2022 Rize RX "virtual teardown"

wanders

New Member
Region
USA
City
Austin TX
I recently got a 2022 Rize RX, which I really like. I decided to do a "virtual teardown" of the bike to facilitate repair, replacement or upgrades to the bike. I wanted to publish the complete specs of the RX so that other owners or prospective buyers might benefit. There may be errors herein, so I encourage any authoritative corrections. I'll give details regarding the components of the bike, but I'll not focus on the Bafang motor and controls, which have been covered ad nauseam elsewhere.

TIRES
  • Kenda K1015 Nevegal-X Sport 27.5x2.35 (650x58B), marked 30-50 PSI
  • OEM style tires with "KENDA TIRE.com" marking
  • NB: in the photo below, I have replaced these with Goodyear Transit Tour 27.5x2.0 S3 tires (commuter tires)
WHEELS
  • unbranded hubs and (painted) rims, 36h, straight-gauge 2.3mm (13ga) spokes with 3.7 mm nipple sizing (no Park spoke wrench will fit)
  • front hub: 100x9mm quick-release with pressed-in sealed bearings, captive axle, screw-on locknut-style endcaps
  • rear hub: 141x10mm BOOST-spacing bolt-on with threaded-on hyperglide-compatible freehub, pressed-in sealed bearings, captive axle
    NB: this spacing is not compatible with 142mm hub
FRAME
  • sturdy aluminum
  • nicely painted
  • uninspiring but functional welding
  • custom bolt-on aluminum rear rack (16mm+ main tubing, 10mm+ secondary rack size)
  • 141mm rear vertical dropout
  • untapered head tube
  • derailleur guard bolt-on
  • braze-ons for auxiliary battery and water bottle
  • unbranded but well-made plastic mudguards (fenders) with custom-fitted stays
  • see my other Rize RX post for the geometry
COMPONENTS
DRIVETRAIN
  • Bafang M620 CAN-BUS mid-drive motor with gearshift sensor, brake cut-off, 170mm crankarms and 44t chainwheel
  • Bafang DP-C18 CAN-BUS display, non-ECO/Sport model, with button control and throttle
  • Shimano Acera or Alivio 9-speed derailleur and shifter (depends upon which part of the 2022 model year run you have)
  • Shimano Alivio HG CS-HG400-9 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34 Hyperglide cassette, all steel cogs
  • shift sensor (probably gearsensor.com's GS model) buried in the battery compartment
BATTERY
  • Zhejiang Tianhong Lithium-Ion Battery Co. Ltd. Model IR-7-U; 14s3p pack comprising:
  • nominal voltage: 51.8V, max voltage: 58.8, max discharge current: 44.1 amps
  • see the Zhejiang Tianhong Lithium-Ion Battery Co. Ltd facebook page for more information on this pack
  • note that this case is almost certainly too narrow to configure the 21700 cells in a normal lateral array, so the cells are probably oriented longitudinally (unverified)
  • direct sourcing this battery pack might be problematic due to variations in wiring and charging socket
--------------------------------

OTHER NOTES

I really like this bike a lot, although I think the wheels are a little funky; I'll probably build new wheels with a 141mm BOOST rear hub at some point. The bike rides nicely and handles well, and is outfitted very reasonably at its price point, which is very moderate for an M620-powered ebike. I'll also be adding a bright flashing tail light for day use.

Here's my bike, set up for urban riding:

IMG_20230212_145859.jpg


One thing I did not like in the original "cockpit" was that the left and right brake levers were not aligned identically, The right lever was butted up to the grip, which gives a natural reach to the lever:

IMG_20230212_145638.jpg


while the left lever was offset by the width of the throttle clamp:

IMG_20230212_145631.jpg


I reoriented this so that left and right levers had the same orientation to the grip. I consider this a (minor) safety issue:

IMG_20230212_152321.jpg


and my thumb is long enough to reach the throttle and controller, so no issues there, except I almost never use the throttle.

Next task: get the cabling in the cockpit cleaned up.

Willie
 
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Nice write up. The only thing I wanted to add was handlebar orientation of "stuff" is pretty easily handled for each owners personal tastes. For instance (with the fact my hands are generally accepted as huge in mind) on my right hand side, I have the shifter next to the hand grip, followed by the throttle (which is not used often), then the brake (which has generally 2 fingers on it at all times). No right/wrong here in my mind, but my justification for a RH throttle is the last 50 or 60 years of my life have been spent with any type of hand throttled toy has had the throttle located there - starting with my first mini bike at about 10 years old.... FWIW, -Al
 
How do you like those transit tour tires? I went with schwalbe super moto x and like them a lot but the goodyears look great
 
How do you like those transit tour tires? I went with schwalbe super moto x and like them a lot but the goodyears look great
I love the Goodyear Transit Tour tires. I have 27.5x2.0. They have wire beads and have a puncture-resistant belt. I now have over 2000 miles of urban riding on them (I deliver Meals-on-Wheels in Austin TX using my Rize RX). I ride across downtown Austin with the usual traffic and road hazards (glass, etc). The tires look pretty much like new - I'm sure I can get another 3000 miles, at least. Punctures have not been a problem at all. And they have a low rolling resistance, IMO.

They are also reasonably light: 740g for the 27.5x2.0. The Schwalbe Super Moto X (which do have a cooler-looking tread pattern, I'll admit) only come in a slightly larger 27.5x2.4 and weigh 1125g. Plus, the Schwalbes are rated only to 55 PSI (4 bar). The Goodyears can take 70 PSI.

I see that Goodyear has expanded their Transit Tour line of tires - when I outfitted my bike 2 years ago, there were only the Transit Tour model that I got. Now there are several variants, in a wide range of sizes.
 
Thanks, if I ever wear out the super moto x tires , I'll try the transit tours. They are indeed a lot lighter and I really like the raised white letters. I know that's not a reason to buy the tire but your report confirms their performance
 
Thanks, if I ever wear out the super moto x tires , I'll try the transit tours. They are indeed a lot lighter and I really like the raised white letters. I know that's not a reason to buy the tire but your report confirms their performance
They also have a reflective whitewall stripe. A bit funky, maybe, but it really glows.
 
You can order the super moto x tires with or without reflective stripes. I got the stripes and I really like them. It enabled me to remove the stupid giant plastic reflectors attached to the spokes. If the rolling resistance is better than the super moto's, I don't see what's not to like. My tires are 2.4's in width, slightly wider than OEM but still clears everything and the difference from the kenda tires it came with is amazing. I ride 90% on tarmac so no need for knobbies which I'm surprised were on the bike to begin with. It's no mountain bike but the super moto x tires still give decent traction on packed dirt
 
Just one more note on the Transit Tours - I recently got caught in a thunderstorm (no fun) on my Rize RX and, like anyone should do, rode cautiously but briskly on my way home. The tires had excellent wet behavior and showed great traction in the rain. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
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