Richard N said:
I'm curious about which groupset you went with for your bike and the cassette ratio you're using?
Hi Richard! Thanks for starting this thread and sharing all the details and photos!
I went with the Shimano XT M8000 groupset. The rear cassette they provided is the 11-48 11spd, so you could probably ask explicitly for that if you want that big of a granny gear. I'm not using it as an MTB and I have probably never used the top half of the cassette in the course of my actual riding.
I go back and forth on whether I should have sprung for the 8spd SRAM EX1. The SRAM is probably better and stronger and there's no need whatsoever for 11 gears, but I worried about replacement costs for chain and cassette.
The other upgrades I did:
- Rock Shox Yari fork
- Magura MT5e brakes
- Gearsensor installed
- 52V 17AH battery instead
- Rekon+ tires (but swapped for my Schwalbe Super Moto-X in 27.5x2.8 shortly after)
- Rear rack
- Fenders
- Integrated lights
Did some extras too: extra charger, extra charging pigtail (works well with the Luna 52V advanced charger), extra derailleur hangers (highly recommend), and a programming cable.
I also swapped out the saddle when it arrived but I assume everyone does that, seats being so personal. I also added pedal straps as I prefer to ride with those.
Just some general impressions, now that I've got ~150 miles:
- 40T chainring was just too small for my riding. Ivy will probably know what the max size is if you're similar. I'm happy with the 48T. I should have asked for the bigger chainring initially.
- The rear rack tubing is 16mm. This makes an awkward fit for my existing bags, though I bent the tabs on my main bag and that's working for now. I think 8mm/10mm is normal rack tubing size. I will probably buy a bag that can accommodate the 16mm securely at some point, but we have lots of "regular" bags. I get the impression this rack will support a ton of weight so I don't want to give it up.
Pretty much love everything else. My next area of attention will probably be handlebars, something swept back like the Jones H-Bar would fit my riding style better than what came with the bike. Eventually, maybe a fancier light setup.
But I'm really damn happy with it. My commute to work's best time was 35 minutes and my best time is now 24min. On the way back, my best time was 45min and I was dying coming up the hill (I'm out of shape); new best time on the HT1000 is
twice as fast, 22min, and I don't feel like I'm about to pass out. With minimal assist it's still easy to feel like I'm getting some level of work out, but it's intoxicating to goose the throttle while passing or use sport 3 or 4 or 5 up the hill. Two big cycling annoyances, riding up a hill or into the wind are basically negated. And having to stop and restart at signs and lights is mitigated somewhat by the assist. It's a game changer.