Frey

coldriderwi said:
Do you have an album you can share with various colors that they have done? It helps to see past examples when choosing a color :)
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The (future) owner of the green CC posted this on Reddit:
"They appear to use this https://www.y-s-paint.com.tw/page/product/p03.aspx?kind=59 The paint code on my bike is ys 9197 which matches here. This is what I got from them after I suggested a colour
https://imgur.com/a/mnoJfAK
"

I don't know if Frey has access to that whole catalog or some subset of it, but there appears to be a wide range of colors and finishes. I would love to know which paint codes they use for the red CC and the copper EX as that would help clarify how close/far off the Y.S. online catalog is from the real world finish.
 
wow that Matte Black may be my Favorite of the three! very nice!
 
Sinbord1981 said:
Hi Paul & welcome - yes I can help to answer such questions going forwards here for the benefit of all, for whatever wisdom it is I think I bring!

To me it looked a little light on grease. I'd had a few people commenting on my videos of me riding the bike saying that the motor sounded noisy and that they shipped from the Bafang factory without sufficient grease in them. I must add that in those videos I had my little camera mounted to the bikes handlebars so you do get quite a lot of inductive noise picked up and its really not that noisy at all. You could barely hear it above wind & road noise. That feedback on the noise thoudh made me start looking deeper at what other people had been doing with the motor and that's why I decided to open mine up but also because I wanted a bit of hands on to know that I could remove the motor from my bike, service it and replace it. It will help if there are ever any warranty type issues for my customers in the UK, so I can take the motor out to return it etc. HOWEVER - my view is now different: having been to the Bafang factory in Suzhou (
), they do so much testing on these motors, checking each one on the bench before they ship it out, that I now think it completely unnecessary to open it up like I did. They build so many of these motors as you will see in the video of the Bafang factory tour. I've also had comments back saying that I put too much grease in. My testing since has proved my motor to be running very nicely now. It's super quiet and super powerful, so I don't think what I did had any detrimental impact but it will invalidate your warranty on the motor by opening it up (that was a risk I went in to with my eyes wide open). My recommendation is to NOT do this. I'm a bit of a tinkerer anyway, and given my time again I would still probably open it up and do but then I'm coming to this from a slightly different angle in that I want to understand these eBikes right down to the nuts and bolts.

So back to your questions. Yes, it is quieter now. Yes the red Mobile SHC100 is a higher grade aircraft grease and better quality than the standard stuff that comes inside. No, I've never experienced any issues with internal friction in the motor.

The high gloss metallic black with gold powder YS2296 on my bike is awesome. The quality of the finish is superb and you won't be dissapointed. I sold another AM1000 in the UK just last week to a chap in the same finish. It's subtle, still quite stealthy but in the sun the gold really glints nicely. I've spec'd various other colour options up for other customers of mine in the UK now. I do like bright colours but I went for this black to try and hit the sweet spot on what I thought my customers might like. Some customers order bespoke through me but I try to hold some stock and it can be difficult trying to second guess what colours people like and the overall spec of the bike as they are so highly customisable from Frey. There is a huge catalogue of colours to choose from and it can be quite bewildering. I recommend that you have some idea of colour before you try to choose as they all look great. One of my customers recently spec'd an electric blue EX and the colour really pops off the page (see attached picture)!

Stick with the stock gearing to start with. I changed mine as I do A LOT of cycling anyway and have fairly strong legs. It just works for me. Again I was just playing around with what I could. I suggest just seeing how you get on with it to start with. Bafang really do know what they're doing with this motor and once you start playing with it you are messing witht he gearing ration between the pedals and the reductions inside the motor. Once you've got some miles under your belt we can discuss again!

The factory fenders are great value. I put mud huggers on mine just because I like the styling but they're quite a lot more money. The stock ones do the exact same job. Make sure you get the gear sensor and chain catcher. The chain catcher comes pretty much standard on all the builds now but the gear sensor's an add on.

Good luck with it Paul!
Click to expand...
Thanks for including the paint code for your bike. Someone posted a link to the paint catalog and I looked up YS2296 (page 25) and saw the paint sample. It looks great ! Can you really choose any color on the chart for a Frey bike? If so, they should refer customers to the chart to choose a color.When I ordered my bike I didn’t know there were more than a few choices.
 
I am guessing they don't go out of their way to mention it because it likely requires more effort to produce one-off colors and there is greater chance that the customer doesn't get what they expected. After I saw the matte black sample I mentioned that I wasn't sure I liked it and asked what other color sample images they had. Ivy replied back red and cream. They did not mention or bring up color swatches up as an option.
 
Yes I was thinking that too many options might not be a good idea for Frey especially if the bike color doesn’t match the sample in the catalog.
 
Paul Dugrenier said:
Thanks for including the paint code for your bike. Someone posted a link to the paint catalog and I looked up YS2296 (page 25) and saw the paint sample. It looks great ! Can you really choose any color on the chart for a Frey bike? If so, they should refer customers to the chart to choose a color.When I ordered my bike I didn’t know there were more than a few choices.
Click to expand...

Hi Simon, I was wondering if you know if the Frey factory has opened up after the holidays and the virus situation?
 
@Sinbord1981 do you think there are new versions of the AM and HT in the near future? Looks like the 5.0 came up in April 2019 and the 4.0 in April 2018. Think that pattern will continue?
 
coldriderwi said:
This was the response I got from grace:

29" wheel is available, the width of the tire must less than 2.2".
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

FYI I was told by Ivy the maximum width for 27.5" wheels with fenders on the CC is 2.4" (2.8" is possible without fenders) so for the 29" may be even less than 2.2" with fenders. This was for the Moto X tires. I'm not sure if a MTB tire would need more clearance.
 
Sinbord1981 said:
Hey tomdav! I’d suggest making sure it’s coming with the chain catcher - I think they’re all pretty much shipping as standard with these now. I also recommend to my customers to get the gear sensor. This is a little gadget that senses when you change gear (up or down) and momentarily cuts the power to the motor. It’s a bit of a fail safe device to stop you mashing the gears and chain. Finally it’s probably also worth getting an extra derailleur hanger as these are bespoke to the bike and it can be a common breakage if you crash heavily on the right hand side of the bike. You’ll see that this is exactly what I did when jumping on Frey’s new demo EX at the Brave Peak Bike Park in China. The bike came off a lot better than me and whilst I crashed on the right hand side of the bike the derailleur hanger was actually fine. Still worth getting one with your bike though as they are only low cost. Cheers!
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Simon, thanks for all of your great input. I’m planning to buy a Frey to ship the US in the next few weeks. Do you have any idea how Coronavirus is or will be affecting things?
 
Dave Sloan said:
... Do you have any idea how Coronavirus is or will be affecting things?
Click to expand...
Surely that is a question only Frey can answer, and it changes daily your best to cover that with them when ordering if you are really concerned.
 
My impression is they have been super busy the last 2 weeks. Before Chinese New Year I had no problem hearing back within 12 hours. Now I'm lucky if they respond within 2-3 days if at all, and the finer details seem to get lost in the exchanges. I think they are slammed getting the group buy shipped out in time, not necessarily the Coronavirus although it may have thrown some wrinkles into to their processes.
 
Hi Simon,

Thanks for all the useful information you've been posting here. I watch your videos and they are nicely done. I've also recently ordered the AM1000. I will use it mostly for commuting with occasional trail riding. The AM1000 high end spec seemed a little overkill so I ordered the basic spec with some choice upgrades. Do you see anything I missed or strongly recommend?
  • AM1000 5.0 Medium Basic Spec (I'm 5'9" with 29.5" Inseam - I'm hoping Medium is right size)
  • Glossy Black with Gold Powder (Change from Matte Black after watching your video :))
  • Magura MT5e Brake Upgrade
  • 48V 21Ah Battery Upgrade
  • ROCHSHOX Recon RC BOOST 150MM Front
  • ROCKSHOX Monarch RL 200*57MM Rear
  • Shimano Acera 8 Speed Group Set
  • 40T Crank Wheel
  • KMC 8 Speed Chain
  • CST BFT 27.5x3 Tires
  • QUANTA 110*15mm Front Hub
  • QUANTA 148*12mm Rear Hub
  • Gear Sensor Upgrade
  • Extra Charger Extra
  • F/R Lights Upgrade
I'm on the fence about the rear rack and the F/R fenders because I haven't seen too many MTBs with rear fenders or racks. Do racks rattle when you ride or have any potential issues when riding on trails?

The reason I'm on the fence is that the upgrade cost is reasonable $20-$25 and they are made for the bike.

FYI, the chain catcher you keep mentioning is standard with AM1000 5.0 for both the basic and high end specs.

Your thoughts? Thanks in advance.
 
I'm curious why you went with the AM over the CC since your primary use is commuting. My use case is the same as yours and haven't made a decision yet.
 
byunbee. I thought these two items came standard with the bike and were not upgrades.
  • Magura MT5e Brake
  • 48V 21Ah Battery
I am looking at the cc and they are standard with that model I think. If I decide to get one I will probably add the fenders, lights and maybe the rack because I will mainly be commuting and also extra derailleur hanger $10. Simon is a great help for those looking at a Frey.
 
Last edited:
byunbee said:
Hi Simon,

Thanks for all the useful information you've been posting here. I watch your videos and they are nicely done. I've also recently ordered the AM1000. I will use it mostly for commuting with occasional trail riding. The AM1000 high end spec seemed a little overkill so I ordered the basic spec with some choice upgrades. Do you see anything I missed or strongly recommend?
  • AM1000 5.0 Medium Basic Spec (I'm 5'9" with 29.5" Inseam - I'm hoping Medium is right size)
  • Glossy Black with Gold Powder (Change from Matte Black after watching your video :))
  • Magura MT5e Brake Upgrade
  • 48V 21Ah Battery Upgrade
  • ROCHSHOX Recon RC BOOST 150MM Front
  • ROCKSHOX Monarch RL 200*57MM Rear
  • Shimano Acera 8 Speed Group Set
  • 40T Crank Wheel
  • KMC 8 Speed Chain
  • CST BFT 27.5x3 Tires
  • QUANTA 110*15mm Front Hub
  • QUANTA 148*12mm Rear Hub
  • Gear Sensor Upgrade
  • Extra Charger Extra
  • F/R Lights Upgrade
I'm on the fence about the rear rack and the F/R fenders because I haven't seen too many MTBs with rear fenders or racks. Do racks rattle when you ride or have any potential issues when riding on trails?

The reason I'm on the fence is that the upgrade cost is reasonable $20-$25 and they are made for the bike.

FYI, the chain catcher you keep mentioning is standard with AM1000 5.0 for both the basic and high end specs.

Your thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I have an AM1000 on order as well. I think Simon would agree that a medium frame is right for you. We must have similar taste as I ordered that same color after seeing Simon’s video (originally requested matte black). May I assume that the upgrade on the battery is to a 52v17.5Ah battery? There are several AM1000 owners who have commented on the higher performance of the 52v battery. You mentioned that you’re getting an extra charger. Are you getting an another battery as well? You may never need it but it’s nice to know you can go full throttle all day if you want. I ordered mine with the fenders, lights,rack ,gear sensor, and additional battery. I’m planning to ride mostly trails but want the option for downhill and touring. If I decide I don’t the rack I can remove it. I’m sure the Yari front shock would perform just fine but I upgraded to the lyrik for the bling factor. After watching a lot of downhill videos I upgraded to a dropper seat post that I’ll want in the bike parks. I think the price for the upgrades was more than reasonable. The price for an additional 500w battery from Specialized is $1000. The 1008w battery from Frey is less than half that price. I’m not expecting much from $20 fenders but if they keep road spray off my back they’ll be good enough. Let’s post reviews when we get our bikes and here’s hoping for a speedy delivery.
 
I'm surprised you guys aren't springing for the EX over the AM1000. EX just looks so much cleaner to me and I'd think the dual battery setup on the EX is ideal. Leave the spare at home when you don't need it or carry the spare in the most optimal location with no need to mess with backpacks or battery bags.
 
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