Some random thoughts from my first week riding my CEF 50...
I had a nice ride on of my favorite trails this week (North Shore near the Dallas area for those familiar). I was quite pleased with the bike. The geo felt really comfortable and natural (I'm 6' tall on a size Large). Suspension felt capable and reasonably supple, but I still have tuning to do. The cables rattled more than I'd like on chunky descents. I plan to tear it down completely to fully sleeve all of the cables with foam from Jagwire. I can't stand a noisy bike!
I did almost 11.4 miles with about 800' of elevation, so not a particularly "big" ride. I was happy to still have 78% battery left, given my weight of about 235 lbs. I rode in Sport mode (3/5) pretty much the whole time and tried to maintain the same cadence as when I ride my Amish bike. It felt very natural overall. It actually made riding fun for me again! Instead of constant frustration from my lack of fitness, I had enough energy to do little jumps and drops that I otherwise might've avoided due to exhaustion. That alone makes an e-bike totally worth it!
Thank you all for the suggestions on the speed senor. I didn't realize it could be rotated! I also installed the Magura magnet to the rotors and it's such a nice and clean install! Pic of the magnet attached.
I also installed some eThirteen 155mm cranks that are designed for Bosch motors. They fit fine, but the aesthetic cover doesn't mate up well (I'll share a picture when I get back home). I opted for the wider Q factor because the stock cranks felt too narrow to me. And eThirteen has a 30% sale on right now! I also tried one of their splined chainrings, but sadly the spline diameter was too small and wouldn't fit.
I am running a 200mm Fox dropper post, but it's at the very max limit of fitting. Internally, it can easily hit the charge port and pop it loose if it's too low. The dropper needs to be raised about 3/4" from fully inserted in order to fit properly.
I'm running SRAM Transmission (GX) and it worked like a dream! Never missed a shift, even under some power. The Lewis LH4 brakes with 203mm Magura rotors (2.3mm THK) gave ample power with great modulation and I was really happy with the combo. I also replaced the original chainring with one from SRAM to ensure it would work with the flattop chain. I kept the 32t size and I think it's the right size for how I like to ride.
Current tires are 29" Maxxis with a 2.5" Assegai and 2.4" Dissector, but I really want to try the new Schwalbe radials once I find what I want in stock. I also have a set of 27.5x2.8 tires (DHF/Rekon) on some wide 45mm rims I'd like to try for a new experience! That'll also be my winter setup if/when it snows here in Texas.
I've loved riding the bike this week. It honestly had me wondering if I will have a need to keep my Yeti SB140. Time will tell...
I had a nice ride on of my favorite trails this week (North Shore near the Dallas area for those familiar). I was quite pleased with the bike. The geo felt really comfortable and natural (I'm 6' tall on a size Large). Suspension felt capable and reasonably supple, but I still have tuning to do. The cables rattled more than I'd like on chunky descents. I plan to tear it down completely to fully sleeve all of the cables with foam from Jagwire. I can't stand a noisy bike!
I did almost 11.4 miles with about 800' of elevation, so not a particularly "big" ride. I was happy to still have 78% battery left, given my weight of about 235 lbs. I rode in Sport mode (3/5) pretty much the whole time and tried to maintain the same cadence as when I ride my Amish bike. It felt very natural overall. It actually made riding fun for me again! Instead of constant frustration from my lack of fitness, I had enough energy to do little jumps and drops that I otherwise might've avoided due to exhaustion. That alone makes an e-bike totally worth it!
Thank you all for the suggestions on the speed senor. I didn't realize it could be rotated! I also installed the Magura magnet to the rotors and it's such a nice and clean install! Pic of the magnet attached.
I also installed some eThirteen 155mm cranks that are designed for Bosch motors. They fit fine, but the aesthetic cover doesn't mate up well (I'll share a picture when I get back home). I opted for the wider Q factor because the stock cranks felt too narrow to me. And eThirteen has a 30% sale on right now! I also tried one of their splined chainrings, but sadly the spline diameter was too small and wouldn't fit.
I am running a 200mm Fox dropper post, but it's at the very max limit of fitting. Internally, it can easily hit the charge port and pop it loose if it's too low. The dropper needs to be raised about 3/4" from fully inserted in order to fit properly.
I'm running SRAM Transmission (GX) and it worked like a dream! Never missed a shift, even under some power. The Lewis LH4 brakes with 203mm Magura rotors (2.3mm THK) gave ample power with great modulation and I was really happy with the combo. I also replaced the original chainring with one from SRAM to ensure it would work with the flattop chain. I kept the 32t size and I think it's the right size for how I like to ride.
Current tires are 29" Maxxis with a 2.5" Assegai and 2.4" Dissector, but I really want to try the new Schwalbe radials once I find what I want in stock. I also have a set of 27.5x2.8 tires (DHF/Rekon) on some wide 45mm rims I'd like to try for a new experience! That'll also be my winter setup if/when it snows here in Texas.
I've loved riding the bike this week. It honestly had me wondering if I will have a need to keep my Yeti SB140.
Time will tell...
