Reign E bottom bracket height

[Good Times]

Can anyone with a Reign E+ comment as to whether the bottom bracket is an issue? Or more importantly the motor underhang?

Just off a short test ride and that was the only thing making me hesitate. The motor was super quiet, XT drivetrain sensational (Pro 1), I’m close but don’t want to be hitting every large rock on climbs!

 

[Good Times]

I'm taking this silence as a "no comment" and think it's enough of a worry to go back to the Rail idea. Frustrating I can't get a test ride in the bush, just the car park

 

[DrStupid]

I'm taking this silence as a "no comment" and think it's enough of a worry to go back to the Rail idea. Frustrating I can't get a test ride in the bush, just the car park

Check out geometry geeks. It's a 15mm drop, so the same as the trance but comes with shorter cranks. I'm new to mountain biking but havent really had any trouble avoiding strikes. I ride a trance.

 

[Good Times]

Thanks man, yeah the more I look at it the more I figure it's not so much the BB drop or height, but the low-slung and forward motor unit. Combined with the expensive plastic bashguard. And not sure it's relevant, but a few years back I went from a Remedy to a Reign and noticed a lot more pedal strikes - ie the Reign does tend to be notorious for this. Hmmmmmmmm......

 

[DrStupid]

I've been watching the forums for a while, and not seen reports of motor case or bash gaurds damage.

 

[Life's short live it]

I've got a Trance and only times I've hit the motor is crossing large logs and that is more due to misstiming than anything else. Have had a few pedal strikes when climbing, but the Reign has shorter cranks so shoukd be better in this regard.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Thanks man, yeah the more I look at it the more I figure it's not so much the BB drop or height, but the low-slung and forward motor unit. Combined with the expensive plastic bashguard. And not sure it's relevant, but a few years back I went from a Remedy to a Reign and noticed a lot more pedal strikes - ie the Reign does tend to be notorious for this. Hmmmmmmmm......

If you do a search in this forum, you will realise that pedal strikes seem to be a common occurrence all across the board (various brands and models). As a result, lot of eBikers have resorted to shorter crank arms.

Regardless of which eMTB you end up choosing, I think the underlying reason why eMTBs are more prone to pedal strikes is because of the extra weight compared to manual bikes - even if suspension sag is set-up correctly. The heavier eBikes make the suspension movement more compliant - others describe it as more linear. The downside of course is increased risk of pedal strike, but the upside is eMTBs are renowned for being faster/stable on certain downhill sections because the suspension tracks better keeping the frame more steady. So there are trade-offs.

I ride a Trance E+ with 165mm crank arms. Yes, I've had pedal strikes to begin with (not often though). Usually only happens on tight and technical uphill climbs with random rocks and roots with no clear pattern. Won't ever be a problem over smooth and flowy DH bike parks. Before changing to shorter cranks, I decided to see if I can adapt and change my riding style first. I'm more aware of it now, so I got rid of my tendency to hang a lazy dropped foot when coasting (except when cornering where I do drop my outside foot deliberately). I had to form a new habit of keeping my pedals horizontal most times. I watch and read the terrain more closely now too, and when I can see (anticipate) that my pedal will hit something as it swings down, I do a "ratchet" move... so I back pedal a bit, then pedal forward again so that my leading foot will drop after the obstacle has passed. So far so good, so I've decided to stay with the 165 cranks for now.

Proper bash guards designed for bashing are made of metal - eBikes don't have those that I'm aware of. What I've seen under the motors are useful plastic guards to protect the motor casing (and wiring looms) from stones being flicked up by the front wheel. So yeah, not a good idea to slow coast over abrupt obstacles.

 

[Good Times]

Yeah see the Trek does have a metal bashguard, chainring is the lowest part of bike other than wheels, and the Bosch has a nice bit of over-run so if you are ratcheting through things you can keep the power on. I'm still contemplating but the Rail is edging at the moment

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Yeah see the Trek does have a metal bashguard, chainring is the lowest part of bike other than wheels, and the Bosch has a nice bit of over-run so if you are ratcheting through things you can keep the power on. I'm still contemplating but the Rail is edging at the moment

Cool!

With eBikes it's obviously more than just geometry. Motor characteristic plays a big part and some brands suit certain riding styles better.

There's a lot of YouTube vids where various motors are compared against each other. Some are torquey at low cadences, some kick in a tad later at higher cadences, etc. As far as know motor over-run is not a good thing because it can make the bike unpredictable along stop-start tight sections. Some motors kick-in immediately too - some riders like this, some don't.

All the best in your searches!

 

[Good Times]

Yeah thanks man. I’ve never been this critical in my decision making, but it’s also more than double I’ve ever spent on a bike so I don’t want to have any regrets!

 

[Gazareeny]

I’ve a giant trance sx and when it does catch on the bottom I’ve taken it down steep terrain with large steps but only slid on the plastic when Rolling down large steps. It’s just something you have to anticipate and be aware of as the first time you do it wether you’re aware or not can be a bit alarming.

Not ideal though but it’s the one thing I don’t like about the giant. everything else about it ticked the boxes.

I’ve also failed a 12 foot jump to a rock landing twice on the first outing and smashed the underneath of the motor guard too which didn’t do anything but scratch the plastic to my delight. I’m now quite confident about the plastics strength

 

[Mike__]

I have an older reign with 175mm slx cranks and pedal striked many times over the years with zero damage. First ride on the trails on my trance e+1 and twisted a praxis arm. Am yet to twist another but am more conscious nowadays

Re the low bb/ motor height yes noticed this before I purchased the bike. i do lightly scrape it and it’s a hinderence if say stepping over a steep rock with the reduced ‘angle of attack’ if not lifting the rear wheel enough. To Maintain the maestro design with the shape of the motor as it is im not sure what else they could have done.

I ride a mates cube often with the Bosch CX regularly and and i will say.....
The Yamaha unit is a powerhouse low rpm and likes to pull tall gears
The instant engagement as soon as slight weight is applied to the pedals is very advantageous
The battery / charger / range is superior

Most I’ve spent on a bike also. At first I wasn’t sure if I made the right decision but a trip out to the trails was enough to justify the new steed. Paint quality much better on my older reign

Basically the Additional bike weight / Big tyres with low pressure allow the bike to plough through with added stability at the expense of ‘flick-ability’.

Hope this helps a little
Mike

 

[Crawford919]

My 2020 Reign E+1 measures 9.5 inches at it’s lowest point. Our 2019 Trance E+2 is the same measurement. Our 2018 Levo is 10.25 inches at it’s lowest point. All are medium frames. I’ve hit the Levo and Trance very hard on rocks and logs by accident and thought they were demolished only to find minor scuffs. Very surprised how durable they are. As a reference my Specialized Camber 29er is 12.5” from the bottom bracket to the floor but the sprocket hangs down 1.5” lower. The Ebike sprockets aren’t lower than the motor cover and just slide over logs and such. The regular bike if it hits a log or rock, not always but usually does damage to the chain or causes a crash if I’m caught of guard. I guess I’m saying yes the ebikes do drag easier but are more forgiving and more durable in my experience.

 

[Chuggz]

I'm taking this silence as a "no comment" and think it's enough of a worry to go back to the Rail idea. Frustrating I can't get a test ride in the bush, just the car park

They really aren’t that bad
I’ve hit a few things with mine but also used to hit with my reign advanced 0 also