Or the new rear All-Axle DD motor which seems to sit (power wise) in between the two. If I was regularly commuting in traffic (so keeping up in moderate speed traffic would be important) I'd seriously consider a DD. The new rear All-Axle with the flexibility to be installed in a wider variety of frames, lighter weight, integrated PAS and 32 spoke rim support would make for an interesting all weather commuter build.
My DIY buids: GMAC, BBSHD, 9C RH212 and CYC Photon
- Thread starter linklemming
- Start date
linklemming
Well-Known Member
CYC Photon Review at 950 miles
The CYC Photon is still going strong with no major issues. The motor did come slightly loose after a few hundred miles but was easily fixed by retightening the BB cups to spec...no problems since
The CYC photon with its incredible torque sensor response is by far my favorite DIY mid drive setup. The only place where it falls short is 25mph+ going up 4-6% hills and/or high winds.
In these conditions it will get hot and throttle the output to the mid 700-800watt range. I can get this to occur but its only about 10% of the riding I do.
I also own a BBSHD which is a monster motor but not as fun to ride unless you just want to go stupid fast, The BBSHD is the king of DIY mid-drive setups
The CYC photon seems to be very efficient compared to the BBSHD. I have done 18mph average rides (rolling hills(4-6%) in the front range of colorado between boulder and denver)
with wh/mile of about 16wh/mile. The BBSHD usually takes 18wh/mile for the same conditions/speed. That being said, I definately get more of a workout on the Photon which is the whole point most of the time.
The CYC photon has much better feel than my recently purchased Luna X2 with bafang M600 motor and ludicrous controller (at stock settings).
CYC Photon Linkglide upgrade
My current CYC photon gearing is a 42t chainring and 11-36 cassette(shimano 9 speed hg400) and SRAM 9 speed x5 shifter and derailler. I use this same setup on my BBSHD and have never had any issues for several years on the BBSHD.
For some of the more extreme terrain I encounter on my CYC Photon Rides (10%+ MTB stuff), I get overheating due to the too high gearing. The nice thing about the HG400 cassette is most of the cogs are
pinned together to prevent individual cogs from distorting the cassette body from all the torque of the ebike setup and why I have been using it for so long. I considered going to an 11 speed
setup with a sunrace cassette (11-42t or 46t) but that cassette seems pretty rare these days with special order from overseas required.
It appears the new Shimano linkglide/cues system is a great solution for me and ebikes in general. The high point is a cassette with most of its gears pinned together just like the HG400 and a wide range cassette
For the CYC photon build I went with the Cues 9 speed Kit
www.jensonusa.com
Install was super simple and took less than an hour. I would say the quality is on par with the SRAM X5 9 speed system it replaced. I have heard of issues on the EMTB forums but had none of the mentioned issues...easy peasy
While the shifting seemed a tad slower on the bench, in actual real world use, I dont notice any difference.
I also did a linkglide setup on my luna x2 (11 speed XT shifter and derailler with 10 speed cassette) and it has been awesome. The XT shifter and derailler is so much nicer but much more $$.
I will be converting my current BBSHD setup (42t chainring, 11-36t hg400 cassette, SRAM 9 speed shifter and derailler) to the Cues 9 speed kit when the chain/cassette wears out.
The CYC Photon is still going strong with no major issues. The motor did come slightly loose after a few hundred miles but was easily fixed by retightening the BB cups to spec...no problems since
The CYC photon with its incredible torque sensor response is by far my favorite DIY mid drive setup. The only place where it falls short is 25mph+ going up 4-6% hills and/or high winds.
In these conditions it will get hot and throttle the output to the mid 700-800watt range. I can get this to occur but its only about 10% of the riding I do.
I also own a BBSHD which is a monster motor but not as fun to ride unless you just want to go stupid fast, The BBSHD is the king of DIY mid-drive setups
The CYC photon seems to be very efficient compared to the BBSHD. I have done 18mph average rides (rolling hills(4-6%) in the front range of colorado between boulder and denver)
with wh/mile of about 16wh/mile. The BBSHD usually takes 18wh/mile for the same conditions/speed. That being said, I definately get more of a workout on the Photon which is the whole point most of the time.
The CYC photon has much better feel than my recently purchased Luna X2 with bafang M600 motor and ludicrous controller (at stock settings).
CYC Photon Linkglide upgrade
My current CYC photon gearing is a 42t chainring and 11-36 cassette(shimano 9 speed hg400) and SRAM 9 speed x5 shifter and derailler. I use this same setup on my BBSHD and have never had any issues for several years on the BBSHD.
For some of the more extreme terrain I encounter on my CYC Photon Rides (10%+ MTB stuff), I get overheating due to the too high gearing. The nice thing about the HG400 cassette is most of the cogs are
pinned together to prevent individual cogs from distorting the cassette body from all the torque of the ebike setup and why I have been using it for so long. I considered going to an 11 speed
setup with a sunrace cassette (11-42t or 46t) but that cassette seems pretty rare these days with special order from overseas required.
It appears the new Shimano linkglide/cues system is a great solution for me and ebikes in general. The high point is a cassette with most of its gears pinned together just like the HG400 and a wide range cassette
For the CYC photon build I went with the Cues 9 speed Kit
Shimano CUES U4000 9-SPEED KIT | Jenson USA
www.jensonusa.com
Install was super simple and took less than an hour. I would say the quality is on par with the SRAM X5 9 speed system it replaced. I have heard of issues on the EMTB forums but had none of the mentioned issues...easy peasy
While the shifting seemed a tad slower on the bench, in actual real world use, I dont notice any difference.
I also did a linkglide setup on my luna x2 (11 speed XT shifter and derailler with 10 speed cassette) and it has been awesome. The XT shifter and derailler is so much nicer but much more $$.
I will be converting my current BBSHD setup (42t chainring, 11-36t hg400 cassette, SRAM 9 speed shifter and derailler) to the Cues 9 speed kit when the chain/cassette wears out.
Last edited:
charlieboom-boom
New Member
- Region
- USA
Schwalbe is making 65-559 (26X2.60) "Pickup" its load rating of 165kg (363lbs.) @ 55 psi. I am using them on my e-trike (Sun T3 CX) and RV-2 velomobile in 55 & 60-406 sizes. I am using a pair of 53-406 Maxis Hookworm tires that I took off a delta trike that I put a front hub kit and a BBSO2 mid drive making it a 3x2 with winter studded tires and wanted to have simulair size and preasure tire in the rear. I put them on the Wike cargo trailer that I can haul around with either of my trikes or velomobile. I didn't like the Kenda's that came with the trailer. They are wearing pretty good. But I can only guess that they have 4,000 to 5,000 miles on them over 3 years because of switching to different tow trikes.
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