Known Issues & Problems with Frey Products + Help, Solutions & Fixes

[bugnut]

found this info -

I have the following presumption:

First of all chain ring is a part of Bafang Ultra motor kit. first this kit was delivered with a 44t chain ring by Bafang (I took the original Bafang 44t chain ring of my AM1000 motor for my EX). now it seems to be a 40t chain ring.

Bafang Ultra motor runs best & cooler at high rpms and low torque (low amperes) - resulting to the same wattage as low rpms and high torque. in fact you will kill your Bafang motor and/or it gets very hot when using low rpms and high torque (also applies to Bafang BBSHD motor - where the plastic gear just melts - but Ultra motor has no plastic gear -anymore- !).

If I would be a manufacturer and I would have returns with problems caused by that - what would I do ? = yep, I would provide a smaller chain ring

problem solved. benefit would be lower temperatures and a longer motor lifespan which is not a bad thing at all.

of course it is not nice if you have to ride your Bafang motor at 11 teeth cog and 35 km/h or 20 miles/hour at highest possible rpm giving by the voltage and your human speed of being able to pedal the crank… when you are not offroad.

my solution: I use larger chain rings (44t with Frey EX and 50t with Frey AM) but also higher voltages with my own built batteries (up to 80 volts). right now I am building the 2 new batteries for my Frey EX. my Frey AM1000 is btw problem free with this large chain ring since around 3500-4000km. of course I take care of the right gear at hills etc. without my personal care of choosing the right low gear, yes, I would have destroyed or damaged the motor...
but of course this is not the solution for everyone…

only a presumption…

anyways, yes, you can change it to a nice 44t Wolftooth or RaceFace 130 BCD chainring.

I have the AM1000 with the SRAM EX-1 gear set. Since the chain is wider would the chainring matter? I am looking to go to a 44- 46 tooth chainring. Which would work for my set up? Thanks

 

[D.Unwin]

Hi Bugnut, i am not sure on your setup, the information i put on there was what i found on another forum, there will be plenty of people on here who have the AMs, saying that the post is about the AM so i would listen to that. the more teeth the more top end peddling speed but going up very steep hills you will lose out slightly on momentum, i wouldn't say its noticeable unless your a technical climber

sorry i couldnt help a little more than that

 

[bugnut]

Hi Bugnut, i am not sure on your setup, the information i put on there was what i found on another forum, there will be plenty of people on here who have the AMs, saying that the post is about the AM so i would listen to that. the more teeth the more top end peddling speed but going up very steep hills you will lose out slightly on momentum, i wouldn't say its noticeable unless your a technical climber

sorry i couldnt help a little more than that

Thanks for the reply. I live on Long Island which is pretty flat. Most of my riding is on the 4 smallest rear sprockets. The smallest being 11 teeth. I feel that if I increase the size of the crank to 44-46 teeth I will then ride on larger rear sprockets thus increasing the life of the cassette which is over $300. My confusion is which chainring is the right on to get. I have the Bafang Ultra. I do not know if the chainring needs to be wider since the EX-1 chain is a wider chain. Also I am not sure of the right amount of offset of the chainring to keep the chain aligned. And lastly the right type of spline.

If anyone can steer me towards the right chainring I would appreciate it.
Next will be cranks. I would like to go with something like 160MM and again it gets into splines and offsets.
Thanks

 

[D.Unwin]

Bugnut check this forum out there's over 90 pages of information and questions asked regarding the AM1000, you might find something useful on there?

My Bafang Ultra Mountain Bike! Frey AM1000

I decided to start this thread to document my experience buying this electric mountain bike. https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/The-3rd-generation-AM1000-Bafang-G510_60700621160.html?spm=a2700.8443308.0.0.NbBWV0 There seems to be very little information available about bikes using the...

endless-sphere.com

 

[bugnut]

Bugnut check this forum out there's over 90 pages of information and questions asked regarding the AM1000, you might find something useful on there?

My Bafang Ultra Mountain Bike! Frey AM1000

I decided to start this thread to document my experience buying this electric mountain bike. https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/The-3rd-generation-AM1000-Bafang-G510_60700621160.html?spm=a2700.8443308.0.0.NbBWV0 There seems to be very little information available about bikes using the...

endless-sphere.com

That is the forum that I stumbled upon when I started my research on ebikes 2 1/2 years ago. It is also the site that convinced me to buy the FREY. I have posed the question on that site and asked Simon the same question. All of the responses seem to be generic in nature.
I am just trying to make sure that I get the right parts for my setup.

Thanks

 

[Gionnirocket]

That is the forum that I stumbled upon when I started my research on ebikes 2 1/2 years ago. It is also the site that convinced me to buy the FREY. I have posed the question on that site and asked Simon the same question. All of the responses seem to be generic in nature.
I am just trying to make sure that I get the right parts for my setup.

Thanks

As far as I know you can change the front chainring to whatever you like. Chain width comes into play when talking about the rear cassette as different ones require different widths. A 10 speed in the rear needs to be a more narrow chain than a 6 speed for clearance between the cogs. Since there is only one ring up front they should all should work unless specifically are made for a certain size chain.

 

[Taylor57]

I noticed riding my Frey CC recently that the gears shifted flawlessly from lower all the way until 10th to 11th (11th highest gear) and that last shift takes an extra second and feels a little rough. Any ideas or fixes? The bike is equipped with a shift sensor btw...

 

[Acme]

Are you talking about the momentary shift power cut out or a derallieur issue

 

[Taylor57]

Are you talking about the momentary shift power cut out or a derallieur issue

I think it may be a power cut out. I'm going to ride it a little later and am going to make that shift a few times and try and feel and hear it again...

 

[Acme]

If it is a mechanical alignment issue there are 2 screws on the back of the derallieur that set the up and down limit. These can fix a bit of cable stretch.
‘I have had problems with A controller upgrade and I have a suspicion the shift sensor is the problem

 

[Taylor57]

If it is a mechanical alignment issue there are 2 screws on the back of the derallieur that set the up and down limit. These can fix a bit of cable stretch.
‘I have had problems with A controller upgrade and I have a suspicion the shift sensor is the problem

Thank you Acme. I haven't ridden it much, but am starting to try and get out most every day now. Hopefully it's an easy fix...

 

[Gionnirocket]

Thank you Acme. I haven't ridden it much, but am starting to try and get out most every day now. Hopefully it's an easy fix...

Acme is on to something... Expect cable stretch on a new bike. Then High and Low limits also aren't always adjusted optimally at the factory at times as well.
As things break in I'd expect to run the derailleur through a full alignment after a month or so.
On the shift sensor, if it's a problem... I think I'd consider removing it as I can shift without issue sans sensor.

 

[MartsEbike]

Frey EX Pro

At about 750 miles on the clock

Noticed an increase in noise coming through the frame as I was riding over rough ground.

Looking closer, I found the two top bolts holding the rear shock were loose, with one side nearly coming off completely. A few of the other bolts around the rear suspension also needed nipping up tight again.

I checked all of these bolts when it was new, but they've worked themselves loose.

Anyways, new Loctite applied and all bolts retightened.

Just giving a heads up, best to check these at regular intervals.

 

[MartsEbike]

Frey EX

Had the joys of breaking a chain yesterday. The chain didn't snap, but was bent/twisted 90 degrees - all out of shape - and no hope it would run after that.... Fortunately I was only a couple of hundred meters from home so walked it back.

What caused it.... Slack chain. I had forgotten to engage the clutch on the derailleur after repairing a puncture. So the chain was flailing around over rough ground, just as I hit the Throttle - bad timing, the chain was probably half off/out of line just as I hit full throttle, and the rest is history, it twisted and bent it out of shape. I also have some scratches around my motor due to the chain getting caught up around the chainring, I'm going to have to paint that again...

So keep those derailleur clutches enabled so your chain tension is fairly high.

The worst part of all this! Its not easy to find a replacement chain that's in stock anywhere. I've ordered a Wippermann Connex 11SE which I've heard good things about and is spec'ed for ebikes too but I'm looking a 7-10 day lead time before despatch. Time I won't be able to ride my bike.

Second issue I found, and didn't notice until now... My cassette gears we're loose, you could spin them each back and forth by a good half-centimetre, which is a massive amount of "play". So I'll probably be looking for a replacement hub soon. (After around only 800 miles on the clock)

This bike is anything but low maintenance!

 

[Canister75]

you only have to pedal half a turn before the throttle engages, i think this was a safety feature so its not accidently pressed when your off the bike..

You're right, and it makes the bike terrible to use. When trail riding it is at a dead stop that you most often want throttle - stalling halfway up a hill etc.

 

[MartsEbike]

You're right, and it makes the bike terrible to use. When trail riding it is at a dead stop that you most often want throttle - stalling halfway up a hill etc.

Frey enabled "Throttle-from-zero" on my bike at the factory and its a life saver for all the reasons you mention.

Get in touch with them and see if they will share the software to enable it on your bike too...

 

[MartsEbike]

Popped over the lakes and canals near me today. 33 Miles in total and she could have easily done twice that....

I'm not much of a photographer! But here is a rare photo of the beast in all her finery!

 

[Dave Thefonziscool]

My CC has developed an issue with the battery lock mechanism. Its missing a screw and the little black plastic lever seems loose. The key lock still functions and locks the battery in. Has anyone experienced this on your internal battery Frey? Anyone know what size screw im missing?

 

[ProphetZarquon]

View attachment 91924

Ah, that's a thing of beauty. Is that EX blue different from their AM-1000 blue?

One thing bothers me: I'm always amazed at how flimsy the mounting options for bike racks can be.

In particular, that bracket-extending-from-seatpost arrangement like what you've got on display here, has snapped the shaft off its quick-release every time I've dared put so much as 5lbs in the bag... and this isn't even under hard trail use conditions!

The rear rack Frey offers for the AM-1000, seems to mount to the rear triangle, which grants plenty of opportunity to support weight better... but it also means the whole rack & anything on it become unsprung weight. That means the weight I put on it becomes multiplied with any bumps.

I'd love to find a bag\basket that secures to the front handlebars while resting its weight on top of the fork arch, just so there's some support besides a single axis at my bars! Most pannier, portier, & bar bags, seem to use plastic clips & even plastic mounting hardware.

Any tips on a really stout front & rear bag layout for a Frey?

 

[MartsEbike]

Many thanks @ProphetZarquon !

I think it maybe the same blue or very close... if you ask Frey they will paint it in virtually any colour you want!

The rack I'm using in the photo is an Topeak MTX Beamrack (E-Type). It maxes out at only 9kg (20lb) so just enough to carry the essentials on a short trip - or 8 cans of beer! I've only recently purchased it so couldn't give you a full review but so far its working as expected, seems quite secure even off-road but do need to be mindful of its limits. Push too hard and you'll have the rack swinging around behind you!

I have the EX Rear Rack too, which is same as supplied on the AM1000. It works fine but you're right about unsprung weight. It just makes the ride feel awful over rough ground. Best avoided if possible.

For the rare occasions I do need to carry a load I was looking to buy a Burley Coho XC Trailer. I liked the idea of spreading the weight over another axle, being able to carry bigger things, and hopefully it would be quick and convenient to use. Trailers are quite expensive though!