I have almost 1000 miles on my Specter S and wanted to share some thoughts and mods I made to the bike. The bike is nice as it comes but I did some things to make it even better. The first thing I had to do was add a stem extender to make the bike more comfortable because it comes with a very low, aggressive bar height. It raised the bars about 2+" and made a huge difference. The head angle is very relaxed and the bike is long so the overall handling is sweet, especially at speed. It's a little slow steering in the really tight stuff but pretty easy to accommodate. The stem extender also brings the bars rearward a little so the bike doesn't feel so long and it's worlds better for riding while standing on the pedals. For the drivetrain I went to an 11-46t BoxTwo cassette and it works perfectly with the NX derailleur without any adjustments. The hill climbing ability is fantastic, there's not much this bike won't climb, even without pedaling. I removed the chain guide that comes attached to the frame because it was completely unnecessary. I installed OneUp extra large composite pedals and they are really good, but the extra large platform is overkill for me and a disadvantage on tight trails and when walking the bike. I upgraded the brakes to 4-piston Magura MT5's with MDR-C 203mm rotors. This combo is superb super smooth, and truly one finger brakes. I used the Magura QM42 post adapters because the bike comes stock with 160mm brake mounts front and rear. The rear brake cable routing was difficult and tricky through the frame but I found a good way to do it. *If you don't do this correctly the first time it will be almost impossible to get any cable through the frame again! Be very careful, there is no cable access from the battery compartment and it's a very tight friction fit. You have to pull the new rear brake cable through the frame by securing it to the old cable and pulling the old cable out. You have to pull it hard and if they come apart in the frame...you're screwed. I removed the headlight, brake sensors, and kickstand sensor because I don't need them. The thumb throttle the bike comes with works fine but I changed to a left hand, quarter twist, half throttle and have a Fat Wrap grip on the right. I used the Speeed App for Bafang BBSHD motors to dial in the throttle response to be very soft and smooth and I'm really liking this setup. Occasionally I want to see who's behind me but don't need a full size, full time mirror so I installed a Corky collapsible bar end mirror on the left. It's very small but I can see behind me well enough and it's only there when I want it and it folds in if it hits branches or anything. The only drawback is the mirror can get damaged even when closed if you crash on the left side. I put Tannus liners in the tires so I don't carry a spare tube, pump or any tire repair stuff. The liners work great once dialed in but I found they are tricky to install while keeping the wheel balanced when inflated. I'm not sure but I think the liners do add some rolling resistance. I upgraded the main battery to the 17ah and added the 14ah second battery so I never have range anxiety. The 1000 watt motor can eat up some battery life but I can still get 40+ miles on hilly, off road terrain without too much pedal input. With all the power on board it's hard not to use it and it makes you want to ride it like a minibike. I don't notice the extra battery weight at all once I'm moving. I have to charge each battery separately, even with the 2nd battery plugged into the bike frame. The second battery is available with a 3 amp charger so I can charge both batteries on the bike simultaneously. The bike suspension is really impressive. I was surprised by how well the shocks work and the plush ride. I bought the Eunorau rack and fender kit and realized that you can't use the rear fender alone because the fender attaches to the rack and the bike. You have to install the rack to use the fender. The fenders are nice though, made of metal and not plastic. I don't really like the way the rack looks so I'll only use it when needed and it's just 4 bolts to install. The front fender is too short to keep mud off the frame battery compartment. Another thing to note is the rear rack attaches to the swingarm which means the rack and everything on it is unsprung weight. Anything on the rack moves with the wheel and gets a rough, bouncy ride. There is no way to mount a water bottle on the bike frame so I added a Topeak seatpost water bottle holder which is well made and works perfect. The kickstand bolts loosened periodically no matter how hard I tightened them so I put locktight on the bolt threads and that fixed the problem. I recommend doing this before you lose the kickstand. Finally, a few days ago I installed a 27.5" wheelset from Eunorau. The wheels look nice and are much lighter so hopefully yield better mileage and maybe a little more power without sacrificing ride quality due to the great suspension. We'll see, I haven't ridden the bike with those on yet so I can't confirm. The wheels do not come with a rear cassette, brake rotors or speed sensor magnet but it does include a rear axle for some reason. The cassette is easy to swap and I put Magura brake rotors on them. So far I haven't found a Bafang wheel magnet so I'm using the one from the original wheelset. It's only a twenty minute wheel swap if you have magnets on each rear wheel. That's it for now, the bike is set up exactly how I want it.
**Important info regarding stem extenders. There are many different brands out there so be sure to get one that has a lot of bolt threads at the stem clamp. These two bolts have to be very, very tight to keep the bars from twisting under load. The extender bolts are SST or steel and the stem is aluminum so it's critical to apply a small amount of anti seize compound to the threads before tightening the bolts or they will bind up before they're really snug. I found out the hard way that you will very likely strip out the aluminum clamp threads before getting enough clamping pressure on the stem to keep the bars from twisting. It's also critical that the anti seize compound only gets on the threads and nowhere else so be extra careful and use it sparingly. That's my two cents worth!
**Important info regarding stem extenders. There are many different brands out there so be sure to get one that has a lot of bolt threads at the stem clamp. These two bolts have to be very, very tight to keep the bars from twisting under load. The extender bolts are SST or steel and the stem is aluminum so it's critical to apply a small amount of anti seize compound to the threads before tightening the bolts or they will bind up before they're really snug. I found out the hard way that you will very likely strip out the aluminum clamp threads before getting enough clamping pressure on the stem to keep the bars from twisting. It's also critical that the anti seize compound only gets on the threads and nowhere else so be extra careful and use it sparingly. That's my two cents worth!
