My DIY builds: GMAC, BBSHD, 9C RH212, CYC Photon, ToSeven DM01

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If I was setting up a commuter, it would be either the geared GMAC or the Direct Drive(DD) 9C RH212 with statorade. If your really interested in the most power, the DD is clearly the winner especially above 20mph. I did rides with a neighbor using a GMAC(on a juiced CCX) and the DD was clearly superior/faster above 20mph. I never saw more than about 75C on the DD despite a complete ride at full throttle (for science). DD is also simpler with the only wear items being bearings.
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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.
 
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

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.
 
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No need to go into all the details but I decided to go with a new Surly Troll frameset(very hard to find one in stock). I searched craigslist, ebay and every avenue I could find and 26inch disc brake compatible frames(new or used) are rare. That being said, the Troll is a tank that can carry 355#(designed for bikepacking) so it will be a good candidate for an ebike.

I didnt want to go with 26inch but wanted to use the bike I posted earlier(which isnt going to work). I dont want to buy all the tools to build my own wheels so Im going to stick with 26inch wheels for now. Bummer that its next to impossible to get tires greater than 2.4(2.6 would be ideal). There are the Maxxis DHF which I have on another bike and are awesome but this bike will see about 30% pavement so I will be going with 2.23 smartsams for now.

Lots of compromises, just want to get something on the trail ASAP.

Will post more updates/pics when I start building up the frame
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.
 
CYC Photon Update
Im at about 1400 miles now on the CYC photon and absolutely loving it. The torque sensing is so nice, its like an endorphin rush every time I pedal harder. As such, I get a great workout and always come back refreshed and with a smile on my face after riding it. I pretty much ride everyday and switch between it and my BBSHD(and other ebikes) basically as follows

CYC Photon - Gravel/MTB ride - all out effort
BBSHD - Gravel/MTB ride - effort varies depending on mood...usually easy, stupid fast
Luna X2(ludicrous option) - Pure MTB ride - somewhat hard effort, stupid power until it heats up
CYC Photon - Gravel/MTB ride - all out effort
BBSHD - Gravel/MTB ride - effort varies depending on mood...usually easy, stupid fast
Turbo Levo - Pure MTB ride - all out effort, damn 20mph limit and euro spec power but such a nice ride

All these rumors about overheating just dont apply to my rides now that I have low enough gearing. I am using the unrestricted preset (highest power and unlimited speed). Only issues are battling 10+mph headwinds going up 4-6% inclines at 25mph plus. I have done these same rides with minimal wind and no overheating at all (temps max out at 70C and are usually 50-60C if not lower). Im a big rider at 240#. I have never experienced overheating in the lower 2 presets. Note that this is using the stock settings available thru the phone app. You can adjust things like how much overall assist(along with many other things) thru the phone app. I love the way the stock settings work. To really get max power, you have to really put in the physical effort. Probably not the best for a commuter which would be better served by a BBSHD but perfect for a fitness oriented ebike.

The CYC photon definately has a low thermal mass compared to something like my BBSHD. As such it can heatup quickly but also cool down quickly. A few rides ago, I got it to 90C with outside temps about 60F did about a 1 minute no power downhill and the temps were 38C. You can see this on the motor temp display when you back off power, the temps drop pretty fast.

I think its small size, high quality parts and potential high power peaks is just perfect for me. I can get it up to 1100w or so for a quick sprint away from someone, then back down to a more realistic level. I always ride with the motor temp being displayed. Being more efficient than the BBSHD(2-4 wh/mile) means I can run a smaller battery for more weight savings or just use the larger packs and go further.

ToSeven DM01 Order(1000w)
I just put in an order with california ebikes on a ToSeven DM01(4-6weeks shipping from China). Not sure what to expect but I will document my experience and opinion here. Supposedly a 30amp limit just like the BBSHD
 
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Standing by for the CYC / ToSeven comparison 👍
Initially I considered getting the DM02 exactly for that purpose but it seems like its really best when limited to 15A(52v->750W) although supposedly can go as high as 18A(52v->936) although not recommendee by california ebike. I had my old TSDZ2 with OSF set to these values and while the power seemed good at the time (my only other bike was a class 1 Brose eMTB), I dont think that would work for me these days. Supposedly with an external controller you can go higher but at that point, the DM01 just seemed like a better fit which might replace my BBSHD.

But yes, I will definately compare with the CYC Photon. Power/heat wise the DM01 seems like a slam dunk. Im more curious as to the quality of the torque sensing.
 
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Initially I considered getting the DM02 exactly for that purpose but it seems like its really best when limited to 15A(52v->750W) although supposedly can go as high as 18A(52v->936) although not recommendee by california ebike. I had my old TSDZ2 with OSF set to these values and while the power seemed good at the time (my only other bike was a class 1 Brose eMTB), I dont think that would work for me these days. Supposedly with an external controller you can go higher but at that point, the DM01 just seemed like a better fit which might replace my BBSHD.

But yes, I will definately compare with the CYC Photon. Power/heat wise the DM01 seems like a slam dunk. Im more curious as to the quality of the torque sensing.
I too am more interested in the refinement of the torque sensor as I feel each would be more than adequate power wise for my needs since I was very happy with the BBS02B.
But I'm more interested in the manufacturer supported fine tuning that can be done by the end user. I believe both can be tuned through the display... But to what degree?
In another thread someone posted that the ToSeven software was laden with malware.
 
CYC Photon Update
Im at about 1400 miles now on the CYC photon and absolutely loving it. The torque sensing is so nice, its like an endorphin rush every time I pedal harder. As such, I get a great workout and always come back refreshed and with a smile on my face after riding it. I pretty much ride everyday and switch between it and my BBSHD(and other ebikes) basically as follows

CYC Photon - Gravel/MTB ride - all out effort
BBSHD - Gravel/MTB ride - effort varies depending on mood...usually easy, stupid fast
Luna X2(ludicrous option) - Pure MTB ride - somewhat hard effort, stupid power until it heats up
CYC Photon - Gravel/MTB ride - all out effort
BBSHD - Gravel/MTB ride - effort varies depending on mood...usually easy, stupid fast
Turbo Levo - Pure MTB ride - all out effort, damn 20mph limit and euro spec power but such a nice ride

All these rumors about overheating just dont apply to my rides now that I have low enough gearing. I am using the unrestricted preset (highest power and unlimited speed). Only issues are battling 10+mph headwinds going up 4-6% inclines at 25mph plus. I have done these same rides with minimal wind and no overheating at all (temps max out at 70C and are usually 50-60C if not lower). Im a big rider at 240#. I have never experienced overheating in the lower 2 presets. Note that this is using the stock settings available thru the phone app. You can adjust things like how much overall assist(along with many other things) thru the phone app. I love the way the stock settings work. To really get max power, you have to really put in the physical effort. Probably not the best for a commuter which would be better served by a BBSHD but perfect for a fitness oriented ebike.

The CYC photon definately has a low thermal mass compared to something like my BBSHD. As such it can heatup quickly but also cool down quickly. A few rides ago, I got it to 90C with outside temps about 60F did about a 1 minute no power downhill and the temps were 38C. You can see this on the motor temp display when you back off power, the temps drop pretty fast.

I think its small size, high quality parts and potential high power peaks is just perfect for me. I can get it up to 1100w or so for a quick sprint away from someone, then back down to a more realistic level. I always ride with the motor temp being displayed. Being more efficient than the BBSHD(2-4 wh/mile) means I can run a smaller battery for more weight savings or just use the larger packs and go further.

ToSeven DM01 Order(1000w)
I just put in an order with california ebikes on a ToSeven DM01(4-6weeks shipping from China). Not sure what to expect but I will document my experience and opinion here. Supposedly a 30amp limit just like the BBSHD
The only thing holding me back from getting a Photon is the wide q factor. Is it that noticeable?
 
The only thing holding me back from getting a Photon is the wide q factor. Is it that noticeable?
I dont remember the exact specs on the q-factor but it was close to my BBSHD.

That being said, I just had a professional bike fitting due to hip soreness from riding and it was actually recommended to have a wide q factor like the BBSHD and Photon
 
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Time for an update

CYC Photon
Still in love with this setup. On the hotter days(90F+), I can get it close to overheating(90C) in the highest assist level with the unlimited preset when climbing(8%+) or fighting a big headwind and some hills(4-6%). Easy enough to just go down an assist level. No overheating at all at assist level 2 (of 3). I love the workout I get with this setup. Perfect compliment to the BBSHD (hard day/easy day)

BBSHD
My BBSHD started getting noisier and I guessed it was the outer bearings on the drive side housing. Simple replacement with this part (replacing the individual bearings could be a real pita, this solution is a 5 minute job). I went thru a REALLY deep puddle after a rainstorm a few months back which is likely the reason.
https://california-ebike.com/products/bafang-chainring-gear-with-cover-for-bbshd

ToSeven DM01
I ordered my DM01 from california ebike and total time from order to arrival at my front door was 2 months. Supposedly customs had it for 3 weeks. Kudos to california ebike for flashing the latest firmware.

I did a trial fit today and must say I am completely disappointed. I am using the 42t offset (to the inside) chainring. Compared to the CYC photon and BBSHD, the chainline is about 7mm further out than the CYC photon which makes it pretty much unusable for my needs. I dont have the exact specs but linkglide is around 3.7mm spacing so I am loosing two gears which is unacceptable. This bike currently has a linkglide 9 speed cassette. I could go to a linkglide 11 speed cassette and not use the two highest gears but I would loose the gear range I need for my rides and the 11-speed linkglide cassette is $$$$.
So in summary(in my case), the DM01 chainline is limiting use to to roughly 2 gears less than the cassette is capable of. From my experience, torque sensing is most beneficial in the lower gears due to gearing/leverage..it is still beneficial at higher gears/speeds but its more of a convenience of not having to change assist levels.
 
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I found that, once I embraced a wider quack factor (entirely by accident), I had lifelong sharp knee pain experienced while cycling disappear, never to return.

Disappointing to hear about the ToSeven. This is partly why I embrace the BBSxx motors - aftermarket support giving you completely different chainring options which fix the chainline. FYI I was speaking to Lekkie on some stuff not too long ago and theymentioned they were looking into bringing out ToSeven-compatible chainrings.
 
Time for an update

CYC Photon
Still in love with this setup. On the hotter days(90F+), I can get it close to overheating(90C) in the highest assist level with the unlimited preset when climbing(8%+) or fighting a big headwind and some hills(4-6%). Easy enough to just go down an assist level. No overheating at all at assist level 2 (of 3). I love the workout I get with this setup. Perfect compliment to the BBSHD (hard day/easy day)

BBSHD
My BBSHD started getting noisier and I guessed it was the outer bearings on the drive side housing. Simple replacement with this part (replacing the individual bearings could be a real pita, this solution is a 5 minute job). I went thru a REALLY deep puddle after a rainstorm a few months back which is likely the reason.
https://california-ebike.com/products/bafang-chainring-gear-with-cover-for-bbshd

ToSeven DM01
I ordered my DM01 from california ebike and total time from order to arrival at my front door was 2 months. Supposedly customs had it for 3 weeks. Kudos to california ebike for flashing the latest firmware.

I did a trial fit today and must say I am completely disappointed. I am using the 42t offset (to the inside) chainring. Compared to the CYC photon and BBSHD, the chainline is about 7mm further out than the CYC photon which makes it pretty much unusable for my needs. I dont have the exact specs but linkglide is around 3.7mm spacing so I am loosing two gears which is unacceptable. This bike currently has a linkglide 9 speed cassette. I could go to a linkglide 11 speed cassette and not use the two highest gears but I would loose the gear range I need for my rides and the 11-speed linkglide cassette is $$$$.
So in summary(in my case), the DM01 chainline is limiting use to to roughly 2 gears less than the cassette is capable of. From my experience, torque sensing is most beneficial in the lower gears due to gearing/leverage..it is still beneficial at higher gears/speeds but its more of a convenience of not having to change assist levels.

That's how they came up with their name...
You'll loss at least Two gears with our ridiculous Seven mm offset 🙃
 
I found that, once I embraced a wider quack factor (entirely by accident), I had lifelong sharp knee pain experienced while cycling disappear, never to return.

Disappointing to hear about the ToSeven. This is partly why I embrace the BBSxx motors - aftermarket support giving you completely different chainring options which fix the chainline. FYI I was speaking to Lekkie on some stuff not too long ago and theymentioned they were looking into bringing out ToSeven-compatible chainrings.
California ebike states somewhere that the 42t chainring can only be mounted on the outside of the spider. Nothing said about the 46t so might be able to get a better chainline with the 46t mounted on the inside of the spider. I emailed california ebike on getting a 46t offset chainring and havnt heard anything back yet.
 
New MTB/Bikepacking/Touring frameset
I originally picked the Surly Ogre (and Troll and Bridgeclub..sold awhile ago because I prefer 2.35+ 29 wheels) because I needed a 42t chainring to be able to pedal at 90rpm cadence at 28mph. While the two Ogres are excellent bikes and have served me well for over 10k miles and 2 years, there are a few things that I wish would change.

Quick Release Non Suspension corrected Front Fork with a one-off axle-crown height (no available replacement)
Steepish Headtube

The current ogre quick release front fork certainly works but is finicky to get good consistent disk brake clearance. It seems like every remounting of the wheel requires readjusting the brake caliber position and even then over time the caliber position needs to be readjusted. Im currently using 180mm front rotors and would like to upgrade to 203mm and Im concerned about this with a quick release. I have consulted a few places on getting a custom thru axle steel fork made and it would be around $500

The Ogre has a 72 degree headtube angle and 76.5mm trail. While the headtube is steeper than I would like, the trail is reasonable for a commuter/light MTB/ city bike. For my current use (city, gravel and light MTB) it is fine. If I mount an extra battery on a rear bike rack, I can get pretty scary headshake at 20mph+ on concrete/asphalt if I get into the narrow aero position on my origin 8 strongbow handlebars or dare to take may hands off the bars which would likely end in a crash(note that its fine in standard flat bar handlebar positions)

While The Ogres do fine with a rigid fork and 29x2.6 front tire, it would be nice to have the option of putting on a suspension front fork and get into harder more MTB oriented terrain or just for general comfort as I get older. While I do have two full suspension eMTBs (Specialized Turbo Levo and Luna X2 ludicrous), they are not always the best when less challenging terrain is ridden. A front suspension 100/120mm hardtail would be perfect for many rides.

Enter the Soma Juice 2024 (Boost rear spacing new for 2024)
The Soma Juice appears to have the same style drive side chainstay as the Surly Ogre and Troll (flat bent piece as opposed to a tube) which allows for more chainring clearance. I emailed Soma and was quoted 39t for maximum front chainring clearance on a 1x MTN setup. Since this frame supports rear Boost Spacing a 1x MTN boost(+3mm) front chainring at 42t will most likely work fine. We will have to see how the BBSHD, CYC Photon and TosSeven DM01 workout on this frame.

Its also suspension corrected so I can either go rigid with something like a Salsa Rigid Grande 29 fork or a RockShox Reba SL 100mm travel fork. The 44mm headtube inside diameter means I can go with either a 1 1/8 straight headtube fork or a tapered fork depending on what what headset I pick. The headtube/trail specs are around 68.4 and 89mm respectively.

So the frame was just ordered($699)...more details to follow
 
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Soma Juice 29r Initial Frame Impression

Just received the Soma Juice 29 frame and must say Im am totally impressed. The Desert Metallic paint matches the Surly Ogre Champagne Supernova which I totally love. As can be seen from the pics, it has tons of mounts just like the Surly bikes I have owned and they are all reinforced. I especially like the mounts on the underside of the Downtube(same as all the surlys) which allows the use of a BBSHD motor brace available thru california ebikes(see post #133 for picture)

Mounting a BBSHD only required 2mm of spacers on the drive side to get 2mm of space between the motor housing and 42t chainring. The Surly bridge club also required a 2mm spacer although I did get that down to 1.5mm by careful whacking of the driveside chainstay with a hammer (protected with a 2x4). The surly Ogres require a 1mm spacer.

The chainline with the BBSHD and 2mm of spacers is 54mm (boost 1x is 51-53mm) so close enough

While its nice to know that the BBSHD fits, I will install the CYC photon on this frame due to the better torque based assist which will be better on many of the offroad excursions I plan for this build.

Still waiting on all the other parts.

Totally glad I decided to try this frame, if the build goes well and I like the handling I will buy a second frameset and sell off my surly ogre frames.

ToSeven DM01 Update
Wrote California ebike about getting the 46t offset chainring (to mount on inside of spider mentioned in post #344 above) and never got a response. Oh well, their loss, I cant force them to take my money. I just ordered this chainring from GoldenMotor.
 

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ToSeven DM01 Update
Received the offset 46t chainring + spider today from golden motor...kudos for quick shipping!

DM01 Fitment on Surly Ogre and Soma Juice 29r
The DM01 fits both the Surly Ogre and Soma Juice 29r using a 1mm spacer

The chainline is around 57mm with a 1mm spacer to allow motor housing to clear frame on a Surly Ogre frame (see pic)

So it looks like I would loose the lowest gear, not sure how that will workout because I am also using a bigger chainring now......I will have to ponder this.

Since I have exclusively gone to linkglide/cues I might be able to get away with using the whole cassette range with this chainline. The 9-11 speed cassettes use the same cog spacing supposedly with the additional cogs being added on the larger cog side. Since I will be using a 9 speed linkglide/cues cassette, this might work to my advantage.

I will try this out tomorrow and provide an update.
 

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