Pre-order Q's (Jug Ultra FS Pro 2)

[harr]

About to pull the trigger on an Ultra FS Pro 2. This will be my first ebike, and I'm not too seasoned in bike ownership, so a few questions that I'd love to get some feedback on.

1. The tire setup - 26x4 is fine to start with, but I definitely want to move to 27.5x3 at some point and be able to switch between them. The additional charge is ~$300 for the extra 27.5x3 wheel set, and they won't ship until March. Would you recommend I just take my time and do my own research and choose a different 27.5x3 setup than what Biktrix is going to send to me (doesn't even say what that set is anyway..)? Would I need a separate set of brake rotors as well?

2. If I'm going to be swapping wheel sets back and forth, would it make sense to buy an extra SRAM 11-42T cassette to avoid removing / reinstalling each time? The SRAM 11-42T matches the casette that comes with the bike on the 26x4 set. Is that optimal for 27.5x3 now, or would one select a different SRAM cassette given the change in wheel sizes?

3. Hub upgrade.. I am considering the hub upgrade to the Wren Star Ratchet as I'd heard some issues with the stock hubs breaking. I believe this follows the wheel and isn't terribly easy to replace oneself (especially if I've never changed a wheel before). Perhaps this upgrade no longer makes sense in the context of switching between the two wheel sets? Again, Biktrix doesn't specify what the hub is that comes with the 27.5x3 extra set if you choose that option, but I'm guessing my $300 hub upgrade doesn't cover an additional upgrade to the 27.5x3 rear wheel.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Ninja_Surgeon]

I know Biktirx's support is pretty good so reach out to them and they should have better answers than I will. This also all depends on how you are riding this bike - if you are thrashing it hard on singletrack the answers you are looking for are different than riding on the streets and the odd non-paved path.

#1 - I don't know if this has changed recently but $300 for a wheelset in that size is a good deal. I was looking a few months ago online and didn't see anything close to that price. You might be able to find a nicer one online for comparable if you look but sometimes bird in hand is more valuable plus there are still bike parts shortages happening worldwide and it probably won't get better by summer. Also says it comes with brake rotors so extra plus! If you aren't too knowledgeable on bike things I would do with their 27.5x3 unless you know what it means when I say you have to match the hub style and spacing.

#2 I would get a second cassette. Removing and reinstalling isn't too tough but would be a pain in the butt to need to do every time you want to swap wheels. You can find one of those or similar easily enough. If you can't find an 11-42T even an 11 Speed 11-36T would be alright if you aren't going to climb tons of steep hills.

#3 hub could break but it depends on your riding style. If you are constantly tackling tough trails and thrashing on your bike for sure upgrade the hub so you aren't left stranded. If you aren't then just make sure to carry some zip ties with you in the odd chance it fails on you. Then try and upgrade under warranty or hope they'll give you an upgrade! I would imagine $300 would only be for one hub. Not easy to do yourself ie replacing a hub - it will require a whole new wheel build which is also $$$.

I hope this does help you - those Ultra FS Pro bikes are pretty slick from what I have seen and would make for a pretty sweet first eBike!

 

[harr]

I know Biktirx's support is pretty good so reach out to them and they should have better answers than I will. This also all depends on how you are riding this bike - if you are thrashing it hard on singletrack the answers you are looking for are different than riding on the streets and the odd non-paved path.

#1 - I don't know if this has changed recently but $300 for a wheelset in that size is a good deal. I was looking a few months ago online and didn't see anything close to that price. You might be able to find a nicer one online for comparable if you look but sometimes bird in hand is more valuable plus there are still bike parts shortages happening worldwide and it probably won't get better by summer. Also says it comes with brake rotors so extra plus! If you aren't too knowledgeable on bike things I would do with their 27.5x3 unless you know what it means when I say you have to match the hub style and spacing.

#2 I would get a second cassette. Removing and reinstalling isn't too tough but would be a pain in the butt to need to do every time you want to swap wheels. You can find one of those or similar easily enough. If you can't find an 11-42T even an 11 Speed 11-36T would be alright if you aren't going to climb tons of steep hills.

#3 hub could break but it depends on your riding style. If you are constantly tackling tough trails and thrashing on your bike for sure upgrade the hub so you aren't left stranded. If you aren't then just make sure to carry some zip ties with you in the odd chance it fails on you. Then try and upgrade under warranty or hope they'll give you an upgrade! I would imagine $300 would only be for one hub. Not easy to do yourself ie replacing a hub - it will require a whole new wheel build which is also $$$.

I hope this does help you - those Ultra FS Pro bikes are pretty slick from what I have seen and would make for a pretty sweet first eBike!

Thanks for that! I did place an updated order that upgraded the rear hub for the 26x4 setup instead of the 27.5x3 setup. I've never ridden on either a 27.5x3 or 26x4, and while I do think I will want to move away from the 4" at some point I figured I'd try it out first and see. Shortly after I get the bike in hand I'll bring it to a LBS and have them look at building me a custom 27.5x3 wheelset. I'm sure it will cost more than $300 (looks to be closer to $800-$1,000 from my poking around online) and probably take a while due to COVID delays, but I'm ok with that. In the meantime, I can enjoy the 4" wheelset knowing my lack of experience on an ebike won't destroy the rear hub and leave me stranded (in theory). And if I really, really end up hating the 4", I've always got the (non-ebike) Salsa Warbird or Trek Marlin I can ride around while I wait.

 

[rtp]

The $300 wheelset price point is good, although as mentioned, they're price point wheels certainly. I expect they're the same as the ~$300 second wheelset Eunorau offers as well, although theirs do not include rotors.
I'd make sure the second wheelset has both rotors and a cassette on it - just makes the swap out much quicker. You may want to consider a second chain and keep the chain with the wheelset/cassette, especially if for some reason you change gearing on the cassette which should then have at least some change in chain length.

The 'Wren' hubs look to me to be licensed DT Swiss DT350 hubs or clones thereof, although higher priced than actual DTs and they don't seem to clone/be the newer Hybrid 350 hub which would be 24 point ratchet/star gears + unknown ig the 'Wren' is using a steel (DT 350 hybrids do) freehub or aluminum. As such, they should be nearly bulletproof, compared to the Quantos which have had failures reported, sometimes in less than good situations.
If it's $300 or less to do the upgrade, yeah - I'd just do it - peace of mind on one less thing to break is worth something.

 

[Ninja_Surgeon]

For the Wren hub is that $300 is also including installation on the wheel/the required wheel build that's a pretty solid deal. Especially if you don't have the skills to build a wheel yourself with some shops being scared to tough anything that's even going on an eBike.