doing that I will check the grease and oil in the shock as I have a hunch that's the issue/ needing to fully breakin.

Yeah maybe it just needs some more miles. Let me know if you think the charger upgrade is worth it afterwards cause I was debating that as well. I am running nearly 30% sag in the fork most of the time which I'm sure is a big part of why its so supple. That combined with volume tokens makes it very supple off the top and progressively ramp up nicely towards the end of the travel.

 

[Frenchie]

Ive just recieved my Meta Power a few hours ago thought id share some pictures. x)
Didnt have the chance to ride it jet and now the sun went down so i cant tell anything about the Riding characteristics jet.
Gonna hit the trails tomorrow.

Swapped the front tire to a DHF. Rear derallier following same goes for the fork cartridge as soon as its available.

Oh btw, the welding/frame quality isnt one of the best ive seen so far.... but it looks solid enough for me.


View attachment 53921 View attachment 53922 View attachment 53923 View attachment 53924 View attachment 53925

Congrats! Looks beautiful. Got mine yesterday, it’s a beast, love it!

 

[Frenchie]

I too have been a fox fan, especially since their service center is 45 min away if I ran into issues I would just drive over and have my issues resolved in 30 min. Unfortunately they have moved their bike support to Reno which isn't too far from Northstar for my summer issues so there is a positive.

I see the Zeb potential but for whatever reason it's not buttery smooth as I would be expecting off the top. My charger upgrade gets here today so I will transform it to a Zeb ultimate. While doing that I will check the grease and oil in the shock as I have a hunch that's the issue/ needing to fully breakin.

Hey S

Impressive, I will have to keep fine tuning it on my bike. I am about 85% there only a few gear shifts on the lower gears are giving me an issue. Consistency is not there like my XT but with time I can probably get it close.

Got my bike two weeks ago just got it out yesterday. Had to wait for the ride wrap to get here and to be installed. I love how it handles still having some issues getting my shock setup right, the fork feels sticky need to look into it maybe just needs to break in. I have a coil coming this week can't wait to see how it does on the steep stuff. Congrats on the bike!!
View attachment 53930 View attachment 53931

Hey Stiggy, is that the top of the switchback in NP?
I’m in Cam, how do we connect so we can go shred together?
Just got my Meta yesterday.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Hey S


Hey Stiggy, is that the top of the switchback in NP?
I’m in Cam, how do we connect so we can go shred together?
Just got my Meta yesterday.

That's actually Cupertino/Saratoga, its at the top of Fremont Older. Just one of the local trails where I can get a quick ride, that is until they start cracking down on EMTB but when I go no one is really around.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Yeah maybe it just needs some more miles. Let me know if you think the charger upgrade is worth it afterwards cause I was debating that as well. I am running nearly 30% sag in the fork most of the time which I'm sure is a big part of why its so supple. That combined with volume tokens makes it very supple off the top and progressively ramp up nicely towards the end of the travel.

He stupid question, when you are running 30% sag. If you get off the bike does the fork extend all the way as mine does not? Also tried more sag and its much more plush but stills sticky. I'm about 175# and to run 30% sag I am at 48-50psi, which seems super low.

 

[azzwethinkweiz]

He stupid question, when you are running 30% sag. If you get off the bike does the fork extend all the way as mine does not? Also tried more sag and its much more plush but stills sticky. I'm about 175# and to run 30% sag I am at 48-50psi, which seems super low.

Yes mine extends all the way back but I have over 25 pounds on you and thus I run a higher fork psi. This happens when my son rides my other bike, he weighs a lot less I have to air down the fork to sag for his weight and it doesn't fully come back up intitially. I have to cycle the fork back and forth like fifty times. I heard this has something to do with the positive and negative chambers on an air fork equalizing ? I don't know for sure though. My friends newer fox fork has air bleeders he can press to fix this issue.

This thread talks about it more, I'm not a bike mechanic though so I don't know for sure.

https://webcache.googleusercontent....=clnk&gl=us&client=ms-android-sonymobile-rev1

[/URL]

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Yes mine extends all the way back but I have over 25 pounds on you and thus I run a higher fork psi. This happens when my son rides my other bike, he weighs a lot less I have to air down the fork to sag for his weight and it doesn't fully come back up intitially. I have to cycle the fork back and forth like fifty times. I heard this has something to do with the positive and negative chambers on an air fork equalizing ? I don't know for sure though. My friends newer fox fork has air bleeders he can press to fix this issue.

This thread talks about it more, I'm not a bike mechanic though so I don't know for sure.

https://webcache.googleusercontent....=clnk&gl=us&client=ms-android-sonymobile-rev1

[/URL]

OK, this proves my theory of what's going on with mine. I don't think mine is balancing the positive and negative chambers. Per the manual and other articles you should be able to compress to ~50% travel and hear the air movement from one to the other. Mine never does that even after riding it hard, or fully deflating and reinflating. Bikes going to the shop to have the fork looked at, at the recommended pressure 64-72 psi it has a almost grinding feel.

 

[azzwethinkweiz]

OK, this proves my theory of what's going on with mine. I don't think mine is balancing the positive and negative chambers. Per the manual and other articles you should be able to compress to ~50% travel and hear the air movement from one to the other. Mine never does that even after riding it hard, or fully deflating and reinflating. Bikes going to the shop to have the fork looked at, at the recommended pressure 64-72 psi it has a almost grinding feel.

Also if your using 48-50psi even at your weight that seems really low, like I feel at that psi your fork should be so insanely plush and possibly beyond 30% sag... Seems like your fork has some serious stiction going on for sure. Hopefully the shop can sort it out. I think commencal would warranty any repairs .

 

[Frenchie]

That's actually Cupertino/Saratoga, its at the top of Fremont Older. Just one of the local trails where I can get a quick ride, that is until they start cracking down on EMTB but when I go no one is really around.

Nice place to ride.
If you ever come down to VTA County let me know.
Have fun with the bike!

 

[NCeMTB]

He stupid question, when you are running 30% sag. If you get off the bike does the fork extend all the way as mine does not? Also tried more sag and its much more plush but stills sticky. I'm about 175# and to run 30% sag I am at 48-50psi, which seems super low.

Hey Stiggy - pretty common (read as "always") that the RS forks come with too much grease inside and this clogs the port between the positive and negative chamber, causing an imbalance, and sucking down your fork a bit. The correction to this is pretty easy -- slowly let all the air out of the fork by depressing the schrader. If the fork sucks down and won't come up - the port (dimple) between the positive and negative side is clogged. If that's the case - remove the air cap and while holding down the tire, forcibly pull up on the bars/fork to full extension. May take a few times, and may need a second set of hands if really clogged --- but when it clears, you will hear a rush/pop of air and the fork will be easy to pull up to full extension. Once clear - put the air cap back on and fill the shock to appropriate air setting, stopping to cycle the shock 5-10 times every 30-40psi or so (balances +/- chambers). After this - should be good to go.

Also - may have read incorrectly - but 30% is a lot of sag for a fork (correct for a shock). Around 20% usually for a fork.

Hope helps.

 

[Stiggy_rider]

Hey Stiggy - pretty common (read as "always") that the RS forks come with too much grease inside and this clogs the port between the positive and negative chamber, causing an imbalance, and sucking down your fork a bit. The correction to this is pretty easy -- slowly let all the air out of the fork by depressing the schrader. If the fork sucks down and won't come up - the port (dimple) between the positive and negative side is clogged. If that's the case - remove the air cap and while holding down the tire, forcibly pull up on the bars/fork to full extension. May take a few times, and may need a second set of hands if really clogged --- but when it clears, you will hear a rush/pop of air and the fork will be easy to pull up to full extension. Once clear - put the air cap back on and fill the shock to appropriate air setting, stopping to cycle the shock 5-10 times every 30-40psi or so (balances +/- chambers). After this - should be good to go.

Also - may have read incorrectly - but 30% is a lot of sag for a fork (correct for a shock). Around 20% usually for a fork.

Hope helps.

Yeah I was shooting for 20-25% hell would have been happy with 18%. Just got my fork or maybe a new one from Rockshox today but pissed they don't have sag markings on the uppers. Debating selling them on and just upgrading to a Fox 38. Wish I had seen this before sending them off would have given them one more try to fix the issue before sending them in.