Orange Essential inbound!

[Voodoosix]

One more day till delivery and the wait is killing me .

Just a few questions to those who’ve got theirs already-

Any assembly tips for anything that isn’t as self evident as it should be?
Are the Guide REs holding up well? Never owned SRAM brakes but always hear widely mixed reviews.
How well does the E-Tube app work? App Store reviews report bricked bikes, sounds scary!
Firmware update experiences?
How’s the rage in trail mode? I live in the blue ridge men’s and will be climbing a lot, just wondering how soon I’ll be buying a 2nd battery.

I’m going to be documenting my ownership experience in a YouTube show along with some riding buddies who are total mtb noobs, should be some good fun. I’ll post links if it works out well.

I am lucky to live an area of the USA that is emtb friendly, I can take on any public trail here so I should be able to get some great footage.

One more day to wait for th big brown box, any advice or areas of attention I need to be aware of is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[HeatproofGenie]

I demoed a Meta Power 29 direct from Commencal US here in CO and connected the with the E-tube app (yes read the bad reviews) and it worked just fine. Updated firmware and noticed no difference. Had a few issues with connecting and PIN but just bad coding I think.

Enjoy the bike! I loved the Meta Power I rode. I'm probably going to get one too but holding out for the '19. Also want to demo one more bike (Spec Kenevo) before I decide.

 

[njn]

All of the cables were too long. Needed to shorten them, luckily no need to bleed if done properly.

Codes are working fine. Newer Guides on the DH have been fine.

Etube has been working fine recently, Android 8.1.

 

[Voodoosix]

Ok, bike arrived and aside from the dropper cable everything went together fine. Dropper cable was only partially routed and required motor removal to sort out. Ft rotor was also slightly warped but was easily sorted. Firmware update went fine, just made sure to be in a WiFi area and went fast.

Rode it to work last night and beat my road bike time in trail mode. I have 2 riding buddies at work who are in the market for new bikes, after a quick demo lap around the parking lot Commençal sold another bike to one of them.

Planned upgrades were 2.8 Minions and Zee brakes, but after routing that dropper cable I may just hold off on the brakes and do tires only.

I don’t like the combination brake lever / shifter mount, if I put the brake where it feels right the shifter requires an odd reach and vice versa.

Pretty pleased other wise and can’t wait for Saturday to get it on the trail.

 

[HeatproofGenie]

Nice, but bummer about the dropper cable.

The shifter has two mounting holes so you should be able to shift it in or out. I always have to move my Sram shifters outboard with the matchmaker setups.

 

[Voodoosix]

I do have 2 pieces that don’t know what they are-

One is black block with electrical connectors, cant seem to figure out what it’s for.
The other is Commençal branded piece of L shape rubber looking like bumper or mini chainstay protector.

I’m prob just in brain fart mode and will figure them out later but for now I’ve just put them aside till the lightbulb comes on and I realize “so that’s wat that’s for”.

 

[Kernow]

I do have 2 pieces that don’t know what they are-

One is black block with electrical connectors, cant seem to figure out what it’s for.
The other is Commençal branded piece of L shape rubber looking like bumper or mini chainstay protector.

I’m prob just in brain fart mode and will figure them out later but for now I’ve just put them aside till the lightbulb comes on and I realize “so that’s wat that’s for”.

The rubber is a protector to fit on the inside lower of the seatstay where the chain could slap . No idea why it’s not fitted at the factory . Iam not sure bigger tyres will improve the bike , might be ok in these current dry bumpy conditions , but I think you may regret it when winter comes .
I don’t remember receiving a black block with electrical conectors , but there was lights with mine , perhaps it’s for the lights . I think maybe eu law says a bike must be sold with lights ?

 

[Voodoosix]

Ok got the chainstay protector on, still not sure what the elec block is. One of the plugs is solved as it mates to the output of the charger but still don’t know what 4 prong end is for.

 

[Voodoosix]

Ok, figured out the elec block thingy- it’s an adapter to charge Steps 6000 batteries.

 

[Kernow]

Ok, figured out the elec block thingy- it’s an adapter to charge Steps 6000 batteries.

Ahh yes I forgot that bit , I was also confused by that sorry I didn’t connect the two

 

[Voodoosix]

here she is in all her glory. the maiden trail voyage went fine I’ll have to make a doctors appointment to have the smile removed from my face as it transformed a pretty bland trail into really good time. Ready to move to the big stuff, just wondering how far down the road a spare battery awaits.

 

[Kernow]

here she is in all her glory. the maiden trail voyage went fine I’ll have to make a doctors appointment to have the smile removed from my face as it transformed a pretty bland trail into really good time. Ready to move to the big stuff, just wondering how far down the road a spare battery awaits. View attachment 3759

Iam Afraid after 6 months the smile is still untreatable , it can’t be removed unless you remove the bike , this bike so often amazes me with it ability

 

[Voodoosix]

Okay I took it out and had the grin chiseled into my face....