No E-Caliber love?

[Philpug]

We just picked up a E-Caliber 9.6 for my wife and I must say, this is one sweet bike. It is just under 40lb with battery and under 30lb without. We lucked out in finding a used one..I say used because it did have a previous owner who bought it for his wife but I doubt the bike had 5 miles on it. The previous owner did some nice upgrades...

• Maxxis DHR & Agressor tires
• Tubeless
• DT M1700 wheels
• Sram NX drivetrain
• XTR brakes

All for less than what base retail was. Such a deal.

The Fazua drivetrain does have a learning curve but it is sweet.

 

[04fuxake]

No E-Caliber money.

 

[flash]

Fazua based bikes get no love here, in general. There's the rare question about the eZesty (which I have). Most think the Levo SL invented the lower power light weight market segment. Fazua bikes don't seem to be on many peoples radar.

Plus your bike is still pretty new (and pricey), so not many around, I suppose.

Customising via a PC is a bit of a kludge but the customisation is significant so worth a play with.

I'm not a cross country rider but the E-Caliber is a stunning looking bike.

Gordon

 

[Philpug]

Pricey? The 9.6 is $6,500, far from expensive in the E-world.

 

[Aikone]

I’ll be getting one, likely next spring/summer, hoping for a 9.8 XT or whatever the spec is for 2022, something Shimano so all the spares I carry will fit, I still mostly ride acoustic but have an Allant+ 9.9 coming in ~5 weeks for commuting, and want the E-Caliber for the days when everyone is on electric, or like yesterday when I’m spent from a long sunday ride, but would have ridden an ebike for a few hours.

I’ve had an extended demo on a Rail, and a few months with a Domane+ so know the Fazua motor reasonably well, what I haven’t ridden is the Black Pepper software upgrade, which I’m told makes it more zesty, especially if you’re used to one of the higher torque motor brands.

 

[Smittylube]

I love the looks of it. I rode the E C at my LBS. I went in with a rail in mind. What I found was it fit exactly like my current hard tail so I was instantly comfortable, after many trips around I hit some hills, then hopped on the rail and found it to be what I wanted. For me it didn’t have the boost or Cush ride I was looking for at the time.

if it fits what you are looking for I would not hesitate. -10lbs is worthwhile for sure.

 

[04fuxake]

I’d love to try a Fazua bike. The Kinesis Rise would be my kind of thing.

 

[Olof Bike Adventures]

The Rail and the E-Caliber are two entirely different bikes. Enduro vs XC. Although I have ridden the E-Caliber in a downhill bike park it is not recommended.

I really like the Fazua motor, but it should be considered a low powered motor even with the black pepper upgrade. I highly doubt it can deliver the claimed 55 Nm:s. Highest setting gives less power than the Tour setting on a Bosch Gen 2 motor (back-to-back test).

 

[TriciaPug]

Fazua based bikes get no love here, in general. There's the rare question about the eZesty (which I have). Most think the Levo SL invented the lower power light weight market segment. Fazua bikes don't seem to be on many peoples radar.

Plus your bike is still pretty new (and pricey), so not many around, I suppose.

Customising via a PC is a bit of a kludge but the customisation is significant so worth a play with.

I'm not a cross country rider but the E-Caliber is a stunning looking bike.

Gordon

Hi Flash, I've talked to you in another thread.
I'm Philpug's wife.

After your advice, I pulled the drive and batter out of the E-Caliber and started playing with the custom configurations, using Fazua Toolbox
Thank you for your advice!
Yesterday's ride was nearly twice the elevation gain than previous rides and the new configuration seems to have made a solid improvement in my Fazua experience. Much less "drag" on the climbs.

A few notes about this bike.

• Fazua is defnitely a different power supply than other e-bike options, so there is a learning curve.
• Using the custom configuration for power output and expectations is key
• The lightweight design and geometry of this bike is great for the kind of riding I do and I'm already improving on switchbacks.
• Giving up a little power in this e-bike is a fair trade-off for me with the nimbleness I get out of this bike.

Fazua is not what I thought it was going to be but I'm thinking/hoping that they continue to make some improvements.

 

[TriciaPug]

@04fuxake I love your username. I tend to say that on a regular basis.

 

[flash]

Hi Flash, I've talked to you in another thread.
I'm Philpug's wife.

After your advice, I pulled the drive and batter out of the E-Caliber and started playing with the custom configurations, using Fazua Toolbox
Thank you for your advice!
Yesterday's ride was nearly twice the elevation gain than previous rides and the new configuration seems to have made a solid improvement in my Fazua experience. Much less "drag" on the climbs.

A few notes about this bike.

• Fazua is defnitely a different power supply than other e-bike options, so there is a learning curve.
• Using the custom configuration for power output and expectations is key
• The lightweight design and geometry of this bike is great for the kind of riding I do and I'm already improving on switchbacks.
• Giving up a little power in this e-bike is a fair trade-off for me with the nimbleness I get out of this bike.

Fazua is not what I thought it was going to be but I'm thinking/hoping that they continue to make some improvements.

Well..........

Just got the announcement email from Fazua. There's a new firmware to support the new Rider app. Haven't tested it yet but apparently we can now change and save profiles from the app via Bluetooth... I will try and load them later today to see if they work as advertised.

Also new display screens available for Garmin devices...

Gordon

 

[TriciaPug]

Well..........

Just got the announcement email from Fazua. There's a new firmware to support the new Rider app. Haven't tested it yet but apparently we can now change and save profiles from the app via Bluetooth... I will try and load them later today to see if they work as advertised.

Also new display screens available for Garmin devices...

Gordon

I got that email as well and am just now getting time to create a profile and set the app up.
Definitely has more appeal than the Fazua Rider.

 

[TriciaPug]

I have updated the firmware to 2.11 and have customized my ride preferences. Between the new app and this firmware update, this bike is running much smoother now.

FAZUA - Ride 50 Firmware 2.12

fazua.com

 

[TriciaPug]

I have updated the firmware to 2.11 and have customized my ride preferences. Between the new app and this firmware update, this bike is running much smoother now.

FAZUA - Ride 50 Firmware 2.12

fazua.com

Quoting myself out of frustration.
I had one successful ride with the new app, using the new profile settings. Since then I have

• Ridden alone so others didn't have to wait for me to get the app to connect, so I could use the profile that was working for me
• Bailed on a ride because the app wouldn't connect at all and was finicky enough that I was riding under my own power on a climb.

When someone invests the kind of money we do for an e-bike, we shouldn't have to spend a month figuring out the drive system or bailing on rides because the finicky software doesn't work.

When I had my previous e-bike (bosch) I had none of these issues.

Because I work part time at a bike shop (which is a Trek dealer but doesn't have any Fazua experience) I had access to and took the on line courses. They informed me about the bike but were no help about this issue at all.

I have been communicating with Fazua NA and hope to get this resolved, but right now my frustration is coming out. I think I've been patient, but my pantience is running thin.
I have taken the settings suggested by the app and put them into my Fazua Toolbox so I can manually set the bike up and bail on using the apps. When I apply the settings to my bike I get this notice. From their recommended settings for me!!! ARGH!

If someone were to ask me about this bike today, there is no way I'd recommend it.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Hope you get it sorted soon. There's nothing more frustrating than "E"bike problems, especially in this case where they seem like software issues.

Poor Phil ..

 

[flash]

Quoting myself out of frustration.
I had one successful ride with the new app, using the new profile settings. Since then I have

• Ridden alone so others didn't have to wait for me to get the app to connect, so I could use the profile that was working for me
• Bailed on a ride because the app wouldn't connect at all and was finicky enough that I was riding under my own power on a climb.

When someone invests the kind of money we do for an e-bike, we shouldn't have to spend a month figuring out the drive system or bailing on rides because the finicky software doesn't work.

When I had my previous e-bike (bosch) I had none of these issues.

Because I work part time at a bike shop (which is a Trek dealer but doesn't have any Fazua experience) I had access to and took the on line courses. They informed me about the bike but were no help about this issue at all.

I have been communicating with Fazua NA and hope to get this resolved, but right now my frustration is coming out. I think I've been patient, but my pantience is running thin.
I have taken the settings suggested by the app and put them into my Fazua Toolbox so I can manually set the bike up and bail on using the apps. When I apply the settings to my bike I get this notice. From their recommended settings for me!!! ARGH!
View attachment 64513

If someone were to ask me about this bike today, there is no way I'd recommend it.

That warning is just because you're over the nominal max power the motor was designed for. It's like overclocking a computer processor. You can do it but it's for short bursts, preferably. I have my Rocket setting with the same warning. The only issue is short battery life, that I can see. I've done whole rides in Rocket with no issues. Mostly though I use the middle setting at 250 watts and Rocket for a minute here and there.

I only updated the firmware last night, finally, on both bikes and have yet to use the app at all. Does the bike not keep the last settings you sent it? Or does it default to something each time you turn it on? Hopefully when I get my van build finished next week I'll have more time to have a good look at what they've done.

Gordon

 

[TriciaPug]

That warning is just because you're over the nominal max power the motor was designed for. It's like overclocking a computer processor. You can do it but it's for short bursts, preferably. I have my Rocket setting with the same warning. The only issue is short battery life, that I can see. I've done whole rides in Rocket with no issues. Mostly though I use the middle setting at 250 watts and Rocket for a minute here and there.

I only updated the firmware last night, finally, on both bikes and have yet to use the app at all. Does the bike not keep the last settings you sent it? Or does it default to something each time you turn it on? Hopefully when I get my van build finished next week I'll have more time to have a good look at what they've done.

Gordon

It does keep the last setting that you sent it, however, because I'm somewhat new to this drive system and I've been struggling with these drag/drop out moments, I was using the new app via bluetooth to see if some of the profiles in their store were a better fit for me.

After my frustration this morning I used the settings from the app profile to "set it" via the Fazua Basic Toolbox (pictured in my earlier post)
It's currently 97º F (36 C?) here I ony took a short ride with this current set up, which seems like it's going to work out for me.
We shall see.

I guess my bigger frustration is that it has taken me over 3 weeks to sort this out. This system is certainly not plug and play.

 

[TriciaPug]

Update:
I had a lengthy phone conversation with FAZUA NA Customer service last Friday and got a few things sorted out.
What they said is that the 2.11 firmware update had some issues and they are working hard to get a 2.12 update to fix the issues.
Meanwhile, I have some settings that are working for me with only an occasional drag and I know that, until the new firmware update comes out, I need to take my battery out and reset it before each ride because it goes to sleep overnight and won't wake up to recognize the remote without doing so. Evidently this is an issue with the 2.11 firmware.
As for the apps, I've abandoned them for now. IMHO they are useless to me unless or until they fix the firmware.


My experience talking to the customer servivce guys was phenomenal! Now we wait for the fix.

This was fun!

 

[flash]

I have the original battery (x3). I always have to wake up the battery first. Firmware won't fix that for me. Got used to it and it doesn't bother me. I rarely lock the motor in.

Gordon

 

[TriciaPug]

I have the original battery (x3). I always have to wake up the battery first. Firmware won't fix that for me. Got used to it and it doesn't bother me. I rarely lock the motor in.

Gordon

That's kinda where I am.
I get home from the ride, wash the bike, take the battery/drive out, charge it if needed and don't put it back on the bike until I ride it again, which is usually the next morning.

This bike has been so much more enjoyable the past three rides. In part because of how I have it set up and in part because I have shifted my expectations.
I would rather deal with this and have the nimbleness that this bike offers, than switch to a heavier drive system.

 

[TriciaPug]

Update:
Most of my rides (14 total since buying this bike) have been elevation gain of under 1000, most around 800.
Today I took a stab at a ride up Peavine Peak because I can ride from my house. The ride I completed today was 14 miles(22.5 km) and had a little over 1600 ft (488 M) of elevation gain.
I had several pitches where the drive dropped out of power and I ened up walking the final bits of the climb. This is not something someone on an e-bike should expect to do.

The good news is that the other things I like about the bike provided several wins for me today. I went through some terrain and some switch backs that I've struggled with in the past and had the confidence to ride a section of trail that is near a ledge. (I hate heights and ledges)

I took more positives than negatives away from the day, so I'll call it an overall win, but Fazua needs to get this figured out.


I've been in contact with someone from Trek, as well as the two customer service guys from Fazua.

 

[TriciaPug]

Update:
Fazua has offered the opportunity to revert back to the previous firmware 2.04, if they are having issues with 2.11.
I may try this and see if it helps.

If anyone here wants to give it a go, here is the link.

FAZUA - Ride 50 Firmware 2.12

fazua.com

 

[TriciaPug]

I just got home tonight and tried to revert my firmware to 2.04, but the zipfile won't work for Mac users.
Anyone with a PC have luck with this?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Does the application need a zip file or do you have to unzip it and then copy the files to where it wants them ?

Just wondering if either someone local could unzip it for you and put the files on a usb stick or someone remote could up zip it and put the files on a server for you to download unzipped ?

 

[TriciaPug]

Does the application need a zip file or do you have to unzip it and then copy the files to where it wants them ?

Just wondering if either someone local could unzip it for you and put the files on a usb stick or someone remote could up zip it and put the files on a server for you to download unzipped ?

The zipfile opens when you open the Fazua Toolbox in your downloads.
Then it gives you the choice of which firmware you want to use.

I can do a step by step if that doesn't make sense.

 

[TriciaPug]

I just got home tonight and tried to revert my firmware to 2.04, but the zipfile won't work for Mac users.
Anyone with a PC have luck with this?

FWIW, I found out it does work for Mac but I needed to go through the toolbox. Doh!!

 

[Four Flusher]

Boy, I bet that this tread is creating lots of E-Caliber love.

 

[TriciaPug]

Boy, I bet that this tread is creating lots of E-Caliber love.

Well, I still love mine.
The drivepack firmware issues aside, I love the geometry, nimbleness and the way it rides.
And FWIW I found some settigns in the Fazua drive firmware that work for me until they get it fixed for good.
Maybe I'm the odd ball but I'm learning a lot and being patient to see what comes of the firmware.

 

[Four Flusher]

I hope you get your bike sorted. Does Phil have an EMTB also? Steve here, small world, I've run into you all a few times around skiing and Miatas.

 

[Philpug]

I hope you get your bike sorted. Does Phil have an EMTB also? Steve here, small world, I've run into you all a few times around skiing and Miatas.

OK, I'll bite... Steve who?