Frey CC

[TomD]

In terms of my brake issues, I ended up ordering authentic Magura QM-42 post mount adapters, blue pads, and MDR-P rotors. It cost me roughly $200. Probably won't have them until next week at the earliest. In the mean time I pulled the brake calipers off to inspect the front and rear post mount adapters that FREY used. This is starting to upset me. They said they substituted Tektro adapters because of supply issues but seem to have f-ed this up. You can see the rear adapter (on top) was ground down 1-2mm but the front adapter (on the bottom) is untouched. I think this is why I had no bite on my front brakes because they forgot to grind them properly to make them fit. This is unacceptable in my opinion and could have led to a dangerous situation if my rear brakes had failed on a steep hill, not to mention a heavy bike with poor brake performance to begin with. This may also be why my rear brakes are making weird noises (ground improperly or too much cumulative stress on the rear brakes) although it could be spoke tension.

 

[brake034]

Tom, for a couple of days I have been following up your reported issue with Ivy.
Ivy send me below text today to post here as she does not have an account on this forum:

"Firstly, we would like to say that about sound issue, sometimes is a little complicated, it can cause by many factors as there are many mechanical parts combined and the frame is full suspension and dynamic. And even the long transportation process is a possible factor because of some minor changes. Anyway, we will be responsible on it and try to support to solve the issue as soon as possible.

We admit that to rear brake come with TEKTRO adapter, that is we cut a little to fit with the brake as we tested in this way, the brake performs better, as rear brake requires to be stronger in our opinion.

Now we realize this way is not professional and will cause misunderstanding. we will not do in this way in future.

Secondly, if you think the front brake is not strong enough, you can adjust a screw on brake lever to make it softer or harder, as different people will have different feeling and requirement on it, here is a picture of the adjustment key:

Thirdly, we will only use the same brand adapters for the future and we will send you a pair of MAGURA adapters today, and we will pay attention on your issue till it is solved well.

For other customers if your bike does not come with same brand adapter as the brake set, you can ask for same brand item, we will send to you.
Our suggestion is that if it performs well without any issue, you can just leave it, as you need to adjust it again if you change the parts."

I hope you can cancel your order for original Magura adapters, which Ivy already agreed to replace answering on your ES post May 22nd?!

With regards to the new MDR-P rotors, can you please try the original rotors with the replacement Magura adapters first please?
If you replace both in one go, it will never be sure if the problem was with the Tektro adapters or with the rotors?!

 

[TomD]

I plan to try one thing at a time. The set of OEM adapters was only $25 and I did not want to wait for however long it would take to arrive from China so I suggested to Ivy they send me a programming cable in lieu of OEM adapters as it's roughly the same cost.

Some of this stuff makes me scratch my head. They say they ground down the rear adapters to make the rear brakes more powerful than the front? I'd think Magura would be the ones determining the appropriate post mount length. Grinding down adapters to be larger or smaller than OEM spec to make the front or rear brakes stronger strikes me as voodoo brake science.

I am beginning to think my rolling drum noise is related to spoke tension. I may need to take the bike to a mechanic to diagnose.

 

[hachster]

@tomdav, thank you for the thorough review of this ebike! I've been looking for a new one and this caught my eye in a really big way. (Truth be told, I'm a little obsessed about it.) I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet because I have to climb up about 8 steps to get to my unit in an apartment building, and I don't know where I can grip the bike to lift it. I thought the middle tube would work until I realized that's where the rear suspension is hidden...at least, that's my thought without having handled the bike in-person. This is where I could use your help. Do you think that middle tube is safe to use as a handle to carry it?

 

[brake034]

I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet because I have to climb up about 8 steps to get to my unit in an apartment building

Maybe you can search for one of those lightweight foldable aluminum ramps that people use to put motorcycles in truck beds?
Better for your back and safer too.

 

[Dave Thefonziscool]

Thats a heavy bike and a lot stairs! I have a CC, like all ultra-motor with large battery e bikes this weighs over 70 lbs. Just wanted to make sure you know that it is difficult to carry and no you cant use the crossbar you spoke of bc you will really be grabbing the bottom of the rockshox unit. I will typically grab it by the seat stay (or seat post) with my right hand and i grab the handlebar close to the center with my left hand. Or hey if you are agile you can literally ride this thing up the stairs! Yes ramps sound good, and it sounds like you are aware that there is no such thing as a bike lock that can protect against a grinder! Good luck. I do recommend the CC as a really cool true Cross Country bike

 

[Browneye]

Cool - factory support in your own thread!
Looks like a fun ebike.

 

[TomD]

@hachster, as Dave says you can grab it by the seatpost (actually just below the seatpost is a better grip) so that's not really an issue. The problem is the bike is so heavy at 73 pounds. I just tried to carry it up a flight of stairs (see image in original post) and thought wiser of it. If you are a body builder you might be able to do it but not an average person. If you have a covered area to store your bike below that might be a better option with a lock like this:

Watch Us Cut This “Angle Grinder-Proof” Bike Lock

The Altor SAF Lock eventually succumbed to the grinder, but it took more than hour of cutting.

www.bicycling.com

 

[hachster]

Thanks @tomdav, @Dave Thefonziscool, and @brake034. I agree with you all that the bike is prohibitively heavy at 73 lbs, when it comes to lifting. brake's idea of using a ramp is not a bad idea, or maybe a set of blocks to wedge in the stairs would do the trick too. If I could leave it out, covered, then I'd seriously consider @tomdav's idea.

What about using the bike's walk mode, or even the lowest throttle setting? The stairs are pretty wide (horizontally), I can imagine making it up using either of those settings. (I haven't ridden an Ultra motor bike yet, so to you, I might be suggesting something crazy.)

 

[TomD]

I thought about that after deciding not to carry it up. The problem is the angle of the stairs and the rear wheel drive. Unless they are deep steps it might be too steep. I just tried to run throttle (walk mode) up the stairs and it seemed like it would go until the rear wheel hit the carpet on the first step, then the rear wheel just spun and left rubber on the carpet lol (fortunately the wife is still sleeping)! The street tires on the CC love to spin on steep uneven terrain. If you had a ramp it might work better. I also tried pulling it up the stairs via the rear rack but that was a no go, the front wheel loves to twirl and catch on the steps. Then I thought what if I carried the bike up with one hand below the seatpost and the other hand on the front fork with the wheel turned 90 degrees. This actually worked! It was heavy but I did it. Coming down was more scary. So it's certainly possible with 1 short flight of stairs, but all it takes is one slip and your shiny new bike might not be so shiny any more.

 

[byunbee]

I thought about that after deciding not to carry it up. The problem is the angle of the stairs and the rear wheel drive. Unless they are deep steps it might be too steep. I just tried to run throttle (walk mode) up the stairs and it seemed like it would go until the rear wheel hit the carpet on the first step, then the rear wheel just spun and left rubber on the carpet lol (fortunately the wife is still sleeping)! The street tires on the CC love to spin on steep uneven terrain. If you had a ramp it might work better. I also tried pulling it up the stairs via the rear rack but that was a no go, the front wheel loves to twirl and catch on the steps. Then I thought what if I carried the bike up with one hand below the seatpost and the other hand on the front fork with the wheel turned 90 degrees. This actually worked! It was heavy but I did it. Coming down was more scary. So it's certainly possible with 1 short flight of stairs, but all it takes is one slip and your shiny new bike mike not be so shiny any more.

You can always try riding it up the stairs. I see a lot of videos of that with these powerful motors.

 

[hachster]

I thought about that after deciding not to carry it up. The problem is the angle of the stairs and the rear wheel drive. Unless they are deep steps it might be too steep. I just tried to run throttle (walk mode) up the stairs and it seemed like it would go until the rear wheel hit the carpet on the first step, then the rear wheel just spun and left rubber on the carpet lol (fortunately the wife is still sleeping)! The street tires on the CC love to spin on steep uneven terrain. If you had a ramp it might work better. I also tried pulling it up the stairs via the rear rack but that was a no go, the front wheel loves to twirl and catch on the steps. Then I thought what if I carried the bike up with one hand below the seatpost and the other hand on the front fork with the wheel turned 90 degrees. This actually worked! It was heavy but I did it. Coming down was more scary. So it's certainly possible with 1 short flight of stairs, but all it takes is one slip and your shiny new bike might not be so shiny any more.

I don't know if you tried carrying it up the stairs before, or you attempted it on my behalf, but thank you either way! This is really helpful info. My stairs are steep but there's no carpet (and no wife to worry about leaving marks, haha), so the walk-mode might work. Probably the best solution will include a ramp of some sort. I imagine throttling up the stairs on a rainy day might be a recipe for disaster. Worst case scenario, I'll start hitting the gym so I can carry the damn thing up. (Just kidding.)

 

[TomD]

I don't have a bike repair stand and the ones I looked at online seemed like they were only recommended up to 60 lb or so. There are heavier duty stands but seem like you have to attach by the seat post and I'm not so sure how well that works. All I needed to do was lift my rear wheel to clean my chain and relube so I improvised with a ladder in the garage and some velcro strap that came with some exercise equipment for moving. Worked great to lift the rear wheel off the ground and the ladder steps actually provide a nice place to put tools.

 

[byunbee]

I don't have a bike repair stand and the ones I looked at online seemed like they were only recommended up to 60 lb or so. There are heavier duty stands but seem like you have to attach by the seat post and I'm not so sure how well that works. All I needed to do was lift my rear wheel to clean my chain and relube so I improvised with a ladder in the garage and some velcro strap that came with some exercise equipment for moving. Worked great to lift the rear wheel off the ground and the ladder steps actually provide a nice place to put tools.

View attachment 53696

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PDS5M7H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Park Tool PCS-9.2 works really well and is rated for 80lbs.

 

[TomD]

I've noted reviews of that stand mentioning heavier bikes fell off. Does not inspire confidence. Also, park tools tends to get poor reviews in general for their stands. Doesn't seem worth the park tools premium. If I invest in a heavy duty stand it will probably be the Feedback Sports Pro Elite:

https://www.amazon.com/Feedback-Sports-Elite-Repair-Stand/dp/B001F2XGNA/

 

[byunbee]

I've noted reviews of that stand mentioning heavier bikes fell off. Does not inspire confidence. Also, park tools tends to get poor reviews in general for their stands. Doesn't seem worth the park tools premium. If I invest in a heavy duty stand it will probably be the Feedback Sports Pro Elite:

https://www.amazon.com/Feedback-Sports-Elite-Repair-Stand/dp/B001F2XGNA/

That stand looks nice too. So far I've had no issues with Park Tool PCS-9.2.

 

[byunbee]

I will mention that any stand if you don't balance the bike correctly, the stand can fall. Also, you should never have the battery in place when working on the bike so that's about 7-8lb you can subtract from the total weight.

 

[hachster]

I have the Park Tools stand that's the less expensive version of 9.2 and have used it to hold 40-50 lb bikes without issue. It's also rated for 80lbs. I imagine the CC will weigh around 65 lbs without the battery, which is still 15 lbs lighter than the max load.

 

[BillyKidd]

Hey Tomdav. I just got a Park10.2 and have had my Luna X1 on and off it like 20 times. No problems. I bought 3 bikes felt it was worth the investment.

 

[TomD]

The thing I like about the pro elite is the quick mount. But for now ladder and velcro strap is working well for my skill set limited to derailer adjustment and chain lube and turning the bike upside down for brake alignment.

Getting back to my rear brake issues. I just took the wheels to a mechanic to check to make sure they were true. I noticed a little wobble when I was cleaning the chain. He basically said everything was fine but the tires had a slight bulge making it look like it was out of balance but everything was within tolerance. The only thing I haven't really tried is swapping the rear brake pads with the front brake pads. Swapping the post mount adapters made no difference in terms of the rear noise and I was surprised I didn't really get much more bite on my front brakes either even with the ground down adapters from the rear.