Frey
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coldriderwi
Active Member
Looks sharp in matte black. I’m dying for user feedback on this bike. I must have watched the YouTube video from electrek at least a dozen times!
Did you do any customization with components? Are you using yours strictly as a commuter?
Did you do any customization with components? Are you using yours strictly as a commuter?
TomD
Well-Known Member
@coldriderwi I ordered it with rack, lights, and fenders. It was a small upcharge. I also asked for ergonomic grips. I may have them to throw in a $20 programming cable as I hear the stock Bafang torque sensing settings on the Ultra needs some tuning. I'm on the fence about the matte black. Just doesn't seem to exude the quality of the glossier colors. Could just be the lighting.
The latter is eggbert's bike. He hasn't posted an update but seemed like he should have his bike by now.
The latter is eggbert's bike. He hasn't posted an update but seemed like he should have his bike by now.
coldriderwi
Active Member
I hear ya on the matte black. I like it....but I would prefer something with a little more pizazz than that. The CC is hard because it is all a solid color with no real contrasting color options like they have on the AM. So you really have to like the color. I’ve seen other matte black bikes in person and they look pretty nice.
I’m looking at the egg rider for a more discreet display. Also allows you to program the ultra from your phone. Seems nice.
Good call on ergo grips I hadn’t thought of that.
The CC does have the option for a 29” wheel so I’m considering that too.
What are your planned uses for it? Just commuting?
I’m looking at the egg rider for a more discreet display. Also allows you to program the ultra from your phone. Seems nice.
Good call on ergo grips I hadn’t thought of that.
The CC does have the option for a 29” wheel so I’m considering that too.
What are your planned uses for it? Just commuting?
TomD
Well-Known Member
Hmm, I didn't realize it has the option for 29" wheels. Now I'm re-thinking that! They said my CC wouldn't be built until the end of the month when they have all parts for the group buy orders so I can still tweak things. I will probably go with red. Ivy said it looks the best.
I got the CC for all around use. I'm retired so mostly just for exercise. In summer I ride fire roads on my current BBS01 mid-drive and it does fine but only has a 350 Wh in tube battery. After 2000' of gain even with a lot of pedaling my battery is down to 20%, so I got the CC for longer rides. I think it will do fine on fire roads even with non MTB tires.
I got the CC for all around use. I'm retired so mostly just for exercise. In summer I ride fire roads on my current BBS01 mid-drive and it does fine but only has a 350 Wh in tube battery. After 2000' of gain even with a lot of pedaling my battery is down to 20%, so I got the CC for longer rides. I think it will do fine on fire roads even with non MTB tires.
Would love to simply test ride one of these bikes. Not likely since there are no dealers. Maybe that’s a good thing. If I rode one, then with all that torque and power I might absolutely,positively, have to get one.
That red really rocks!
That red really rocks!
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TomD
Well-Known Member
I'm not usually a red guy, but agree, the red just looks good on that bike. Funny, I had a Luna X1 in matte black with black decals. It was absolutely stunning, not sure if the frame being carbon added some shimmer, but that's the pop I was hoping for on the CC. I think the Luna X1 looks dreadful in red with white decals.
Paul Dugrenier
Member
I live in upstate New York where ebike laws are in limbo until our governor signs a proposed bill legalizing 3 classes of ebike. Our local bike shops typically have had a very limited selection of prohibitively expensive Specialized and Trek models to test ride so I depend on video reviews and forums like this to learn what to look for in an ebike.
I’m a semi-retired 68 year old with a one month old knee replacement looking for an ebike I can use for both road and trails. In late December I watched Micah Toll’s video review of the new Frey CC model and I thought I had found what I was looking for.
I was very hesitant to consider purchasing a bike directly from China, but after extensive research I was convinced that Frey sells high quality products and cares about their customers. I ordered the CC model at the deadline for the special shipment to the U.S. but started having second thoughts about whether a step through design was right for me. I started watching the Frey tour videos of the mountain ebikes which looked like great fun. Although at my age I would never ride as aggressively as those riders, I decided that I want a bike that’s more capable off road. I then looked at the HT1000 hard tail model that would be better off road and less expensive than the CC. More research showed that a full suspension bike is better on challenging trails than a hard tail which led me to the full suspension AM1000 which was Frey‘s first ebike and I believe the first to use the Bafang Ultra motor.
I ordered my AM1000 on January 15th which unfortunately caused me to miss the special shipping option so instead of $300, I paid $550 for sea shipping. Even though the stock AM1000 is well configured, I ordered several upgrades that put me past what I expected to spend.
For anyone interested, there is a forum on endless-sphere called “ My Bafang Ultra mountain bike! Frey AM1000” that started October 13, 2017 and is still active today. I’ve read all 75 pages of comments that document the experience of AM1000 owners. It is a treasure of information about this bike and Ivy Wang, the co-owner of Frey, monitors the site. Any gripes by the rare disgruntled customer are quickly addressed and appear to be resolved amicably.
There are quite a few gear heads posting to that forum and based on their comments I upgraded my front shock to a Lyric. I added a seat post dropper, fenders, lights, and a rear rack. I also purchased an additional 52v17.5ah battery and charger. The beauty of the Bafang Ultra motor is that it is programmable by the end user. Frey believes that the motor is optimally programmed when it leaves the factory but will provide a programming cable and configuration tool to adjust tha PAS settings, if requested.
I would like to mention that the bikes have been shipping with a 48v21ah battery which is standard for the Ultra motor.
However, there are several sources that state that the 52v17.5 battery option is not only compatible with the Ultra motor, it actually performs better. Micah Toll gave a nice explanation in one of his videos if you’re interested.
The Chinese Spring Festival is supposed to end tomorrow, so hopefully Frey will be back to work next week, if the corona virus hasn’t shut everything down. Grace from Frey gave me an expected shipping date of March 15th, but maybe sooner and I expect it will take another month or so to be delivered. In the meantime, I’ll keep watching this forum.
Have a good day!
I’m a semi-retired 68 year old with a one month old knee replacement looking for an ebike I can use for both road and trails. In late December I watched Micah Toll’s video review of the new Frey CC model and I thought I had found what I was looking for.
I was very hesitant to consider purchasing a bike directly from China, but after extensive research I was convinced that Frey sells high quality products and cares about their customers. I ordered the CC model at the deadline for the special shipment to the U.S. but started having second thoughts about whether a step through design was right for me. I started watching the Frey tour videos of the mountain ebikes which looked like great fun. Although at my age I would never ride as aggressively as those riders, I decided that I want a bike that’s more capable off road. I then looked at the HT1000 hard tail model that would be better off road and less expensive than the CC. More research showed that a full suspension bike is better on challenging trails than a hard tail which led me to the full suspension AM1000 which was Frey‘s first ebike and I believe the first to use the Bafang Ultra motor.
I ordered my AM1000 on January 15th which unfortunately caused me to miss the special shipping option so instead of $300, I paid $550 for sea shipping. Even though the stock AM1000 is well configured, I ordered several upgrades that put me past what I expected to spend.
For anyone interested, there is a forum on endless-sphere called “ My Bafang Ultra mountain bike! Frey AM1000” that started October 13, 2017 and is still active today. I’ve read all 75 pages of comments that document the experience of AM1000 owners. It is a treasure of information about this bike and Ivy Wang, the co-owner of Frey, monitors the site. Any gripes by the rare disgruntled customer are quickly addressed and appear to be resolved amicably.
There are quite a few gear heads posting to that forum and based on their comments I upgraded my front shock to a Lyric. I added a seat post dropper, fenders, lights, and a rear rack. I also purchased an additional 52v17.5ah battery and charger. The beauty of the Bafang Ultra motor is that it is programmable by the end user. Frey believes that the motor is optimally programmed when it leaves the factory but will provide a programming cable and configuration tool to adjust tha PAS settings, if requested.
I would like to mention that the bikes have been shipping with a 48v21ah battery which is standard for the Ultra motor.
However, there are several sources that state that the 52v17.5 battery option is not only compatible with the Ultra motor, it actually performs better. Micah Toll gave a nice explanation in one of his videos if you’re interested.
The Chinese Spring Festival is supposed to end tomorrow, so hopefully Frey will be back to work next week, if the corona virus hasn’t shut everything down. Grace from Frey gave me an expected shipping date of March 15th, but maybe sooner and I expect it will take another month or so to be delivered. In the meantime, I’ll keep watching this forum.
Have a good day!
TomD
Well-Known Member
Same here. But I cringe every time they play chariots of fire with that heavy steel bike going over a jump in slow motion proclaiming "this is a FREY bike in it's natural habitat".
Paul Dugrenier
Member
It seems bike parks are popular there and in many parts of Europe. Here in New York its still illegal to ride an ebike even on fire trails in our 6 million acre Adirondack park. If our legislators could see past their nose, they would see the possibility of creating ebike tourism that would benefit the struggling rural towns in the region. The current legislation would allow class 3 ebikes only in NYC and no ebikes upstate on roads with speed limits above 30mph. That makes perfect sense, right?
coldriderwi
Active Member
This was the response I got from grace:
One thing I’d be concerned about it the ease of removing the battery. Looks like it comes out from the bottom so a larger wheel may require you to turn the wheel to the side to get the battery in and out.
29” would seem to be ideal for commuting. With the reduced width I’m not sure how much of an impact that would have off road.
TomD
Well-Known Member
Thanks, I think I'll stick with the 27.5 for the wider tires. Decided to change color to red. Plan to add a spare set of Maxxis MTB tires to swap out if the Moto-X don't suffice on fire roads, programming cable, and maybe a spare battery. Wondering what else I could be missing? Don't need an extra charger for work.
it is not a fast charger, for 2 batteries if you ride a lot you have to keep juggling , charge when you get home
, may not finish before you go to bed but change to the other battery, it completes then change to the 1st battery in the morning to complete both
this is what I do for 1of my bikes to ride daily
, may not finish before you go to bed but change to the other battery, it completes then change to the 1st battery in the morning to complete both
this is what I do for 1of my bikes to ride daily
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coldriderwi
Active Member
@Sinbord1981 do you know if Frey will install a Rohloff on any of their models (particularly the CC or AM)?
Lots of people seem to be upgrading to the EX1 drivetrain and the cassette alone is over $300 USD. Getting a Rohloff up front may be cheaper in the long run and be more reliable.
Lots of people seem to be upgrading to the EX1 drivetrain and the cassette alone is over $300 USD. Getting a Rohloff up front may be cheaper in the long run and be more reliable.
Paul Dugrenier
Member
Hi Simon, I’m glad to see you posting here and I expect to be seeking your advice many times on this forum. I just watched your video of the Bafang Ultra regrease and I have a few questions about it.
When you first opened the casing did you think there was insufficient grease?
Does Frey inspect the motors to ensure adequate grease before bike assembly?
Is the motor quieter after your regrease?
Is the red grease you used higher quality than the stock grease?
Have you ever experienced problems with this motor due to internal friction ?
I also have a few questions about the bike itself.
After watching your unboxing video of the AM1000 a couple of weeks ago, I requested a color change on the one I ordered from matte black to the same glossy gold flecked black as yours.
Are you happy with the metallic paint job? Do you wish you had gone with a different paint scheme?
Are the stock chainring and cassette strong enough for this motor or should they be upgraded at the Frey factory?
I believe the bike comes with a 40 teeth chainring. Why did you increase to 46 teeth?
I think you stated previously that you bought aftermarket fenders for your bike. I ordered mine directly from Frey. In your opinion are the factory installed ones worth purchasing?
This is my first ebike which makes me an old newbie so I really appreciate having your expertise to guide me through this build. I know I’ve asked a lot of questions but hopefully they’ll help others as well. I originally ordered the CC model but your videos on the trails made me want a more off road capable bike.
Thanks for your help Simon.
When you first opened the casing did you think there was insufficient grease?
Does Frey inspect the motors to ensure adequate grease before bike assembly?
Is the motor quieter after your regrease?
Is the red grease you used higher quality than the stock grease?
Have you ever experienced problems with this motor due to internal friction ?
I also have a few questions about the bike itself.
After watching your unboxing video of the AM1000 a couple of weeks ago, I requested a color change on the one I ordered from matte black to the same glossy gold flecked black as yours.
Are you happy with the metallic paint job? Do you wish you had gone with a different paint scheme?
Are the stock chainring and cassette strong enough for this motor or should they be upgraded at the Frey factory?
I believe the bike comes with a 40 teeth chainring. Why did you increase to 46 teeth?
I think you stated previously that you bought aftermarket fenders for your bike. I ordered mine directly from Frey. In your opinion are the factory installed ones worth purchasing?
This is my first ebike which makes me an old newbie so I really appreciate having your expertise to guide me through this build. I know I’ve asked a lot of questions but hopefully they’ll help others as well. I originally ordered the CC model but your videos on the trails made me want a more off road capable bike.
Thanks for your help Simon.
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
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I'm sorry but I've seen a fair number of DOA and poorly lubed motors in the 5 years I've been doing support for BBSxx resellers. Not checking lubrication is a mistake. I just helped a fellow yesterday, his PAS didn't work, we found bent pins in the internal connections. FROM THE FACTORY.
Good on you! It's a much better choice than the clay-based product the purported gurus are suggesting. AND there will be no compatibility problems with the grease they use on the plastic gears.
Frey sells direct to customers at the same price they propose to dealers. Odd bunch, but nice bikes!
Paul Dugrenier
Member
Thanks for your quick response Simon. I’m glad to hear that you like the paint job. I think I ordered just about every option including the gear sensor and I ordered 2 derailleur hangers. I certainly won’t be as an aggressive rider as you but I’m looking to ride on some challenging terrain. I’m hoping to avoid severe crashes so I don’t damage my new bike. I’m heading out now to a brew pub with some friends. I’ll be talking their ears off about my new bike. Thanks again.
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