Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
SL 1 makeover at ~2 yrs and 4,300 mi
More than you ever wanted to know, starting with the LBS work order:
1. Remove stock EQ fenders and rear rack
2. Mount a 40 mm Specialized Tracer TLR tubeless on rear to match front
3. Install Ortlieb Quick Rack
4. Replace existing Clik valve cores with new ones
5. Safety check (re-torque all bolts, etc.)
6. Realign slightly bent derailleur hanger
7. Inspect drivetrain for wear
Cost before taxes
LBS charges: $65 for new rear tire, $250 in labor.
Parts I supplied: $130 for new rack, $110 for new pannier, $18 for new Clik valve cores plus extra pump adapter.
Grand total: $573. Not a word to my wife!
Results
Very happy with the way this makeover turned out on all fronts — greatly improved rear traction, sportier look, much more useful quick-release (QR) rear rack, QR pannier for storage as needed, and maybe 200-300 g of net weight loss in the process.
Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Getting a tire like this 40 mm Tracer on back — mainly for safety on steeper offroad descents — drove the whole project. As hoped, had a hard time breaking the rear tire loose on slightly sandy hardpack on the way home.
No experience with tire fitting, but guessing I could have room for up to a 45 mm tire on back and a 42 up front now. @Rás Cnoic may have quoted similar fenderless SL 1 limits in a recent post.
The rear fender's tail light is hard wired on SL 1 EQ models like mine. We agreed to cut the wire somewhere inside the motor housing, as there's no connector there.
Instead, the connector's way up at the display. The 50 cm of wire beyond the fender goes past the motor and battery and through the head tube to get there! "Idiotic design," said the mechanic.
Asked for the wire to be cut in the most reversible way possible — meaning to leave a connector at the motor or at least enough of a tail to splice. However, the tech who actually did the work apparently took "most reversible way" to mean dropping the motor and battery and unplugging the intact wire at the display.
Probably added $60 to the labor charge, but I'm OK with that.
Used this 400 lumen Lezyne Zecto Drive clip-on tail light as a secondary to the stock light, but it'll be fine as the primary for now. The single on-off-mode button is moody, and battery life could be longer. But the LEDs are very bright at max intensity, and the flash patterns are definitely attention-grabbing.
Should I ever want a different tail light or a reflector, the new rack offers an aimable reversible horizontal bracket with screw holes 50 mm apart on center.
Had to revise the shop's Ortlieb Quick Rack installation (upper photo), but no big deal. @Stefan Mikes provided a very helpful photo of this rack on his SL 1.
Rack pitch adjusts here. Went for a level rack for now, but level pannier rails might be smarter. Why these structures aren't parallel is beyond me.
The new rack has 3 QR points. On and off the bike in well under 30 seconds.
Finally, some easily removed onboard storage on this bike! This Ortlieb Sport-Roller Plus pannier is on and off the bike in under 10 seconds. The 14.5L capacity is right for my needs — mainly extra outerwear in the winter.
Not sure about the blue, but the only other viable alternative is black — maybe too much black.
Other work
To my relief, cassette and chainring wear were found to be fine at 4,300 mi. (This despite less than fastidious chain care on my part.) So OK to keep using them with last month's new chain.
Big, big fan of Schwalbe Clik valve cores, but my originals started to get gummed up with sealant after ~2,000 mi. Will never, ever go back to Presta.
Thanks!
Got lots of help and encouragement on this project on EBR — especially from @Rás Cnoic and @Stefan Mikes . Thanks to all who helped!
More than you ever wanted to know, starting with the LBS work order:
1. Remove stock EQ fenders and rear rack
2. Mount a 40 mm Specialized Tracer TLR tubeless on rear to match front
3. Install Ortlieb Quick Rack
4. Replace existing Clik valve cores with new ones
5. Safety check (re-torque all bolts, etc.)
6. Realign slightly bent derailleur hanger
7. Inspect drivetrain for wear
Cost before taxes
LBS charges: $65 for new rear tire, $250 in labor.
Parts I supplied: $130 for new rack, $110 for new pannier, $18 for new Clik valve cores plus extra pump adapter.
Grand total: $573. Not a word to my wife!
Results
Very happy with the way this makeover turned out on all fronts — greatly improved rear traction, sportier look, much more useful quick-release (QR) rear rack, QR pannier for storage as needed, and maybe 200-300 g of net weight loss in the process.
Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Getting a tire like this 40 mm Tracer on back — mainly for safety on steeper offroad descents — drove the whole project. As hoped, had a hard time breaking the rear tire loose on slightly sandy hardpack on the way home.
No experience with tire fitting, but guessing I could have room for up to a 45 mm tire on back and a 42 up front now. @Rás Cnoic may have quoted similar fenderless SL 1 limits in a recent post.
The rear fender's tail light is hard wired on SL 1 EQ models like mine. We agreed to cut the wire somewhere inside the motor housing, as there's no connector there.
Instead, the connector's way up at the display. The 50 cm of wire beyond the fender goes past the motor and battery and through the head tube to get there! "Idiotic design," said the mechanic.
Asked for the wire to be cut in the most reversible way possible — meaning to leave a connector at the motor or at least enough of a tail to splice. However, the tech who actually did the work apparently took "most reversible way" to mean dropping the motor and battery and unplugging the intact wire at the display.
Probably added $60 to the labor charge, but I'm OK with that.
Used this 400 lumen Lezyne Zecto Drive clip-on tail light as a secondary to the stock light, but it'll be fine as the primary for now. The single on-off-mode button is moody, and battery life could be longer. But the LEDs are very bright at max intensity, and the flash patterns are definitely attention-grabbing.
Should I ever want a different tail light or a reflector, the new rack offers an aimable reversible horizontal bracket with screw holes 50 mm apart on center.
Had to revise the shop's Ortlieb Quick Rack installation (upper photo), but no big deal. @Stefan Mikes provided a very helpful photo of this rack on his SL 1.
Rack pitch adjusts here. Went for a level rack for now, but level pannier rails might be smarter. Why these structures aren't parallel is beyond me.
The new rack has 3 QR points. On and off the bike in well under 30 seconds.
Finally, some easily removed onboard storage on this bike! This Ortlieb Sport-Roller Plus pannier is on and off the bike in under 10 seconds. The 14.5L capacity is right for my needs — mainly extra outerwear in the winter.
Not sure about the blue, but the only other viable alternative is black — maybe too much black.
Other work
To my relief, cassette and chainring wear were found to be fine at 4,300 mi. (This despite less than fastidious chain care on my part.) So OK to keep using them with last month's new chain.
Big, big fan of Schwalbe Clik valve cores, but my originals started to get gummed up with sealant after ~2,000 mi. Will never, ever go back to Presta.
Thanks!
Got lots of help and encouragement on this project on EBR — especially from @Rás Cnoic and @Stefan Mikes . Thanks to all who helped!
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