My Bafang Ultra Mountain Bike! Frey AM1000


Is there a lights connector with permanent power, since the new EU regulation 168/2013 (type approval ) requires permanent light? And, is there a way to connect/implement "a brake light that lights up as soon as you start braking”?
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Isn`t that for motorcycles not ebikes??
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Yes, the EU168/2013 consideres ebikes to be "light" motorcycles :(
 
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Anybody else had problems with the battery connectors? Really annoying when you get going and voltage drops under 40,gently slap on side of the battery and voltage goes back to 50. I've already changed both the connectors once and really don't want to do that again. Never had this problem with good old xt60's in BBSHD, this just drives me crazy.

Any good ideas how to keep the battery in place, rarely remove the battery so more difficult approach don't matter to me.
 
DaninSpain said:
Can anyone offer any help / advice? A step by step would be really nice, or if anyone knows of a YouTube video for changing pads on the MT5, which incidentally is different to the MT7, can you post the link.

Sorry for being such a dumb-ass re bike maintenance :(

It's not rocket science luckily so even i manage to do it :D
Take the wheel off. Take a look at the calibers, press them full open so maximum space is available. The pads are connected by magnets so just press first one side and slide the pad down. Then another one with same method. I also tried to find video about it but couldn't find so had to just try. But it's really easy and quick job.
 
nataS@phnet.fi said:
DaninSpain said:
Can anyone offer any help / advice? A step by step would be really nice, or if anyone knows of a YouTube video for changing pads on the MT5, which incidentally is different to the MT7, can you post the link.

Sorry for being such a dumb-ass re bike maintenance :(

It's not rocket science luckily so even i manage to do it :D
Take the wheel off. Take a look at the calibers, press them full open so maximum space is available. The pads are connected by magnets so just press first one side and slide the pad down. Then another one with same method. I also tried to find video about it but couldn't find so had to just try. But it's really easy and quick job.

Thanks NataS :D
As it happens, I did exactly that earlier today and worked it out as I went along.
I removed the pads, cleaned with degreaser heated the up with a blowtorch to burn off the oil, then sanded them down repeated the whole thing. Took off the disk, soaked it petrol and gave it a good old scrub then refitted everything, looked down and found a washer :shock:
I couldn't work out from which side it came so I tried both and decided on the disk side.
The brakes were binding a bit, so I loosened the whole brake unit, applied the brake then tightened it. Hey presto no more binding (I'm sure all the experienced bikers are pissing themselves laughing at the newbie :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol: )
Tried it out and all back to normal.
It's actually not as complicated as I thought this bike maintenance :D :lol:
 
icehunter said:
We might finally be getting somewhere with the internal gear transmission NuVinci N380x announced last year. They changed the name to Enviolo see http://www.enviolo.com/en/groupsets/sportive

They have a representative in China :) Fallbrook Trading Company, China (Shanghai) Asia, xzheng@fallbrooktech.com +86 21 51880352

Isn't enviolo a groupset for rear hub motor? I know only about Continental implementing their stepless automatic shift gearbox on the same enclosure of the mid motor: http://www.continental-bicycle-systems.com/en-gl/Ebikes/eBike/48V-eBike-System/48V-Drive-Units
 
nataS@phnet.fi said:
Anybody else had problems with the battery connectors?

The connectors used by Reention do look cheap. Overall the battery retaining system is not great. Still a step up from bottle rivnut ones but far from bosch/yam/... models. Anyways most of China-designed e-bike battery cases are meh...

I've started browsing industrial connectors from the usual suspects (Amphenol, Souriau, TE, ...) to get suitable quick-disconnect replacements. Something with self alignment, spring loaded contacts maybe ? Higher amps & reliability can be obtained for sure if we drop the OEM.

You mention replacing the connectors, can I ask where did you get the spares ones ? Frey or you found the matching OEM P/N ?

For what it's worth I should mention the male connector on my frame had it's locknut loose from the factory and was able to rotate. It's not supposed to be able to as there is a retaining tab on the plastic holder below. Tightening the locknut and applying a drop of loctite fixed that. Battery side should be examined too to be safe.

I will also switch the andersons on the motor pigtail in favor of XT90
 
Is it me or does anyone notice a lot of rattling of the battery when riding off road? Mine is really noisy clunking back and forth. I have a spare battery tried it too with just as much noise.

So must be design flaw?

Cheers,
DDF
 
Mine is not rattling so badly, it's just wiggling for couple of millimeters so the contact gets loose. 3M foam tape under battery helped a lot and couple hundred kilometers went without much trouble, then the tape smoothed under the battery and here we go again.

I got the new connectors straight from Frey, now I'm wondering if i could somehow extend the cables from both battery and bike and put decent xt60's on behalf of old ones. If they stick out a bit, so what. I need reliability, not beauty 😀
 
I am not satisfied with the battery holder. The upper attachment to the bike had loosened. The battery has extremely vibrated and made noise. Did the screws with Locktide attached but the upper bracket is now 3-4 mm higher than before?!? And now the battery in the lower bracket is no longer correct and makes noises.
 
Drop Dead Fred said:
Is it me or does anyone notice a lot of rattling of the battery when riding off road? Mine is really noisy clunking back and forth. I have a spare battery tried it too with just as much noise.

So must be design flaw?

Cheers,
DDF

Consider adding some 3M 2228 electrical sealing tape - very flexible/durable, or use thin rubber or foam to fill gaps and prevent vibration.
 
... And consider doing it fast! Just lost another connector, all busted up from battery because loose connection. So i won't be driving again this summer cause the place where i get my electric stuff repaired is closed for whole summer (school) :evil:

Pretty pissed off right now, my only way of transport frocked up again, last winter went same way.
 
About battery holder issue you mentioned, I think that's because this is really a big and heavy battery, and we think the battery holder design is not strong enough and perfect.
What we are doing try to make it more stable as following:
We found the lock core is not long enough to hold the battery. the original one is in golden, we customize a longer one to use now.
IMG_20180608_122249.jpg

And there is some slight gap between battery and the holder, we put one 2 piece of 3M gel to make it holder better and no move. it will be more stable then.
IMG_20180608_122240.jpg

If anyone need some help or support from us, please feel free ask.
 
FREYebikes said:
About battery holder issue you mentioned, I think that's because this is really a big and heavy battery, and we think the battery holder design is not strong enough and perfect.
What we are doing try to make it more stable as following:
We found the lock core is not long enough to hold the battery. the original one is in golden, we customize a longer one to use now.

And there is some slight gap between battery and the holder, we put one 2 piece of 3M gel to make it holder better and no move. it will be more stable then.

If anyone need some help or support from us, please feel free ask.

So does that mean I get this updates also my upcoming bike what I already ordered? (You told for me that my bike should be ready to post about as of mid-June) That updates looks goods :) !
 
Brake light:
18650 said:
...is there a way to connect/implement "a brake light that lights up as soon as you start braking”?

@ FreyEbikes,
does the AM1000 feature the Magura MT5 brakes, or the MT5e? Since the AM1000 switches off power during braking, it should be MT5e, and this - according to Magura - has a brake light switch, i.e. it should be possible to connect a brake light as required by the EU 168/2013?
 
Does anyone know a way to put on a strong, stable rear rack on a bike like this?

I'm very into "bikepacking" and I currently own a RadRover, upon which I've had a very easy time sticking baskets, panniers, etc. My RR's been a great starter into ebiking, but I want to be able to do more serious mountain biking, so I'm looking at Freys. Still, I REALLY want to be able to take cargo.

I know there's the Thule pack and pedal, but it's kind of weak and minimal.

Anyone have experience with getting a strong rack system on a bike like this?
 
Ender2000 said:
Does anyone know a way to put on a strong, stable rear rack on a bike like this?

got a thule for my am1000 but as you said it's flimsy and the rectangular profile of the rear suspension doesn't help.

One of the good options would be thru axle mounted racks like the one from old man mountain, however their website is s*** and you'd have to email them to get a suitable model. And it aint cheap at all.
 
Ivanovitch_k said:
Ender2000 said:
Does anyone know a way to put on a strong, stable rear rack on a bike like this?

got a thule for my am1000 but as you said it's flimsy and the rectangular profile of the rear suspension doesn't help.

One of the good options would be thru axle mounted racks like the one from old man mountain, however their website is s*** and you'd have to email them to get a suitable model. And it aint cheap at all.

Thanks. I didn't actually know that through-axel mounting was a thing. I think that solves the problem. I might try my axiom fatliner I got for another bike from amazon for about $50 before trying old-man-mountain, but it's good to know my options.
 
Frey,

Headset bearing races were installed dry. No grease. This is bad practice. They will be very hard / impossible to remove once corroded.

Also, the head tube was not faced, nor reamed --> dimensional tolerances are all over the place.

Upper tube inner diameter varies 43.5 to 44.5mm. This is a lot. Way too much in fact !
That means the bearing cups gets ovalized when pressed in --> bearing will fail early and are hard to install and remove.

This is confirmed by the OEM Neco cup, eg the upper one is 43.95 to 44.26mm OD.

A good quality cup will have almost no deviation (eg a Canecreek is 44.06 to 44.09 OD)

Pressing in the cane creek cups [strike]will be[/strike] edit: is impossible until reaming is done :roll:

Many headset cups are held in place by a “press fit”. The headset cup has a slightly larger diameter than the head tube inside diameter. Generally, differences of 0.1-0.25mm are considered adequate for a press fit. If the pressed cup is more than 0.3mm larger than the frame inside diameter, it may be very difficult to install, and frame damage may result.


edit: more measurements

frame headtube ZS44 end: 44.0 mm +/- 0.5, shorter near weld area
cane creek cup: 44.07 mm +0.02 -0.01
neco cup: 43,95 - 44.26

frame headtube ZS56 end: 56.0 mm +/- 0.5, shorter near weld area
cane creek cup: 56.05mm +/- 0.01
neco cup: 56,05 - 56,25
 
Some more remarks about the frame (might not be the last, i'm reviewing every single mm of the frame before doing the final assembly).

Rear disc mounting posts: Not faced. Heavy paint globs on them. Not good as it renders the caliper / disc alignment hard to achieve resulting in sub optimal braking power, uneven brake pad wear & potential disc rub.




The lower downtube cable exit port has sharp edges. EDIT: Dropper post exit too, but less pronounced. This will damage cables in the long run. It might also be a safety issue has you've got the rear brake line exiting here. The cable entry port at the upper end of the tube has a rubber grommet which is good pratice. It'd good to either change this down port to have a grommet or to smooth the sharp edge before it's welded in.



On a side note, It might seem that I ask too much of a Chinese frame manufacturer but Frey seems receptive and willing to improve their products, which is great. We might as well point out all the flaws to them. Plus they are almost charging EU/US prices on the frame so it's not un-reasonable to expect quality to be on par.
 
FREYebikes said:
And there is some slight gap between battery and the holder, we put one 2 piece of 3M gel to make it holder better and no move. it will be more stable then.

this is a good idea, but it's only a temporary fix. The gel will get compressed over time and at some point the issues will come back.
 
Ivanovitch_k said:
Some more remarks about the frame (might not be the last, i'm reviewing every single mm of the frame before doing the final assembly).

Rear disc mounting posts: Not faced. Heavy paint globs on them. Not good as it renders the caliper / disc alignment hard to achieve resulting in sub optimal braking power, uneven brake pad wear & potential disc rub.




The lower downtube cable exit port has sharp edges. This will damage cables in the long run. It might also be a safety issue has you've got the rear brake line exiting here. The cable entry port at the upper end of the tube has a rubber grommet which is good pratice. It'd good to either change this down port to have a grommet or to smooth the sharp edge before it's welded in.



On a side note, It might seem that I ask too much of a Chinese frame manufacturer but Frey seems receptive and willing to improve their products, which is great. We might as well point out all the flaws to them. Plus they are almost charging EU/US prices on the frame so it's not un-reasonable to expect quality to be on par.

Appreciate your comments and hope Frey pays attention. The sharp edges bother me - that's an obvious failure path that might take 30 seconds with a grinder to rectify.
 
FREYebikes said:
About battery holder issue you mentioned, I think that's because this is really a big and heavy battery, and we think the battery holder design is not strong enough and perfect.
What we are doing try to make it more stable as following:
We found the lock core is not long enough to hold the battery. the original one is in golden, we customize a longer one to use now.

If anyone need some help or support from us, please feel free ask.

Is it easy to replace the gold color lock with the new longer lock? I just noticed a few days ago that the battery comes out even without unlocking it, so I worry that it will be stolen.

Also, I measured the voltage on both battery chargers, and it turns out they are both 54.6 volts output, meaning they are both for 48 volt batteries. I was researching a way to increase the output voltage on one of them to charge the 52 volt batteries, but it involved Zener diodes and swapping out resistors while keeping their total the same, etc. More than I was willing to attempt.

UPDATE: Since my FAT1000 also has the gold color lock, I tried every combination of three batteries and two Frey bikes and determined it is actually just the one battery that comes out without unlocking. I have an idea to fix the battery case, let y'all know if it works.

Thanks,
Sean
 
Thank you everyone for the great information! I have contacted Ivy and she is superhelpful. I am transitioning from the gas powered world, and this thread has really helped me make up my mind. I was originally looking at a Radpower bike, but instead will go AM1000 with the SRAM EX-1, 21AH battery, and add lighting option. I also asked to do 3.0" tires in a street tread if possible. I live on the beach and this bike will mostly be a street commuter. I'll keep everyone posted as I progress!
 
trooper5707 said:
Thank you everyone for the great information! I have contacted Ivy and she is superhelpful. I am transitioning from the gas powered world, and this thread has really helped me make up my mind. I was originally looking at a Radpower bike, but instead will go AM1000 with the SRAM EX-1, 21AH battery, and add lighting option. I also asked to do 3.0" tires in a street tread if possible. I live on the beach and this bike will mostly be a street commuter. I'll keep everyone posted as I progress!

My opinion, since your use for street commuters, Hard tail plus a nice back rack is much suitable. Tyre Schwalbe Super Moto-X wheel size 27.5' 2.8'. This tyre was build for Ebike on speed 50km/h or 31miles/hr. It suitable for Road and Tarmac purpose.
 
hoojsn said:
My opinion, since your use for street commuters, Hard tail plus a nice back rack is much suitable. Tyre Schwalbe Super Moto-X wheel size 27.5' 2.8'. This tyre was build for Ebike on speed 50km/h or 31miles/hr. It suitable for Road and Tarmac purpose.

+1. Unless you have extremely steep hills in your commute, the Ex1 might be overkill and is expensive. It is very well suited for off-road however.

Use a Shimano XT 11-42 (and set the dérailleur limit screw to forbid use of the largest aluminium sprocket) or SRAM 1150 fullpin (XD or the 1130 for Shimano splined freehub).

You might also want to change the stock steel 44T chainring by a 48 or more to reduce the use of the 11T sprocket which has a very hard time handling non-human power. I have several wolftooth barrow wide chainrings incoming (48, 50 and 52T) and will report frame clearance / compatibility asap.

Super moto X 2.8 do fit in the Am1000 (I have them on 35mm wide rims), and if you want a little bit more puncture resistance use their 2.4 variant.

Last, air shocks aren’t as good as spring ones for commute purposes. Their small bump sensitivity isn’t that great.
 
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