My Bafang Ultra Mountain Bike! Frey AM1000

barbarossa said:
i have an additional cable for my GPS tracker directly connected to the battery cable and a self made connection from the controller cable (5V+/ground/motor off) to the rear brake pressure sensor and my gearsensor incl. Higo plug. the gps tracker itself is mounted at the inner plastic motor cover. the backup GPS-battery 1000mAh lipo (in case of stolen battery, charged by the main battery) is between plastic cover/gps tracker and motor (but gps tracker and backup battery i can mount after mounting the motor).

@Barbarossa I'm very interested in hard-wiring a GPS tracker too. Can you link to the tracker you bought and service you use for tracking it? Also, if you happen to be bored and want to post more photos of how you mounted it that would be awesome. But primarily I'm wondering what tracker to buy/service to use and I'm glad someone has already successfully done this. Thank you!
 
@Deafcat and @cscscs: did you two ever get any farther with engineering a replacement to this weak link in the Ultra? Do you still feel it's necessary? Should I order a spare part with the bike and if so can you point to which part in a photo so I can ask Frey for the replacement? Thanks for your input.

cscscs said:
Deafcat said:
cscscs said:
Deafcat said:
There are actually two one-way clutches in the Ultra motor, a three-pawl freewheel for pedal input, and a one-way roller clutch or sprag clutch for the chainring output shaft. I've heard of that output clutch wearing or failing due to too large of a chainring and bad riding (too high of momentary torque loads), failure of the pedal freewheel only possible from too much pedal load as mentioned.

I've yet to damage either of them, though I'd like to replace the pedal freewheel with a sprag roller clutch to get rid of the noise... Onyx hubs on the bike so the only freewheel noise comes from motor. Maybe something I will re-engineer on next disassembly, worth it to have the parts drawn up anyway for community reference.

I've been thinking of retrofitting a sprag in replacement of the freewheel - I'll be interested in assessing the feasibility of doing that - let's collaborate on that.

Be nice to replace both the freewheel and the one way clutch with better parts. Misumi has NSK, NTN and house brand components which all look like drawn cup variety, McMaster also has some expensive options (proper sprags).

Sprags are more expensive to manufacture but obviously perform better compared to drawn cup roller clutches, which use ridges in the ID of the bearing housing to facilitate the torque transmission in one direction. In a sprag clutch, the moving elements themselves perform the torque locking, but they require both the exterior housing, and the inner shaft, to be strong hardened steel with no give... Hence the price hike.

Example part from McMaster to put into perspective, $160 USD for a sprag clutch max rated for 165 ft/lb, 16mm wide with an OD of 62mm.

I for one would be willing to spend $160 on a sprag to replace the pedal-crank freewheel; but that would not likely be the only cost. I'm curious about the feasibility - I'm not sure how the ultra freewheel is assembled - I'm guessing the outer element of the freewheel is pressed into the primary gear?? If that assumption is correct, then the questions are: 1) Can the freewheel be pulled out? 2) Is there a suitable sprag available that will fit the ID of the gear and the OD of the pedal crank shaft? And last but not least, a means of locking the sprag to the inner and outer elements would need to be provided
 
tl;dr: Alfine 8 IGH- will it last with Ultra?

Think I've decided to stick with the AM1000. Ordered it right at the end of the US group buy a week or so ago, but I've been researching upgrades since. One upgrade I've asked Frey about (no response yet other than to say she'll get back to me soon) is whether they can provide a stronger rear hub, since apparently the torque on this motor loves to chew them up. I was looking at a DT Swiss H1900 rear wheel/hub to go along with an SRAM EX1 cassette, but realized that for quite a bit less money, I could finally try out an IGH, which also serves to replace the potentially insufficient rear hub.

After reading a detailed article about the strongest IGHs for ebikes (https://www.electricbike.com/mid-drive-kit-igh/), I"m leaning toward an Alfine 8spd, possibly with belt drive. I could maybe stretch to get the strongest (Rohloff) but I question whether it's really 6 times as good to match 6x expensive (and like the author I don't think I'll need 14 gears on an ebike, & don't relish shifting so much). I would consider the Nuvinci N380 which is apparently expected to be a little more durable than the Alfine 8 and has a bit more gear range, but I don't love the idea of increased drag of a CVT, and I think I would simply prefer actual gears. However I would get the N380 over the Alfine 8 if it's the difference between surviving the Ultra motor of course.

What do riders here think? Anyone running IGH on the AM1000?

The main question is will it last in my situation. I think it might because I've always babied my drivetrains since my earliest days with a cheap mtb. I always let up on my pedal strokes when shifting, except in very rare cases where I misjudge the gear I'll need to climb a long hill and have to do a hard shift toward the end of it when my speed has slowed too far. I think that rare situation will only be even rarer if I have a 1000W motor helping my fairly strong legs. And in those super rare situations, I'm not opposed to babying it by jumping off the bike and walking it to the crest of the hill in walk mode, rather than risk shredding my IGH. So I really think it will truly never or almost never shifted under much load. However, the internals would be subject to high speed single track jarring, and maybe that alone rules it out. I don't know bc I've never ridden IGH. I do like the idea of never again catching the derailleur on a rock here in super rocky Arizona. Couldn't ever get myself to commit to IGH on my regular mtb because I think I'd miss the ride feel of a cassette, but I think I'll care less with a motor when I'm already giving up a lot of feel by going so much heavier with an eMTB.

Finally, does anyone know of a competing belt drive to Gates? Does anyone see any issue with running belt drive to an IGH on the AM1000? What tooth counts would you recommend? Thanks in advance
 
Could someone check for me which kind of Rockshox token the (optional) Lyric on a AM1000 takes?

I'm kind of confused which version of the Lyric they put on the bike?
MFDJY8u.jpg
 
Sinbord1981 said:
Tjeska said:
Could someone check for me which kind of Rockshox token the (optional) Lyric on a AM1000 takes?

I'm kind of confused which version of the Lyric they put on the bike?
MFDJY8u.jpg

I’ve got the Lyric on my AM1000 - not sure exactly what I need to look at but if you tell me I can check later and confirm you back.

You can check it by unscrewing the top cap:

https://youtu.be/HV1kIh6-0YI
 
mewanderinghome said:
Hardcore said:
Attached a video of the 2020 Frey EX bike. It's a fantastic bike to ride.

Hi @Hardcore - After viewing a couple videos, I'd say we have similar riding preferences in that I tend to ride singletrack pretty fast and love a little air but generally don't do huge drops (don't mean to imply you don't- just hadn't seen that in 2 vids). This will be my first eMTB (have only ridden a few ebikes and never on single track). Trying to decide whether to buy the AM1000, EX, or even M600. I will probably customize the bikes further (particularly with regard to drivetrain) regardless of which frame/battery/motor I get. What do you think are the pros & cons of each of those bikes, and which would you choose? What components would you upgrade/add aftermarket (major & minor components)? I probably wouldn't get the extra battery on the EX as I don't think I'd ride with it. On the AM1000 I might also choose the very base model with the smallest 48v17.5ah battery for less top-heavy weight/narrowest profile (I don't expect needing tremendous range), and just upgrade the components that need it. I will probably end up using this bike to commute some too (no need for rack & panniers though). Other riders who've ridden multiple models of Frey bikes please feel free to weigh in too.


Hi mewanderinghome, get the ultra motor.

Upgrade to the Lyrik, and I personally like to be in charge of gearing so I ride without gearsensor and use the front brake as a cutoff, and then you're all set from Frey's perspective. Unless you are looking into an EX1 groupset, with 8 good sized steps and massive 11-48 range, then this can be done at Frey as well. I've had to replace chains, but the cogs are still working perfectly except for the 11 and 15t, whom I've replaced relatively cheaply (20quid). The whole groupset itself is expensive though but I wouldnt want something with smaller stepsizes as I hate shifting gears and the bike doesn't need to, as in the middle gears it has a speed range from 10 to 25 mph due to the massive torque.

Aftermarket any part you like (grips, pedals, etc), but most def put the max size dropper you can fit and shorter cranks, then with the massive torque sensor/throttle you'll love the speed on single trails and the manoeuvrability, even though the weight is there, it has a nice and low centre of mass. You can easily control the speed even at 20+mph using the 1.5kW throttle and make light work of any jump. An ultra powered frey bike was the best purchase I've made and will do it anytime of the day again, no regrets, pure adrenaline.

I do do drops but haven't filmed anything in a long time, but I'm over 2200 miles on the am1000 and no problems with the motor or those other things that the people mentioned. And no, I do not spare the bike in any sense with massive crashes on 20+footers (practising the bigger jumps) and full-throttle emptying battery after battery at 30degC.

Ride on!
 
Tjeska said:
Sinbord1981 said:
Tjeska said:
Could someone check for me which kind of Rockshox token the (optional) Lyric on a AM1000 takes?

I'm kind of confused which version of the Lyric they put on the bike?
MFDJY8u.jpg

I’ve got the Lyric on my AM1000 - not sure exactly what I need to look at but if you tell me I can check later and confirm you back.

You can check it by unscrewing the top cap:

https://youtu.be/HV1kIh6-0YI

Did they both come with the bike? I think I only had the grey one. This is what I could find about the different color tokens from Rockshox:

"Grey tokens fit in Revelation, Pike, Yari, Lyrik and BoXXer forks, while red ones are slightly wider and only fit in the Pike." - https://www.bikeradar.com/features/quick-fix-tips-for-tuning-your-rockshox-lyrik-pike-yari-or-revelation-fork-with-bottomless-tokens/
 
Most of the time there is one token installed on the fork from stock, don't know if they come with the bike...

Normally they are both for a Lyric, just other damper configuration, that's why I asked if anyone knew which Lyric they put on the AM1000.

Still waiting for the bike to arrive, its almost a month to late at this point :(
 
Tjeska said:
Still waiting for the bike to arrive, its almost a month to late at this point :(
You will get it soon! I just got a message that mine is released from customs, paid the taxes and awaiting for loading to the transport. And I am hoping that early next week will get it delivered!
 
Got the tracking number this morning from Grace. I think we should receive the bike against the end of next week.
 
mewanderinghome said:
@Deafcat and @cscscs: did you two ever get any farther with engineering a replacement to this weak link in the Ultra? Do you still feel it's necessary? Should I order a spare part with the bike and if so can you point to which part in a photo so I can ask Frey for the replacement? Thanks for your input.

900 miles since I last replaced the clutch. I made several significant changes at that time, including converting from hardtail to full-sus and shorter cranks (152mm). Both of these changes contributed to virtually eliminating crank strikes and I am now convinced that this was the root cause for the clutch failures. The stock Bafang cranks on the G510 are 175mm and include almost 20mm of extra material outboard of the pedal spindle bore - really a horrible design for an eMTB.

That all being said, a sprag-type mechanism in the motor is a must-have criterion for my next ebike - same goes for the rear hub - sprag, IGH or at least very high POE ratchet.

Since mid-motor eMTBs have two engagement mechanisms (one in the motor and one in the rear hub), the slack experienced in getting the rear wheel driving will be the sum of the two. I recently demo'd a 2020 Specialized Levo and no question they got it all right on that bike - the engagement is seamless - using sprag in the motor and DT Swiss Star Ratchet, 54t engagement rear hub.

My understanding is that the new Bafang M600 uses a sprag-type clutch - good to see.
 
cscscs said:
I've given up trying to negotiate an equitable solution, and Frey will not respond to my inquiries on Alibaba messaging (which I find highly unprofessional), so it's pointless to perpetuate the banter, except I can't ignore the blatant lies in their replies, the above statement being one example. Frey says the "don't even know what {the adapter I mentioned) is. Well here is a snapshot of the lengthy discussion I had with Frey about said adapter....you be the judge:

I've been wanting to follow-up on this post, as I have been waiting to put some miles on the bike to see if problems would develop.

In summary - I am completely satisfied and really glad to have converted my FLX Blade hardtail to Frey AM1000 full-suspension frame.

The transaction to acquire the frame was unfortunate. To recap - the frame had some defects - I'm pretty sure someone at the factory dropped the frame resulting in the distortion of the head-tube and rear drop-out. I had to put the head tube in a vise and tighten it down as hard as I could to get the steerer to slide in, and I had to loosen the derailleur hanger to get the axle to thread. I only discovered these issues at the end of the build (after many hours of work) which is why I didn't just return the frame as first recourse.

Fast forward 900 miles - all technical single track - and I am completely satisfied with the bike. I like the handling of the AM1000 frame better than the original FLX Blade - the geo is comparable but the Blade had a tendency to wash-out (understeer). So I wanted to at least give credit to Frey where due for their frame design.
 
mewanderinghome said:
barbarossa said:
i have an additional cable for my GPS tracker directly connected to the battery cable and a self made connection from the controller cable (5V+/ground/motor off) to the rear brake pressure sensor and my gearsensor incl. Higo plug. the gps tracker itself is mounted at the inner plastic motor cover. the backup GPS-battery 1000mAh lipo (in case of stolen battery, charged by the main battery) is between plastic cover/gps tracker and motor (but gps tracker and backup battery i can mount after mounting the motor).

@Barbarossa I'm very interested in hard-wiring a GPS tracker too. Can you link to the tracker you bought and service you use for tracking it? Also, if you happen to be bored and want to post more photos of how you mounted it that would be awesome. But primarily I'm wondering what tracker to buy/service to use and I'm glad someone has already successfully done this. Thank you!

hi,
i have adapted the bosch biketrax gps tracker for my frey am1000 ( https://powunity.com/ ). unfortunately it covers only Europe with a built-in sim card (and flat rate for 1 year). it is a quality gps tracker not to compare with some chinese models i also tested and didnt even work. but i have seen that your location is USA :(

this summer i was riding my bosch commuter ebike (also equipped with the same GPS tracker) and stopped for a coffee break. really nice weather outside. suddenly my smartphone showed up a GPS alarm for my frey am1000. i was really shocked. i took my bosch ebike and was following my own frey am1000 per GPS - panic !!! i could see the speed and direction the thief rode my bike - strange feeling. after 20 minutes i could reach the GPS position of my frey am1000. and :thumb: there it was… yyyyuuuuhhhhuuuuu!!! i called the police but they did nothing - i had to approve that the bike is mine but hey, nothing else. the thief has locked the bike with his own abus lock - perhaps he was afraid that someone could steal the stolen bike :D
in the end i had to lift the locked rear wheel and got 20-30 meters forward, then took the bosch ebike and rode 30 meters, then again moved the frey am1000 20-30 meters and so on. many people on the street were wondering what i did - it must have looked very strange. after a while i reached the next bike shop with my two ebikes. the guy in the bike shop opened the thiefs abus lock (i had something similar) with a bosch wireless angle grinder. it took around 10 seconds to open it. anyways i know have a kryptonite lock, perhaps it will take 20 seconds to open it. terrifying, the bike was stolen directly from the basement. :evil:

anyways you'll need something really small - the plastic cover of bafang ultra motor offers not much room. with a wide input volt range or at least 40-60 volts input range. biketrax tracker has 9-90 volts input range which charges a small 1000mAh lipo battery. in case of taking the battery off the stolen bike tracking will still be active for around 2-4 days or upto a few weeks - it depends on if the bike is moved or not. another thing to consider might be the available networks. most of trackers are using 2G/GSM but more and more providers are switching off this old standard (often used as machine-to-machine network) to get free frequencies for newer network standards. perhaps you are able to find the right provider and product in the US...

biketrax tracker in a bosch motor, the thing with that "P" - it simply takes the 36 volts battery input so this tracker is usable for any bike but unfortunately only Europe is covered by the built-in sim card -:
biketrax.JPG
 
Thanks to all users for a thoroughly informative thread!

I'm in the process of deciding on the specs for a HT1000, and hope for your input for the choice between 48V 21Ah and 52V 17.5 Ah.

From what I could gather from this thread, the general consensus seem to lean towards 52V. A read a couple of comments from those with AM1000 who opted for 48V initially, and then bought the 52v, wish they had done this from the start. I have read descriptions of both higher speed and more stability of power, as the 48V supposedly tended to lose much of its spark when starting to get drained, while the 52V giving almost the same power till empty.

However, Grace at Freybike recommended strongly to go with 48V, because this is more stable than 52V. When pressed further on the subject, she writes that this is because the indicator is not compatible with 52V battery, it can not work on 52V battery. And also that the 52V BMS technology is not very mature, 48V BMS is better than 52V.

I'm hesitant to go against factory recommendations, but had initially decided upon the 52v in my own mind, before the correspondence with Grace. I would very much appreciate replies from the forum with your experience and recommendations.
 
habla said:
Thanks to all users for a thoroughly informative thread!

I'm in the process of deciding on the specs for a HT1000, and hope for your input for the choice between 48V 21Ah and 52V 17.5 Ah.

From what I could gather from this thread, the general consensus seem to lean towards 52V. A read a couple of comments from those with AM1000 who opted for 48V initially, and then bought the 52v, wish they had done this from the start. I have read descriptions of both higher speed and more stability of power, as the 48V supposedly tended to lose much of its spark when starting to get drained, while the 52V giving almost the same power till empty.

However, Grace at Freybike recommended strongly to go with 48V, because this is more stable than 52V. When pressed further on the subject, she writes that this is because the indicator is not compatible with 52V battery, it can not work on 52V battery. And also that the 52V BMS technology is not very mature, 48V BMS is better than 52V.

I'm hesitant to go against factory recommendations, but had initially decided upon the 52v in my own mind, before the correspondence with Grace. I would very much appreciate replies from the forum with your experience and recommendations.

52v is awesome. Who cares about the indicator! I dont know the story about the BMS, never heart of it nor have i problems with it.
 
You'll need to set the low voltage cut-off accordingly, don't care about the 4 green lights on the battery (decoration), and set the screen to show voltage instead of the percentage. Overall, I'm very happy with 52v (got two batteries). The 52v has less Wh than the 48v. For most people, 48v is perfect, but that bit extra is for the ones that really want to push the ultra.
 
I've been having the same conversation with Grace, I naturally was leaning towards 52v (short distance rides & want max power) but she is strongly suggesting the 48v.
I guess the only other factor I'm interested in is which would be easier to get /build 3rd party battery packs in the future, incase can't get them through frey.
 
barbarossa said:
i took my bosch ebike and was following my own frey am1000 per GPS - panic !!! i could see the speed and direction the thief rode my bike - strange feeling. after 20 minutes i could reach the GPS position of my frey am1000. and :thumb: there it was… yyyyuuuuhhhhuuuuu!!!

Thanks for the GPS info :) That's a crazy story! Glad you got your bike back :thumb:
 
cscscs said:
including converting from hardtail to full-sus and shorter cranks (152mm). Both of these changes contributed to virtually eliminating crank strikes and I am now convinced that this was the root cause for the clutch failures. The stock Bafang cranks on the G510 are 175mm and include almost 20mm of extra material outboard of the pedal spindle bore

Thanks for the feeback- I see several people suggesting the Miranda Delta0 150mm crank so I'm putting that on as soon as I get my bike :)
 
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