2019 Samedi Race 4 first impressions

[steve mercier]

This bike was not my first choice. I wanted a Norco Sight VLT but I also wanted a Gen 2 or 3 Bosch motor and the powerpack 500 battery system. Norco uses Shimano so that was a non-starter. I also wanted a Moustache Samedi Xroad 5 FS. The 2020 s use the powertube which are not compatible with my powerpack 500s so it needed to be a 2019. I also wanted the older CX which can easily be de-limited with a BIkespeed RS as opposed to the gen 4 which is not so easy to overide. Luckily there are still a few remaining 2019s to be had in my area. When I came across the Race 4 I saw it had everything I wanted except hauling capacity so I quickly bought it. I have another bike outfitted with bags and a trailer hitch so it can be the work horse and the Race 4 will be the thoroughbred.

 

[steve mercier]

I took it to some very easy Burke mountain trails. Wow it handles like no bike I have ever owned. It has a much shorter wheelbase than my touring bike. This is the first full suspension bike I have ever owned. The Yari air fork floats like a butterfly over trails that instilled fear on my other bikes. I swapped the racing seat it came with for the Selle Royale Respiro which is a hybrid saddle and it works well on the Race 4. The rear shock has a sticker showing the suggested SAG settings. This bike did not come with a shock pump but my Charger did so I used it and played with the settings. It took me a minute to figure out that the O- ring works upside down on the rear shock,. I kept letting out air to soften the feel and enjoyed it even though it was well below the guidline. I suspect this only works well on easy trails so I pumped it back up a bit over 55 psi and subsequently have it at 100 psi against my 155 lbs.. You can see in the pic that the O ring is out of the suggested zone. The red rebound adjuster wheel has 15 click positions so I chose the 7th, a medium one, and selected the comfort mode and began jumping on the pedals while rocking back an forth... Groovy!

 

[steve mercier]

It has gigantic climbing rings. It will surely climb anything I have the gumption to attempt. I did find that I was looking for more gears when descending on road even without the De-limiter at approx. 35kmh so after I put in the delimiter I will increase the front ring size.

 

[steve mercier]

I have not tested the brakes on hot days on mountain road descents but so far I have no complaints with the Magura Mt4 brakes and SLX changer . I cut an inch off each bar end as I always do ( I must have short arms at 5' 8" ). I like the grips so far but a 4 hour ride will give me a better idea if they are sticking around. Note: They did get me though the first 100 km now with no pain. The pedals are totally acceptable but I think I will swap them with the thinner lighter Xpedo Spry on my Charger, since this is the sportier bike.

 

[steve mercier]

The 2.8" Maxxis Minion on the front is REALLY stable when leaning into pea gravel turns. I mean wow! They are slightly noisy at 30km on pavement but have less resistance than I expected.

 

[steve mercier]

The bike weighs about 50 lbs naked. I tried carrying a spare powerpack 500 around in a backpack and got a backache after 5 km so I rode home and removed the battery but filled the pack with all the normal things I would take on a 4 hour ride including a lock and this was fine. Next I will try carrying a spare powerpack using a handlebar bag.

 

[steve mercier]

I have no idea how puncture proof these tires are but I am adding Tannus Armours ASAP. Overall this bike is a giddy joy to ride. It is very quick, nimble as a cat, very stable on the trails and this is the first dropper post I have had. It makes descending very steep hills feel much safer. Now I have grown a Moustache (-:

 

[steve mercier]

 

[JohnDoe1983]

Wow!!
This is the bike I wanted but mes balls were hurting the bar as I am a bit small.
I did not know about Tannus Armours, good thing.

Could you post some pict of the bag you intend to buy for the battery.
For your info max PSI on rear snock is 250 psi.
Color stand out pretty well.

I got like yours this week a lateral open bottle holder. No place for a regular holder.
Can you tell me what is a delimeter please?

Do not neglect to check the tension of the spoke wheel and also the wheel bearing. Mine on 2 bikes were not adjusted.

Enjoy your new moustache and never grow a beard. Ha Ha

 

[steve mercier]

Wow!!
This is the bike I wanted but mes balls were hurting the bar as I am a bit small.
I did not know about Tannus Armours, good thing.

Could you post some pict of the bag you intend to buy for the battery.
For your info max PSI on rear snock is 250 psi.
Color stand out pretty well.

I got like yours this week a lateral open bottle holder. No place for a regular holder.
Can you tell me what is a delimeter please?

Do not neglect to check the tension of the spoke wheel and also the wheel bearing. Mine on 2 bikes were not adjusted.

Enjoy your new moustache and never grow a beard. Ha Ha

Please post a review of your bike (s) when you please. Here is a link to the de-limiter. NOTE : they cannot ship into Canada at the moment due to the virus. It allows the motor to assist you over the designated governed speed. https://www.bikespeed.de/RS_en.html

 

[steve mercier]

Wow!!
This is the bike I wanted but mes balls were hurting the bar as I am a bit small.
I did not know about Tannus Armours, good thing.

Could you post some pict of the bag you intend to buy for the battery.
For your info max PSI on rear snock is 250 psi.
Color stand out pretty well.

I got like yours this week a lateral open bottle holder. No place for a regular holder.
Can you tell me what is a delimeter please?

Do not neglect to check the tension of the spoke wheel and also the wheel bearing. Mine on 2 bikes were not adjusted.

Enjoy your new moustache and never grow a beard. Ha Ha

I will check the spokes thanks ...what was wrong on the wheel bearings ?

 

[byunbee]

Beautiful bike...

 

[JohnDoe1983]

Hi Steve.
The spoke were not ajusted correctly, some of them were loose.

The Paker tool site has a way to help you with that.

The wheel bearing needed to be ajusted too, they were not tight enough and you could hear the bearing.

Thanks for the info on the de-limeter I will check that.

Here is pict of my bike,

Cheers

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Steve, in case you need to change the grips, please use the Grip Selector on the Ergon Bike website:

Products · Ergon Bike

www.ergonbike.com

The Grip Selector is very well thought. After I entered my parameters, the Selector came with the GP 5, which turned out to be fantastic for touring. You will certainly find ideal e-MTB grips for your Moustache there!

 

[steve mercier]

Hi Steve.
The spoke were not ajusted correctly, some of them were loose.

The Paker tool site has a way to help you with that.

The wheel bearing needed to be ajusted too, they were not tight enough and you could hear the bearing.

Thanks for the info on the de-limeter I will check that.

Here is pict of my bike,

Cheers

NICE ...that is the one I was interested in at first but they did not have my size. Have you received your bike yet?

 

[steve mercier]

Hi Steve.
The spoke were not ajusted correctly, some of them were loose.

The Paker tool site has a way to help you with that.

The wheel bearing needed to be ajusted too, they were not tight enough and you could hear the bearing.

Thanks for the info on the de-limeter I will check that.

Here is pict of my bike,

Cheers

Thank you for that info.

 

[JohnDoe1983]

This is what I installed. What a nice change for my hand.

Produkte · Ergon Bike

Ergonomic products for cyclists.

www.ergonbike.com

 

[steve mercier]

Steve, in case you need to change the grips, please use the Grip Selector on the Ergon Bike website:

Products · Ergon Bike

www.ergonbike.com

The Grip Selector is very well thought. After I entered my parameters, the Selector came with the GP 5, which turned out to be fantastic for touring. You will certainly find ideal e-MTB grips for your Moustache there!

Thanks Stefan I will check them out. I like these grips so far but a solid 4 hour ride will soon answer the question of replacement.

 

[JohnDoe1983]

NICE ...that is the one I was interested in at first but they did not have my size. Have you received your bike yet?

I rode 200km in the last 2 weeks. Big difference CX. VS Performance line. Love the bike.

 

[steve mercier]

This is what I installed. What a nice change for my hand.

Produkte · Ergon Bike

Ergonomic products for cyclists.

www.ergonbike.com

This is what I installed. What a nice change for my hand.

Produkte · Ergon Bike

Ergonomic products for cyclists.

www.ergonbike.com

Yes I have the GP3 on my R+M and I like them very much.