Cannondale Topstone Gravel Ebike

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Spicy Legato, I've had my Lefty back to the shop I bought it from for the same noise problem. They told me that a bolt that holds the motor to the frame had loosened a bit and that this was causing the noise. Torquing the bolt back to specs did fix the noise, but It's come back, so I'd like to know how to do this myself too.
 
IMG_20210413_095330.jpg

A few days ago I was pedaling at high speed, shifted, and threw the chain. It wedged between the cassette and chainstain, gouging the frame.
 
Deacon Blues said:
Was that a one, two, or three beer charge time? :p
Click to expand...
Two pints plus eggs benedict. I only charged for 2 hours, and it was just enough to get me home. All total I did 122 miles over nine hours. Some of it was straight up mountain biking, as well as carrying the bike up and down some stairs. I instantly passed out on the couch as soon as I got home. Thought I would be too tired to ride today, but I wasn't.
 
I went for nice, easy 30 something km ride with my wife today. It was a very nice, warm day (for a change) and I have to say I'm very happy with my Lefty 3....with one exception.
I really dislike the shifter/derailleur.
The shifts aren't a problem, it's the way it shifts. For lack of a better word each shift, especially in one direction, is accompanied with a CLUNK.
The shifts feel crude and there is no joy in shifting through the gears.
It's like driving a beautiful sports car with a clunky, poor shifting transmission.

My flat bar setup is using Deore components, but their shifting quality feels about the same as the GRX shifter/derailleur I had on the bike for the first 2500km.
In my opinion both suck. Maybe I just spoiled from riding my carbon road bike with its awesome Di2 shifters.

Which brings me to the reason for my rant......the new (and much cheaper) Sram Eagle AXS.
I would like to have this new shifter installed on my Lefty, but I have no idea if it is possible with the Lefty setup.
Would I need a Sram cassette?
Would a Sram cassette even fit on my cabon wheel that's set up for a Shimano cassette?

Before I ask my local bike shop for advice, does anyone on this thread have an opinion as to whether this new Sram shifter will fit on my Lefty?
 
I have a Sram AXS derarilleur installed on my Trek Allant 9.9S working a shimano 12 speed 1-51 tooth cassette and chain which requires the microspline driver on the freehub. It is a fantastic set up. I wish I had it on my Lefty Neo 3 but it does not work with the GRX shifter on the drop bars so I would have to swap out the entire GRX group set, brakes and all for the Sram. It would work fine on your flat bars. Just a caution: the bigger the large cog on a cassette, the louder the "clunk". Those big 50+ tooth salad plates just resonate. I can't vouch for the new, less expensive units but the higher priced original ones are brilliant.
 
Deacon Blues said:
I went for nice, easy 30 something km ride with my wife today. It was a very nice, warm day (for a change) and I have to say I'm very happy with my Lefty 3....with one exception.
I really dislike the shifter/derailleur.
The shifts aren't a problem, it's the way it shifts. For lack of a better word each shift, especially in one direction, is accompanied with a CLUNK.
The shifts feel crude and there is no joy in shifting through the gears.
It's like driving a beautiful sports car with a clunky, poor shifting transmission.

My flat bar setup is using Deore components, but their shifting quality feels about the same as the GRX shifter/derailleur I had on the bike for the first 2500km.
In my opinion both suck. Maybe I just spoiled from riding my carbon road bike with its awesome Di2 shifters.

Which brings me to the reason for my rant......the new (and much cheaper) Sram Eagle AXS.
I would like to have this new shifter installed on my Lefty, but I have no idea if it is possible with the Lefty setup.
Would I need a Sram cassette?
Would a Sram cassette even fit on my cabon wheel that's set up for a Shimano cassette?

Before I ask my local bike shop for advice, does anyone on this thread have an opinion as to whether this new Sram shifter will fit on my Lefty?
Click to expand...
I really wish the Topstone had a gates carbon drive paired with internal geared hub. It would be worth the premium cost. I hate chains, and I hate derailleurs. I'd go single speed, but that doesn't make sense with a sub 2 kW ebike.
 
I have a WattWagons Helios, with a belt drive and Kindernay hydraulic hub, coming soon (fingers crossed).
I'm really looking forward to trying out this setup.

I have considered buying an Archer electronic shifter, but I'm not sure if it would make that much of a difference.
archercomponents.com

Archer Components Electronic Shifting for Every Bike

Electronic shifting systems for every bike. 100% compatible with any rear derailleur. Any number of gears. SRAM, Shimano, TRP, Campy, Box. We work great with everyone! This is the only electronic shifter you need for your bike.
archercomponents.com archercomponents.com
 
The belt drive with internal hub is suitable for use on a heavier, touring bikea and totally ill-suited for a bike with a more lightweight, sporty purpose. I have owned a nuvinci with a belt as well as two bikea with Rohloffs and belts. I would never put that heavy, slow to respond drive train on a Topstone Neo Carbon...total mismatch. I am not keen on the drive train on the Neo 3 but the one on the Neo 1 or 2 are outstanding. My Neo 3 now has a 48 tooth front chain ring with an 11-46 tooth cassette, not ideal but way better than stock.

Derailleur based drive trains can be repaired, adjusted and changed out at any bike shop, or even at home with a few specialty bike tools. Enviolo/Vario hubs have to be replaced if they fail, totally unrepairable. Rohloff hubs, are great....until they have a problem. One of mine was out of commission for over four months in the bike's first year. a $10,000 USD bike waiting for parts due to a poorly chosen, exclusive, authorized warranty service provider to get to it. After that I lost faith in the brand. My hub needed a replacement inner seal to fix a bad oil leak that was getting oil on my brake rotor and leaving a puddle of oil on the floor. I would rather clean and lube my chain than ever rely on a Rohloff again.

Be careful what you wish for.
 
Richard, I also would never consider putting another motor in my Lefty. I love the Bosch gen 4 motor (except for the speed limiter we have here in Canada).
On the other hand that big Bafang motor will, I think, be a good match for the much heavier Helios (63 pounds est.)
I also have some concerns about the hoops I'd have to go through to get a Rohloff repaired, should it fail. That's why I'm going with the Kindernay hub, Mind you, I may also have the same problem with the Kindernay, in that no one in Canada will be able to repair it. The good news is the hub can be taken out of the wheel and sent away in a much smaller package.
 
Deacon Blues said:
Richard, I also would never consider putting another motor in my Lefty. I love the Bosch gen 4 motor (except for the speed limiter we have here in Canada).
On the other hand that big Bafang motor will, I think, be a good match for the much heavier Helios (63 pounds est.)
I also have some concerns about the hoops I'd have to go through to get a Rohloff repaired, should it fail. That's why I'm going with the Kindernay hub, Mind you, I may also have the same problem with the Kindernay, in that no one in Canada will be able to repair it. The good news is the hub can be taken out of the wheel and sent away in a much smaller package.
Click to expand...
The more exotic or unusual the essential equipment on your bike, the more important it is to have more than one bike. Otherwise it is easy to end up without a one for extended periods, most likely during prime bike riding season. This it the hard lesson the Rohloff with belt drive taught me.
 
I got my bike back from REI. The mechanic found that the creaking sound I have been hearing is coming from where the battery and frame meet, and can be recreated by simply pushing near the seam. It doesn't seem like a big deal, whereas a loose motor bolt could be a big deal if left unaddressed.

I upgraded the front brake rotor, with the hope that the squeaking would stop. Unfortunately, it got worse. I guess it is likely a caliper/pad issue. It doesn't seem to squeek in a stand, so the mechanics might not notice it. I hope it not something bent or otherwise misaligned in a way that can't be easily fixed. The new icetech rotor works really well, however.
 
A while back I read, somewhere on this forum, that some pads squeak a lot more than others. There was one type of pad that was recommended to cure most squeaks, but I can't remember which one.
Maybe Richard can remember which pad I'm talking about.
 
I actually find organics to be more prone to squealing, especially when contaminated or wet. Sintered pads tend to make a grinding sound, especially under hard braking.
 
I use sintered metal pads on most bikes. I find they brake best, last longest but can be noisy. The way I break them in keeps them mostly quiet except on hard braking when they make a gurgling water sort of sound...not loud.
 
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