Yeah that's my issue. I'm highly sensitive to noise and i've had ebike pass by me with awful noise and pretty sure they were bosch CX. Sadly almost no ebike in EU have brose motors. Specialized now do them.The Photon is not silent, but the sound it makes is not unpleasant. I find the Photon noise to be acceptable. I do not find Bosch motor noise to be acceptable, but apparently many people do since it is on so many shipping bikes.
I am sensitive to motor sound, and I believe that ebikes should be silent. I have a very capable motor, the Bikee Lightest, that is sitting in a box simply because it is too loud. The Bikee Lightest is both lighter and more powerful than the Photon, but I chose the Photon because it is the quieter drive.
So yeah, I would probably choose the Photon over a nice Bosch CX bike as well, at least until their engineers can figure out how to build something less annoying.
Damn yeah the bosch is pretty noisy. Heck if the brose was more common it would be nice. If the photon is less noisy than the bosch its kinda dope because the noise is kinda decent on the bosch compared to some other motors aroundHere's a sound check of the Brose S Mag vs the Bosch CX at 7:19
I'd say the Photon is between the Brose and the Bosch noise wise.
Yeah the thing is normally in EU you can't have a bike that you can derestrict easily like that. I wished CYC had a way to basically disable throttle and limit at 250w or 500w on the motor physically so its possible to switch it on/off in a few minutes at home but not with a smartphone.Yes, it is possible to disable the throttle (under "peripherals setup" in the manual), but IIRC, in the EU and while in "street mode" the throttle is already disabled - "street mode" versus "race mode", the two sets of motor configurations selectable by the display.
With the smaller SW102 display (manual), you have a short time limit (15 seconds) after powering on to change the mode. You can also configure the default power-up mode.
Is it possible to entirely turn of the throttle and limit it the motor to 250w ?
When i go in the city i would want to make it compliant. I'm thinking if i have a smartphone with the app that i leave at home i'm basically riding a class compliant motor that cannot be unlocked on the spot so legally maybe it would fit. But then i cannot benefit from the burst ?
Damn yeah the bosch is pretty noisy. Heck if the brose was more common it would be nice. If the photon is less noisy than the bosch its kinda dope because the noise is kinda decent on the bosch compared to some other motors around
If you are thinking about Bosch CX equipped bikes, how about a Canyon Roadlite:On with the Fazua motor? For some reason not available in the US. Comes with a trailer hitch, and mounting points for mudguards.Yeah the thing is normally in EU you can't have a bike that you can derestrict easily like that. I wished CYC had a way to basically disable throttle and limit at 250w or 500w on the motor physically so its possible to switch it on/off in a few minutes at home but not with a smartphone.
I mean the other solution i was thinking is to print a sticker with a QR code saying its 500w max and that basically redirect to a fake website like cycengineering.com where the fake specs are shown.. But i have to think about it
I mean yeah its basically the only bikes around with the brose S motor. They are hella expensive tho for the build they offer.They don't have Specialized bikes in Switzerland?
You could set up the Street mode with throttle not disabled, but set to zero power and torque, and limit the pedal assist to whatever you want. Then set up Race mode with how you want to use it elsewhere. Switching between the two modes is easy, but only available during the first 15 seconds after you power on - so not obvious to anyone else examining the bike, either.Is it possible to entirely turn of the throttle and limit it the motor to 250w ?
When i go in the city i would want to make it compliant. I'm thinking if i have a smartphone with the app that i leave at home i'm basically riding a class compliant motor that cannot be unlocked on the spot so legally maybe it would fit. But then i cannot benefit from the burst ?
New Zealand. That's awesome. So far I only visited Auckland. I hope to see Napier one day.
This is the view on the way out when it isn't so dry. Its a quiet, pleasant place to be and a short ride from where I live. The terrain I ride most often is round here.
View attachment 357110
Actually just found a Specialized Tero x 6 near me for like 4700$. Gonna try it monday and decide if i buy it. I can still resell it somehow and get a photon or proton if they get more reliable/better and i'm not happy with the tero x 6They don't have Specialized bikes in Switzerland?
Actually just found a Specialized Tero x 6 near me for like 4700$. Gonna try it monday and decide if i buy it. I can still resell it somehow and get a photon or proton if they get more reliable/better and i'm not happy with the tero x 6
That's a great deal if true! It's $6500 here Turbo Tero X 6.0 Looking forward to your review.Actually just found a Specialized Tero x 6 near me for like 4700$. Gonna try it monday and decide if i buy it. I can still resell it somehow and get a photon or proton if they get more reliable/better and i'm not happy with the tero x 6
oh then i have to travel for it haha. In switzerland if i want to go more than 25kmh of assist i need to have license plate basically and cannot ride it in forest path anymore so.. I may just tune it with one of the tool when i go in the forest i will see. I wouldnt mind having 30kmh assist tho. It's basically impossible to flash the firmware without a dealer ?That should have the top of the line Brose/Specialized 2.2 motor, same as I have. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
Edit: Also, here in the states, if you bring your Tero into a Specialized dealer, they will flash it to a class 3 firmware on request. But I’m not sure what the regulations are in your area.
oh then i have to travel for it haha. In switzerland if i want to go more than 25kmh of assist i need to have license plate basically and cannot ride it in forest path anymore so.. I may just tune it with one of the tool when i go in the forest i will see. I wouldnt mind having 30kmh assist tho. It's basically impossible to flash the firmware without a dealer ?
That's the advantage of DIY and the Photon - can be set to no limit. All the ebikes imported to NZ have various speed restrictions, normally 25, 32 or 45km/h, but we (currently) have no ebike specific speed limit, only a restriction of 300W power. Speed limit is defined by where you ride, not what you ride. Also, adding insult to injury, the 45km/h restricted ebikes I think attract a premium and cost more...Wait? Wut? Ebikes can’t go faster than 15.5mph over there? That sucks. I won’t settle for anything less than 45Kmh/28mph.
EU really must think ebikes are for grannies… like a Walmart mobility scooter for the road on 2 wheels.
Hard to believe, but Switzerland is even larger than LA County: Switzerland vs. Los Angeles County, California: Comparea Area ComparisonLA County is so huge and spread out that 300W 15mph is worthless as a car replacement.
Hard to believe, but Switzerland is even larger than LA County: Switzerland vs. Los Angeles County, California: Comparea Area ComparisonNot by much though, only a factor 4! LA County also has more residents.
The 25 km/h limitation is one reason why it's important to pick a solution that doesn't get in the way if you want to exceed the motor support limit (assuming you pick something pre-built). Uphill 25 km/h is plenty, but you don't want the motor to slow you down or hold you back downhill.
Who has time to watch a 21 minute video?
Who has time to watch a 21 minute video?I'm going to say, judging from the first 30 seconds, the answer is 'yes'.
No the limit isnt at 25kmh. You can get 45kmh ebike but you need insurance and a license plate because they are basically moped and fall under the same legislation.Am I the only one that listens to video essays like podcasts while work on other things?
The TLDW is that despite having better bike infrastructure than the US, bikes end up co-mingling with cars quite a bit. So it’s a shame they’ve set the ebike assist cutoff at 15mph.