Cruncher123 said:
Placed an order for the base bike - about 1 month delivery estimate.
But I have a few questions:
Curious if I should ask/request any upgrades? Is it worth upgrading the rear shock or front fork? (I plan to ride some single track.but not do large jumps etc)
suspensions upgrades are always nice. However, I saw someone mention they upgraded to Sram EX-1 groupset (e-bike reinforced derailleur, chain, and 8-speed cassette) from Frey (to be confirmed).
IMO, this is the better upgrade this bike can have, the stock 11-speed XT is not rated at all for this much torque... If I recall, someone in this thread already experienced cassette failure.
Cruncher123 said:
I did request a couple of spare derailleur hangers. I also asked about a second wheelset so I could quickly convert to more road-friendly tires, but they weren't able to oblige. Any recommendations for a suitable wheelset/tire/cassette/hub combo and where a good place to get them from is? Will 29ers work?
DT Swiss Hybrid series are very nice, H1900 for the entry level, H1700 middle, or HX1501 for higher end, ranging from 300 to 800 eur from german sites like
bike24 or
bike-discount, they both have cheap worldwide shipping. These wheels all feature hubs with oversized bearings, hardened steel freehub bodies ( --> no spline-gouging under extreme torque), oversized spoke interfaces, reinforced spokes and much stronger rims. They are available in both 27.5 and 29, each with different rim widths. AM1000 frame compatibility with 29er will have to be checked tho.
Cruncher123 said:
Has the ill-fitting bearing issue been sorted on newer bikes? (ie, someone reported a suspension bearing couldn't be fully seated and left 1-2mm gap that might allow dirt/debris to enter?).
the bearing itself is seated properly, the bolt covering it too long resulting in the gap. Previous AM1000 did not even have this cover on the bearing-retaining bolt. I don't know if it is resolved.
Cruncher123 said:
Should I enquire about the smaller 40T chainring? I plan to be climbing some decent hills and don't really need higher top speed.
you would be better served by any aftermarket 130BCD chainring like the narrow-wides from RaceFace as Bafang ones a stupidly heavy. For climbing ability I would even go to a lower teeth count.
Cruncher123 said:
I'd like to do some night riding on trails and am considering the Fisher Fab light https://lunacycle.com/fisher-fab-house-led-e-bike-light/ Is this light something that could be powered from exising wiring, or would I have to splice new wires?
existing wiring will not offer the connector of this lamp. The motor does suplies a 6V light line controlled by the Display buttons / light sensor but it's current rating and voltage are too low for this lamp. You'll have to tap into the main power line running from the top of the downtube (where the battery connector is) to the motor (terminated by an Anderson connector). Not an hard job IMO.
Cruncher123 said:
Finally, does this bike have a GearSensor? And if not, do people recommend adding one?
the motor does have a Gear Sensor
input. Needing it depends on if you can get in the habit to use the ebrakes as a clutch on gear shifts, otherwise you don't need it. Repeated shifts under power will lead to (very) premature chain failure. With the much lower torque BBS02, I snapped multiple times the same KMC X11-e (e stands for e-bike) chains that Frey use. The connector from the motor to the gear sensor will have to be checked, it's not a circular Higo as on other BBS systems.