Orbea Rise - Charging/Cabling Fault Finding

[Rod B.]

Post Article Update: I’ve added some additional information for those encountering electrical issues with their Rise.

The EP8’s wiring system is an enclosed loop system. If there’s a break, i.e. lack of connection or severed wire anywhere in the the wiring system, the bike will not work. As an example, if the wired connection to the power control button disconnects, the bike will fault code and not work. If the rear wheel speed sensor wire disconnects from the motor, the system will fault code and not work. If the range extender cable is not fully plugged into the range extender and frame port, i.e. dirt or debris blocking the connection, bike will not work or stop working while riding.

The same enclosed wiring loop also applies to the computer display or the junction box. The EP8’s motor’s SD300 wire travels up and plugs into the display or junction box. The mode control switch is used to select Boost, Trail, or Eco mode. The mode control switch wire plugs into the junction box or display to form a loop. If either the mode control wire or the SD300 motor control wire disconnects, the bike will fault code and not work.

If your Rise stops working, 99% of the time it will be a loose wire connection. When this occurs, I’ve found the cause to be one of the following, starting with the most common cause:

1) Mode or motor control wire unplugged/loose at the display or junction box. Unplug and re-connect.

2) SD300 motor control wire or SD50 wire unplugged/pulled out of the EW-AD305 adapter, located in a foam pad and tucked inside the down tube where it meets the head tube. Must drop the fork to check connection. Unplug wires and reconnect.

3) The main wiring harness plug is not an air tight sealed unit. It plugs into the internal frame battery. If water enters, and or, moisture builds up in the plug connection port at the battery, power will be lost. Note this will typically occur after a ride and you wash your bike off. The next day you go to ride and the bike won’t power up. To fix, drop motor and disconnect from bike. Turn bike upside down for easier access to the battery connection port. Remove harness plug at battery. Clean out battery wiring harness plug and battery connection port with electrical connection cleaner. Note, I was told specifically that Shimano does not recommend the use of dielectric electrical connection grease on wiring connections.

4) When using a battery range extender. If bike will not power up, or stops mid ride, the reason will be a loose cable connection at the range extender battery or frame charging port. Remove the range extender cable. Ensure connection ports to the battery and charging port are free of debris by blowing out with your breath and or wiping down the cable/ports. Re-insert the cable into the ports insuring that the cable leads are fully clipped into the ports.

Battery Charging:
The charger for the Rise will blink green if the charger is not plugged in OR if the battery is fully charged. The charger will display a red light while charging.

Troubleshooting a Rise which will not power up:
There can be multiple reasons why your bike is not powering up. As an example, the battery is fully charged however, if a wire has come unplugged, your bike will not power up. If you haven't done so, start the trouble shooting process by installing the Shimano eTube app on your phone.

Once the app is installed, try connecting to your bike via Bluetooth. Check for battery level, updates, error codes, etc. I'm attaching several screen shots from my phone which show the eTube app, update section, battery level check and error code log.

Picture # 1: eTube app home screen showing an update is available on my Rise.

Picture # 2: The maintenance section will display battery level.

Picture # 3a: Open the "Maintenance" section and click on error log. If any errors have occurred on your Rise they will be displayed in the error log.

Picture # 3b: The error log on my Rise displays an "E02000" error code. Error code E02000 means "Communication error detected between battery and drive unit." It's a fancy way or saying something has come unplugged on my bike and it will not power up. Note: I'd installed a new dropper post and cable. During the installation process, the wire connector located inside the head tube became unplugged.

#1 #2 #3a #3b

If you are unable to connect to your bike via Bluetooth because your Rise is dead and won't connect, then you'll need to start checking physically connections on your bike. Start with the easy connections first.

1. Check the two wires which plug into both sides of the black box at the front of your bike. Make sure they are both fully pressed into the black box connections. These can be easily unplugged while riding or moving the bike about.

2. If the two wires are fully connected and the bike doesn't power up, drop your fork tube and check the two wires which plug into both sides of the EW-AD305 adapter located inside the headtube. If the adapter connections are secure,

3. Check the on/off power button. The button is a press fit into it's housing and can be removed. Pull the button out of it's housing and check the plastic connector where it plugs into the wiring harness.

4. All connections other connections i.e. speed sensor, motor, battery, etc. require that you drop the motor to gain access to them. If you are not skilled mechanically, take the bike to your dealer and have them troubleshoot the connections and or error code. I'm attaching several drawings below which show various connections.

 

[Rod B.]

Hello everybody, I did some further reading on the Rise wiring charging system and found some additional wiring diagrams which I modified and attached for your review.

My thought is you may stumble upon this thread because you're experiencing a charging or connection problem with your Rise and may not have the resources to take your bike to a shop to get it fixed. The diagrams may help you diagnose and fix the problem yourself.

I've also attached at the end of this message my process for dropping the motor. If you have any questions, send me a message.

Here is a detailed blowup of the Rise charging port wiring and clamp connection to main battery:

If you or any other forum user wishes to drop your Shimano EP8 motor, here is my process. I am not a professional mechanic, I just love to work on bikes. I am 100% sure there are multiple ways to drop the motor. This is my process and it works for me. I'm happy to learn from others if you have a better suggestion. If you have additional questions, send me a message and I'll be happy to help you out.

1) I like to drop the motor only a few inches when I need to access wiring, replace my brake hose, dropper/shift cable housing, etc. I do not disconnect any wires. I lower the motor onto a padded stool which I place several inches beneath the motor. There is enough slack in the wiring to do this. The motor's bottom is slightly uneven. I use a towel placed on the stool as padding to help stabilize the motor and prevent it from rolling off of the stool while I work. The whole process of removing the motor takes me a little less than ten minutes to do.

NOTE: To lower the motor, you must gain access and remove all six of the hex head bolts. Unfortunately, the chainring prevents one of the hex head bolts from being fully removed and it'll hang the motor up. The chainring must be removed in order to completely remove the bolt. It may be possible to remove the bolt without removing the chainring, but my guess is you'll end up damaging the chainring or the black anodized finish on the bolt.

I start by raising my bike up on a bicycle stand. I wrap a strap, black electrical tape, etc., around the rear brake lever and lock the rear brake. The locked rear brake keeps the front chainring from turning when you go to loosen the chainring nut. If you cannot lock your rear brake, i.e. the caliper has been removed, you can use a chain whip tool to hold the chainring while you loosen the nut. I use Park Tool's "LRT-2 Shimano Steps Lockring Socket Tool" to loosen the chainring spindle nut.

2) Remove the drive side crank arm and chain guide. Place your lock ring socket tool on the chainring spindle nut and turn it "Clockwise" to loosen and remove the spindle nut. Note that the shaft is reverse thread and to loosen the nut you must turn the nut clockwise.

3) Pull the derailleur swing arm forward to un-tension the chain. Remove the chain from the chainring. With the chainring nut removed, pull the chainring off the drive spindle with a slight pull. Once the chainring is removed, you now will have access to all six motor mount hex bolts.

4) Jiggle the motor loose and "Slowly" lower the motor down a few inches and onto the stool. Make sure the motor doesn't fall off the stool.

Note: You may sweat a bit during this process. Now's a good time to grab a beer (Non IPA) or cup of coffee, we want you to stay hydrated.

5) There are three aluminum spacers used with the six bolts to mount the motor to the frame. One or more of the spacers may fall out when you remove the motor from the frame. Two of the spacers will have a small machined shoulder with small "O" ring. These two spacers mount inside the frame at the front of the motor. The third spacer is flat on both sides and mounts at the back of the motor, on the non-drive side.

With the motor lowered, you now have access to the wiring, brake hose, cable housing and electrical connections. Inspect the shifter and dropper cable housing for wear. If they look bad, now's the time to replace them. Also check your wiring to make sure none of the insulation has been rubbed off from vibration.

6) If you are replacing the rear brake hose, shifter/dropper cable housing, examine the wiring in the area of the motor after you've installed the new housing/hose. Feel around with your fingers and make sure you have not inadvertently pinched a wire between the frame and housing with the new brake hose or cable housing. Remember, when you go to re-install the motor up into the frame, the motor will compress the cable housing, brake hose and wiring. Make sure they are sorted out so they do not smash each other and cause a pinch point or future area of wear.

7) Note: The angle where the downtube meets at the frame motor mount area is sharp. You want your brake hose where it exits the downtube and makes the bend up into the black rubber hose guide to be snug, but not so snug the brake hose is pulled tight against the upper part of the downtube opening and frame. I like to give the brake hose a finger's width of slack between the downtube opening and top of the frame. The goal is to make sure you don't pinch the brake hose or cable housing where it bends sharply out of the downtube, while also insuring there isn't so much slack that the motor will pinch the hose or housing or wiring when you re-install the motor.

8) Prior to mounting the motor, have your Nm torque wrench, blue thread locker and non-IPA beer handy. Make sure the threads on the motor mounting bolts are clear of bulked up thread locker. If they are, clean them up with an old tooth brush. Make sure the six threaded bolt holes on the motor are also clear of debris.

9) With your fingers, reach up into the frame and make sure the front two motor spacers are pushed all the way into their respective sockets at the front frame motor mounts. Lift the motor up into place by tilting it up slightly at the front and slowly slide it into place. The rear non-drive side aluminum spacer can be fussy to get into place. I've found it much easier to hold it against the motor and slide both the motor and the spacer into position at the same time.

You will have to wiggle the motor a little bit to line up the first few bolts. Use a flashlight to insure the holes are lined up. Apply a small dab of blue thread locker onto each of the six bolts and install. Do not tighten the bolts until all of the bolts have been threaded into place. Torque the bolts to specification as listed in the "Blue Book" Rise owner's manual.

10) With a rag, clean the splined motor spindle. Now is the time to inspect the spindle for cracks. If you are not aware, there is a E13 tech bulletin on spindle cracks developing on some Shimano EP8 motors. Refer to the attached tech article.

https://support.ethirteen.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408312390043-TSB-157-Shimano-EP8-Spindle-Inspection-in-Conjunction-with-e-thirteen-e-spec-Cranks

11) Clean the spines on the chainring. Place a light coating of lubricant on the spindle splines and chainring splines. Slide the chainring all the way onto the drive spindle. Install the chainring lock ring nut and finger tighten "Counter-clockwise". With your lock ring tool, turn the nut counter-clockwise to tighten the lock ring to torque specifications.

12) Re-install your crankarm and chain guide arm. I use blue thread locker on the two chain guide clamp bolts and tighten to torque specifications. I also use a very small amount of blue thread locker on the threaded crank arm fixing cap. Do not overtighten the crank arm fixing cap. It's function is to set crank arm pre-load (Similar to a stem cap) and not to hold the crank arm onto the spindle. If you overtighten the soft aluminum cap, you will end up deforming/scratching the cap the next time you have to remove it. Should you bunghole the crank arm fixing cap, an after market replacement is available on Amazon. I think the replacement is stronger than E13's cap.

13) Install the chain and install. Install the chain guide into position and tighten the two bolts using a dab of blue thread locker.

 

[Rod B.]

Hello, here is additional wiring diagrams obtained from Shimano's EP8 dealer manual. They identify what each connection port on the EP8 motor is. I hope you find these useful in fixing any electrical issues.

1) Shimano generic EP8 wiring diagram for an eBike.

Note: The screw terminals on the side of the EP8 motor are used for auxiliary power use, i.e. lighting. I have not used the auxiliary screw terminals on my Rise for any function, however I wonder if it might be possible to use the negative and positive terminals as a power feed for a GPS Theft Tracker mounted inside the Rise frame.

2) Main power connection port to the motor from the battery

3) E-Tube port connections (EW-SD300 wire) from the various motor controls, i.e. Speed Sensor Switch, Mode Selector Switch, etc.

4) Auxiliary screw port positive and negative wiring connections. Typically used for bicycle lighting power supply.

5) Each manufacturer uses a different wiring system to power their eBikes. Here is the Orbea Rise wiring diagram. The on/off switch (Light Blue wiring) mounted on the lower seat tube controls the main power feed from the battery to the motor. The charge port wiring (Dark Blue) located on the non-drive side of the seat tube provides power to the Rise's battery banks located in the downtube. The main power feed (Green Wire) provides power from the battery to the motor.

 

[Cyclopath1000]

My buddy just showed up at the RV park in Clarkdale,AZ with his brand new rise. It booted up for a few rides around the pavement and then when we were actually going for a ride it wouldn't boot up. After reading your excellent writeup I wonder how I get to the connection just inside the what you describe as the head tube. You say to drop the fork?? Isn't that wire connect in part of the top tube ?? Is it really easier to get to it by removing the fork?? Please advise. I'm going to check that connection and the connection behind the on off button and if both are intact then I'm sending them down to Anthony at the official orbea shop in Tempe during the week. Judging from my own ebike commencal meta power with e8000 I should be able to deal with it. I can drop the motor but frankly I thing at that point seeing it's brand new better to let orbea take if from there if the two items you point out as most likely are intact. My money is on the wire into the top tube.

 

[Rod B.]

My buddy just showed up at the RV park in Clarkdale,AZ with his brand new rise. It booted up for a few rides around the pavement and then when we were actually going for a ride it wouldn't boot up. After reading your excellent writeup I wonder how I get to the connection just inside the what you describe as the head tube. You say to drop the fork?? Isn't that wire connect in part of the top tube ?? Is it really easier to get to it by removing the fork?? Please advise. I'm going to check that connection and the connection behind the on off button and if both are intact then I'm sending them down to Anthony at the official orbea shop in Tempe during the week. Judging from my own ebike commencal meta power with e8000 I should be able to deal with it. I can drop the motor but frankly I thing at that point seeing it's brand new better to let orbea take if from there if the two items you point out as most likely are intact. My money is on the wire into the top tube.

I’m sorry for the late reply, I’m down in Baja Mexico riding and cell service is spotty.

Yes, just drop the fork out of the head tube and pull the wire bundle up from the down tube. It should only be tucked into the down tube a few inches and wrapped in a foam pad. Make sure the wires are fully seated into both sides of the junction.

Before doing that, I would make sure the wires going into the black junction box located on the front of the bike are fully seated. They can easily get pulled out slightly and will cause your intermittent problem.

Please let me know how you make out.

 

[Cyclopath1000]

We are camping. I contemplated taking one of 2 portable work stands but didn't. So it seemed like a totally bad idea to pull that brand new fork off without being firmly on a stand so we called Anthony the mechanic at the authorized orbea dealer 2 hours south in Tempe, AZ . Lol and behold he has actually had to drop the motor on another rise to replace the faulty speed sensor so he knew all about it. Neal is going to drive down Tuesday and drop it off. As you so elequently described, you gotta take the bike apart to trouble shoot it. It's brand new ,this so sounds like an orbea assembly issue. So now they will have another chance to assemble it. One thing is for sure, I will need to see just how well Neals 38 lber holds up. I know my 2018 meta power 27.5+ is a mere 20 lbs heavier, it's got 4k miles with a few engine drops. I need to see how successful this Shimano motor with non OEM Shimano battery/ports etc etc before I get on this bandwagon. I need to see this marriage successful.

 

[Cyclopath1000]

Just to add, the way the battery mounts allows the battery to become a structural part of the bike. It's case can incorporate structural engineering to become part of the design. Whereas a Shimano battery is not structural. This does sound like a method to get the overall weight of the bike way down.

 

[Rod B.]

Just to add, the way the battery mounts allows the battery to become a structural part of the bike. It's case can incorporate structural engineering to become part of the design. Whereas a Shimano battery is not structural. This does sound like a method to get the overall weight of the bike way down.

Last week I was at the Hurricane Bike Festival with my buddies. We were talking about doing an Arizona ride. I've ridden Sedona in the past on my pedal bike, but since my accident I haven't been back. I would love to do so. I know Sedona is anti eBike, but I was thinking Prescott or Clarksdale would be nice. I've ridden Cottonwood, I think it was the Rusty Bucket trail?? I'd like to ride Arizona again.

I purchased my Rise in September and I now have about 1,700 miles on the bike. My bike has been ridden extremely hard on everything from red to double black trails. I've not had any issues with the bike or Shimano EP8 motor. In truth, the motor and electronics have worked out really well and everything is running very smooth. The only time I've had issues with the bike is when I do jackass things and cause the bike to fault code. It's been quite the learning curve going from a pedal bike to an eBike. I'm hoping the bike shop sorts your buddy's Rise out. I think you made the right call on taking it to the shop. Dropping the motor and accessing the motor's wire ports is not something you wanna do in the heat and dust....maybe with a beer.

Let your buddy know the Rise gets exceptionally better with a few modifications. I think the Rise suffers from a low bottom bracket height. On flow trails it's not an issue, however when you get into heavy chunk like rocky step ups or flat rock gardens which require pedaling, the bike will pedal strike badly. I solved this by swapping out the M20's Fox 34, 140mm for a Fox 36, 160mm. I also shortened the crank arms from 170mm to 165mm. I also modified the Fox 36 airshaft by adding a Vorsrpung Luftkappe. This was a really nice modification. It made the first 30% of travel very coil like and plush on brake holes and small trail bumps, while also allowing me to increase air pressure so that the remaining 70% is stiffer to handle the bike's weight and larger drops and rock gardens. I replaced the rear DPS shock with a Fox Float X. I really like this shock. The Float X with it's larger piston handles the weight of a heavier rider much better and doesn't require bumping up the air pressure to the limit. I'd thought about going to a coil rear, however I want to keep the weight down as much as possible so that I can lift the bike up and into my truck bed where I tie strap it down. Lastly, I went to Nobl TR37 wheels with I9 Hydra hubs. The company allowed me to have the front wheel laced with lighter Sapim D-Light spokes and the rear with heavier Sapim Race spokes. With the weight of the battery in the downtube, I try to keep the front on the front as light as possible so I can get the wheel up on step ups. The heavier gauge rear spokes prevent the rear wheel from winding up in boost mode and breaking spokes. My bike weighs a few ounces over 40 pounds and it's a very solid bike.

Baja Norte Mexico singletrack

 

[Cyclopath1000]

All good to know. We will post re his trip down to Tempe for dealer service.

 

[Cyclopath1000]

It's gets better!!! We drive 2 hours down to Tempe and bring the bike into the shop and drop off for a while. On returning mechanic says bike powered up normally. He checked the connection to the downtube by the headset and it was intact. Also upgraded the firmware.

Here is my thoughts on this here today gone tomorrow power up insanity:
Neal plugged in the charger and tried to boot it up on charge. My guess is that violated some circuitry logic and the unit temporarily bricked itself and overnight somehow unbricked itself. My guess is that don't ever attempt to power up if plugged in.

The mechanic didn't take anything else apart so there remains the possibility of some other connection is partial but that really requires taking the bike apart. If it again bricks I will post here. Definately holding off on getting one of these until it's reliability is assured.

 

[Rod B.]

Who doesn't love a road trip....I hope there was a beer and lunch provided by Neal at the end of that rainbow. If your buddy hasn't done so, have him check out the Rise "Blue Paper", it's the bike's owner's manual. I've attached a link below. Unlike most bike manuals, Orbea actually does a good job of providing a lot of useful information such as charging the battery, i.e. the Rise won't turn on if plugged in and charging, or the maximum charging time for the Rise is five hours (Use a timer to automatically shut off the charge at five hours) etc. I didn't read the manual and did all kinds of Rise mayhem before I decided to read the instructions.

As a side note, let Neal know to be really careful when updating his Rise. To do an update, make sure the bike is off. Adjust the settings on his cell phone so that the phone will stay on indefinitely and will not go to sleep mid update. Turn on the Shimano e-Tube app. Turn on the bike. When the e-Tube app has synced with the Rise, initiate the update. Lastly, sit next to the bike and do not carry the phone out of range of the Rise's Bluetooth (Only a few feet). He can switch the phone's settings back to normal after the e-Tube app states the update has been successfully completed. If the update is disconnected for any reason before it has been fully completed, it will brick the bike and he will have to take it into the bike shop to be unbricked. On a positive note, this would mean another two hour drive to Tempe and possibly a free beer and lunch, so there's always that.....

How are the trails in your neck of the woods?

https://www.orbea.com/downloads/products/RISE_2021_BLUEPAPER_EN-ES-FR-DE-ITa.pdf

This Amazon timer works well.

 

[Cyclopath1000]

All good to know. I forwarded it all to him...riding my neck of the woods???:
Well Sedona is just up the road. E bikes not particularly welcome. As in a no ebike sign at many trailheads. I also brought a regular bike. But .......
The trails are classic southwest red rock sandstone with the grey stuff ( harder non sandstone Rock) at lower elevation. Amazing trails. We come here twice a a year for a month or more. Rides also out my back door. If I don't want to drive up 20 miles.

 

[Plutohora]

Battery Charging:
The charger for the Rise will blink green if the charger is not plugged in OR if the battery is fully charged. The charger will display a red light while charging.

View attachment 78594 View attachment 78595

Troubleshooting a Rise which will not power up:
There can be multiple reasons why your bike is not powering up. As an example, the battery is fully charged however, if a wire has come unplugged, your bike will not power up. If you haven't done so, start the trouble shooting process by installing the Shimano eTube app on your phone.

View attachment 78601

Once the app is installed, try connecting to your bike via Bluetooth. Check for battery level, updates, error codes, etc. I'm attaching several screen shots from my phone which show the eTube app, update section, battery level check and error code log.

Picture # 1: eTube app home screen showing an update is available on my Rise.

Picture # 2: The maintenance section will display battery level.

Picture # 3a: Open the "Maintenance" section and click on error log. If any errors have occurred on your Rise they will be displayed in the error log.

Picture # 3b: The error log on my Rise displays an "E02000" error code. Error code E02000 means "Communication error detected between battery and drive unit." It's a fancy way or saying something has come unplugged on my bike and it will not power up. Note: I'd installed a new dropper post and cable. During the installation process, the wire connector located inside the head tube became unplugged.

#1 #2 #3a #3b
View attachment 78596 View attachment 78597 View attachment 78598 View attachment 78599

If you are unable to connect to your bike via Bluetooth because your Rise is dead and won't connect, then you'll need to start checking physically connections on your bike. Start with the easy connections first.

1. Check the two wires which plug into both sides of the black box at the front of your bike. Make sure they are both fully pressed into the black box connections. These can be easily unplugged while riding or moving the bike about.

2. If the two wires are fully connected and the bike doesn't power up, drop your fork tube and check the two wires which plug into both sides of the EW-AD305 adapter located inside the headtube. If the adapter connections are secure,

3. Check the on/off power button. The button is a press fit into it's housing and can be removed. Pull the button out of it's housing and check the plastic connector where it plugs into the wiring harness.

4. All connections other connections i.e. speed sensor, motor, battery, etc. require that you drop the motor to gain access to them. If you are not skilled mechanically, take the bike to your dealer and have them troubleshoot the connections and or error code. I'm attaching several drawings below which show various connections.

View attachment 78600

View attachment 78602

My charging light is constant blue on the charger is this right

 

[Rod B.]

My charging light is constant blue on the charger is this right

Plutohora,

The Orbea Rise Carbon and the Orbea Rise Hydro have two different charging systems with differing colored lights to signify charging status. The two charging system are not compatible. In other words, you must use the Rise Hydro charger to charge a Hydro model and a Rise Carbon charger to charge a Rise Carbon.

The Rise Carbon will show a red light when charging and switch to green when fully charged. If the Rise Carbon charger blinks red, then the charging system has detected a system fault, i.e. charging plug not fully connected or a loose wiring connection on the bike and it will not charge the bike.

The Rise Hydro charging system will show a blinking blue light when the charger is turned on but not plugged into the bike. Once the charger has been plugged into the charging port, the blue light will pulse by fading in and out as it charges the battery. When the frame battery or range extender has been fully charged, the blue light will become a solid blue light. If the Rise Hydro charger shows a solid red light, then the charging system has detected a system fault, i.e. charging plug not fully connected or a loose wiring connection on the bike and it will not charge the bike.

I've attached diagrams from the Rise Hydro Blue Paper which goes into detail regarding the charging process.

I hope this helps you,

Rod

RISE HYDRO 2022 BLUE PAPER EN-ES-FR-DE-IT

BLUE PAPER RISE HYDRO 2022 EN-ES-FR-DE-IT

www.orbea.com

 

[Cyclopath1000]

Mickey Mouse is designing e bikes ?

 

[Jdz]

Last week I was at the Hurricane Bike Festival with my buddies. We were talking about doing an Arizona ride. I've ridden Sedona in the past on my pedal bike, but since my accident I haven't been back. I would love to do so. I know Sedona is anti eBike, but I was thinking Prescott or Clarksdale would be nice. I've ridden Cottonwood, I think it was the Rusty Bucket trail?? I'd like to ride Arizona again.

I purchased my Rise in September and I now have about 1,700 miles on the bike. My bike has been ridden extremely hard on everything from red to double black trails. I've not had any issues with the bike or Shimano EP8 motor. In truth, the motor and electronics have worked out really well and everything is running very smooth. The only time I've had issues with the bike is when I do jackass things and cause the bike to fault code. It's been quite the learning curve going from a pedal bike to an eBike. I'm hoping the bike shop sorts your buddy's Rise out. I think you made the right call on taking it to the shop. Dropping the motor and accessing the motor's wire ports is not something you wanna do in the heat and dust....maybe with a beer.

Let your buddy know the Rise gets exceptionally better with a few modifications. I think the Rise suffers from a low bottom bracket height. On flow trails it's not an issue, however when you get into heavy chunk like rocky step ups or flat rock gardens which require pedaling, the bike will pedal strike badly. I solved this by swapping out the M20's Fox 34, 140mm for a Fox 36, 160mm. I also shortened the crank arms from 170mm to 165mm. I also modified the Fox 36 airshaft by adding a Vorsrpung Luftkappe. This was a really nice modification. It made the first 30% of travel very coil like and plush on brake holes and small trail bumps, while also allowing me to increase air pressure so that the remaining 70% is stiffer to handle the bike's weight and larger drops and rock gardens. I replaced the rear DPS shock with a Fox Float X. I really like this shock. The Float X with it's larger piston handles the weight of a heavier rider much better and doesn't require bumping up the air pressure to the limit. I'd thought about going to a coil rear, however I want to keep the weight down as much as possible so that I can lift the bike up and into my truck bed where I tie strap it down. Lastly, I went to Nobl TR37 wheels with I9 Hydra hubs. The company allowed me to have the front wheel laced with lighter Sapim D-Light spokes and the rear with heavier Sapim Race spokes. With the weight of the battery in the downtube, I try to keep the front on the front as light as possible so I can get the wheel up on step ups. The heavier gauge rear spokes prevent the rear wheel from winding up in boost mode and breaking spokes. My bike weighs a few ounces over 40 pounds and it's a very solid bike.

Baja Norte Mexico singletrack

Rod B how is the riding in Baja? You were talking about riding in AZ, we have some great trails in Lake Havasu ebike friendly.

 

[Rod B.]

Rod B how is the riding in Baja? You were talking about riding in AZ, we have some great trails in Lake Havasu ebike friendly.

Jdz,

The riding in Baja is actually good. I have a home near Puerto Nuevo (About halfway between Rosarito and Ensenada). I take my bike down there when I visit the place and like to ride some single track along the shoreline there. I know there are plenty of other trails in the hills above my Baja home however, I‘ve never ridden any of them. Ever since the cartel began cutting off heads and blowing people up, I can’t get anybody to go down there with me. The place is just way too rugged and remote to be riding in the backcountry alone, nobody would ever find you if you got hurt.

Your ears must be burning…My buddy has a vacation house In Lake Havasu. I’ve never ridden there. He’s been trying for a long time to get me to visit the place and ride. We were talking about a Havasu trip this morning. On our bike trips we always seem to gravitate towards the Las Vegas area or Hurricane/Saint George Utah. He told me the riding in Havasu is very good and the scenery is beautiful. I’ll likely be riding there in the next month or so before it gets too hot. If you would like, I can shoot you a message when I go there and let’s do a ride together.

Cheers,
Rod

 

[Jdz]

Jdz,

The riding in Baja is actually good. I have a home near Puerto Nuevo (About halfway between Rosarito and Ensenada). I take my bike down there when I visit the place and like to ride some single track along the shoreline there. I know there are plenty of other trails in the hills above my Baja home however, I‘ve never ridden any of them. Ever since the cartel began cutting off heads and blowing people up, I can’t get anybody to go down there with me. The place is just way too rugged and remote to be riding in the backcountry alone, nobody would ever find you if you got hurt.

Your ears must be burning…My buddy has a vacation house In Lake Havasu. I’ve never ridden there. He’s been trying for a long time to get me to visit the place and ride. We were talking about a Havasu trip this morning. On our bike trips we always seem to gravitate towards the Las Vegas area or Hurricane/Saint George Utah. He told me the riding in Havasu is very good and the scenery is beautiful. I’ll likely be riding there in the next month or so before it gets too hot. If you would like, I can shoot you a message when I go there and let’s do a ride together.

Cheers,
Rod

Yeah definitely shoot me a message and I’ll ride with. And will extract more info about Baja then also.