Luna Cycle X-1 Enduro FS (Bafang M600 / Dengfu M09)

[Tom]

I've been following various M600 threads at ES for over a year, in particular Wanyne's build with the Dengfu M09 carbon fiber frame. I'm a novice and the prospect of sourcing the frame, motor, battery, etc. and putting together my own build was pretty daunting. I had resigned myself to wait for one of the US e-bike companies to import a decent M600 build but never dreamed Luna would step up to the plate and source an affordable build with this frame.

https://lunacycle.com/x-1-enduro-fs-ebike/

I put my X1 pre-order in as soon as it was announced. I opted for the medium frame even though I'm 6' tall (hopefully this wasn't a mistake but Wayne indicated his medium frame was plenty large). I was tempted to upgrade to the Ludi controller and would have if it were possible to enable throttle at lower watt settings (on the Ludi controller there is a 1-10 dial you can set with a screwdriver to dial it back to street legal and lower watt settings) but Luna replied back in no uncertain terms they would not enable throttle, even at lower watt settings, so I went with the standard controller.

My bike arrived today after a 3 month wait. I haven't had a chance to assemble it but here are a few unboxing pics. The bike was packed well - other than 1 minor superficial scratch it seems to have survived the journey. My only disappointment so far is the weight. Luna marketing touts the X1 as a "silent lightweight bike at less than 50 pounds". My X1 (medium frame) tips the scale at 56 pounds (with battery and pedals). Also, I've seen reports the M600 motor isn't so silent after the steel gear upgrade, so this will be less of a disappointment as my expectations have been adjusted. I wasn't enamored by the large LUNA lettering on the bike in the studio images but am happy to report it's much more subtle in person.

That's all for now but I'll follow up after I've had a chance to assemble it and take it for a ride. Happy to answer any questions I can for anyone interested in this bike.

[Tom]

I emailed Luna about the weight on the product page. They said when they weighed their bike in the shop it was 49lbs. I asked if they could put it on the scale again to verify. They responded back the medium is 55lbs and there's no way to make it lighter, lol. My gut tells me the shop was too busy to re-weigh, and just parroted back my spec. I suggested they update the spec on the product page. Regardless, I think I'm going to be happy with this bike.

Still need to assemble the bike. I noticed most of the bolts have a torque spec. I'm long overdue to invest in a torque wrench, especially now with a carbon frame. Also need to pick up a pad spreader for the front hydraulic brakes. Must have inadvertently pulled the brake levers when unboxing the bike as the pads are compressed. Probably good to have one anyway since I'll be transporting the bike often with the front wheel removed.

[devo1223]

pad spreader? You mean a flat head screwdriver? Just kidding. Cool bike. Let's us know if you can get over 25mph on level ground, kepler mentioned it was tough. Does it have a watt meter?

[Tom]

Yeah flat head screwdriver may have worked fine, but I read it's possible to damage the pads if you don't know what you're doing, like me. May need it in a year anyway to bleed the brakes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Q ... UTF8&psc=1

[PaulD]

I emailed Luna about the weight on the product page. They said when they weighed their bike in the shop it was 49lbs. I asked if they could put it on the scale again to verify. They responded back the medium is 55lbs and there's no way to make it lighter, lol. My gut tells me the shop was too busy to re-weigh, and just parroted back my spec. I suggested they update the spec on the product page.

Yeah, it seems like it's becoming commonplace in the ebike industry. Lightweight helps sell them, now that people realize most early ebikes were boat anchors. Now it's a contest to see who can "push the limits" of truth on actual weight.
The pedal bike industry went thought this phase, and a lot of manufacturers stopped advertising their weights since their competitors were willing to lie more than them. This seems to have settled out for some reason and manufacturers are listing more honest weights now.

[flat tire]

The bike is almost decent but marketed with too much bullshit. If silence is golden, direct drive hub motor is your ONLY choice.

As is this is a slow, heavy, underspecced bike.

[Tom]

PaulD, yeah, I'm guessing the 46 lb spec for the FLX Trail is very unlikely. I can't imagine it's 10 pounds lighter than the X-1, even with a smaller battery.

I currently ride a Volton El Legs Express. Love it for riding around town and light off road use. It's advertised as 42 pounds but per my scale it's closer to 48. That's what tipped me off to the X-1 being heavier than spec. It felt heavier than my El Legs Express even without the front wheel...

flat tire, while I appreciate it could be better, not many other M600 options out there, so I appreciate that Luna is offering one.

[Kepler]

Congrats on receiving your bike. You are going to love it.

Contrary to previous comments, this bike is as fast as you need an Enduro style emtbike to be, and as light as any of it's direct competitors. As for the spec, amazingly good considering the price.

Look forward to further discussions on this bike.

[ScooterMan101]

This has not happened to me yet, However , I will take the pads out of the Calipers every once in a while to sand off any glazing and/or dirt that has imbeded into the pads. After you take the pads out of the calipers , if they are Shamino Brakes just take off the small bolt at the top of the reservior/brake lever , the one where you put in some fluid when needed , then now that there is no / little pressure in the system ,take anything that will not scratch the caliper pistons and push them back into the caliper .
Then after you make sure your brake caliper is centered on the disc , pump the lever several times to burp the system.
Put a rag or a couple of paper towels so any fluid does not drip down to the rotor . I burp the brakes and check the fluid level once or twice a year since it is so easy to do with shimano's .

Also need to pick up a pad spreader for the front hydraulic brakes. Must have inadvertently pulled the brake levers when unboxing the bike as the pads are compressed. Probably good to have one anyway since I'll be transporting the bike often with the front wheel removed.

[Tom]

The X1 comes with SRAM Guide hydraulic brakes. From what I have read they are good hydraulic brakes but maintenance is more involved than other brands like Shimano. It was pretty straightforward to reset the calipers with the pad spreader tool. It did require quite a bit of elbow grease so I'm glad I picked up the plastic tool to minimize the risk of damaging the pads with a screwdriver.

After resetting the brake calipers I was able to get the front wheel on. Unfortunately the dropper won't stay up when I sit down (it slowly drops and I can hear a slight hissing sound). I think I got a defective one. Luna does not provide a spec on their product page for the dropper but it is a KS ExaForm JAG remote with 100 mm travel. A little short for me on the medium frame - I had to raise it an inch or so.

[Tom]

To Luna's credit they have adjusted the weight spec on their product page. Now indicates 55 lbs for medium.

My X1 is mostly assembled now. After some tinkering I figured out what was wrong with the dropper. The way the remote cable was attached to the dropper by the factory didn't allow enough clearance for the valve to close properly. Disconnected and reconnected the cable to the dropper and now it's working as it should.

[raylo32]

Curious as to sizing. A medium seems to be a small selection for a 6 footer. What is your inseam? Surely in the pics the seat is not yet set to your actual riding position. I'd like to see the relative vertical difference between the seat and the handlebars once dialed in. That along with your inseam would help many of us. For instance, I am a long legged 6'1" and typically ride an XL... sometimes an L... else the seat gets way too high relative to the handlebars.

[Tom]

That pic was taken before I got the dropper issue figured out. I raised the post another couple inches to the maximum length indicator. Feels a tad high and still need to adjust the angle of the seat. I am 32-33" inseam. Should have gone with a larger frame in hindsight. I may end up ordering a large and selling the medium.

[Grantmac]

Sounds like the medium would be good for my 30" inseam. The struggle is I'm long in the body so I tend to need a frame which is on the large side or my legs.

[Tom]

You might want to ask Kepler as he got a large frame for his build.

Another thing which I note is mentioned on the Luna support page is 12th gear has some clearance issues. Not a big deal as I can't ever see needing this gear unless I ran out of power.

https://electricbike.com/forum/forum/kn ... o-fs-ebike

Some other useful info on that page in terms of speed / cadence which someone else was asking about.

[waynebergman]

HI Tom, one idea for sizing and I am sure you have thought about it is get the saddle to the height you want for XC pedaling and then tinker with the stem or maybe add some spacers under the stem if the steer tube was not already cut too short. Lenth and rise on a new stem is a much easier fix than swapping out the frame. I find its nice to have the extra stand over height ( I think you will get 2" less stand over height on the large )that you currently have looking at your present saddle height and you comment you may need to lower it a bit more that this. Also your top tube length is already plenty long in my opinion. Your stem right now is very short but nice and short for my liking but you may only need a tiny bit of extra length and rise on the stem slection to make it right for you. If tinering with stem sizing buy cheapo stuff till you get the right size and then consider buying a decent stem once you know for sure you have the stem you need. Keep us posted........wayne

[Tom]

Thanks Wayne. It actually feels pretty comfortable. Doesn't appear like there is any way to raise the stem other than adjusting the angle of the handlebars.

Just took the X1 out on my first ride with power. Have to say I am very disappointed with the level of noise. I wasn't expecting the M600 to be silent, but it's LOUD. If you are looking for a stealth e-MTB this certainly will not be it from a noise level. I'm half tempted to head down to a bike shop and test ride some brand name bikes just to compare noise. The only thing I have to compare it to is my Volton El Legs Express which has a BBS01 and is virtually silent. I dunno, I may end up taking Luna up on their 1 week return guarnatee.

[waynebergman]

Ouch sorry to hear this. I have the original plastic drive gear and I will stick with it untlill it breaks. Its nice and quiet but I am very light in weight so I may be one of the few that can get away with this drive in its original config. I think all the imports to LUna will have the steel gear upgrade. I have not heard the two different gears side by side for comparision and not sure if going with the original spec plastic drive is an option. If you are under 150lbs or their abouts and running the stock controller maybe the plastic drive gear is an option to consider. Sorry to hear that the bike is loud for you, darn it.

[2old]

Thanks for the information regarding noise. This would be a definite no no in "OC"" where e-MTB's are already frowned on. FYI, I've ridden a multitude of different mid-drives and most/all were about as silent as my BBS02.

[Tom]

Here's a video I took with my phone comparing the sound of the M600 motor to the BBS01.

[raylo32]

Yikes.

[waynebergman]

HI Tom, thanks for the comparison that is very helpfull. One thing I remember on my HD1000 when it was starting to get a bit noisey after several miles of usage when I repacked with grease it got super quiet agian. My HD1000 had of course the plastic quiet drive gear anyways but I just mention this as maybe there is an option to pack with re pack with grease to see if it will quiet things down. If grease will help then I guess LUna should have done this before shiping but I dont know if this is even an option or solution. I wonder if you inquire to Luna and explain you want it quieter I am sure they will have some kind of input on if repacking with extra grease will help. ON my M600 with plastic drive I am right on the level of noise with Shimano, Bosh etc maybe even quieter then the competition. Let us all know what Luna says about this if there is a workable solution. Keep us posted Tom, I hope this can be worked out.

I wonder if Kepler can contibute on noise level on his as I am pretty sure he has the steel drive gear in his as well and how he would compair his drive to other store bought mid drives........wayne

[Tom]

Thanks Wayne, yes I am a bit torn at the moment. I'd love to keep the bike as it is a joy to ride other than the noise. I contacted Lina but not sure if they will reply until after the weekend.

Edit: after reading Kepler's thread I note he found his M600 louder than his BBS02 but still quieter then a Bosch which makes me wonder if mine is light on lubrication.

[Grantmac]

That's VERY loud, like louder than my cyclone at 2.4kw
I wonder if the gear just isn't machined that well and might "run in" a bit.

[Tom]

On a more positive note for anyone considering this bike, I've read the ludicrous controller comes with a throttle.

https://electricbike.com/forum/forum/kn ... #post94024

If so, I would opt for the ludi upgrade as the bike could benefit from a tad more power.