Zen Photon Pro- Preorder | 1040Wh UL Certified battery | 500W nominal/900W peak power Torque-sensing motor w/ Throttle | USD 2999 | CAD 3999

[Archmagination2002]

I believe we connected last week, and our service personnel might have spoken with you regarding the belt tension.
Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

Yeah, 2 or 3 days after posting on here I received the email from Drew on my questions. I would have never figured out where the tension screw was if it wasn't for these pictures... never thought it was part of the hub itself.

 

[DrewInSK]

Yeah, 2 or 3 days after posting on here I received the email from Drew on my questions. I would have never figured out where the tension screw was if it wasn't for these pictures... never thought it was part of the hub itself.

What did you end up tightening to? My tests with the Gates app have me in the right range-ish so I'm leaving tension alone.

Still haven't narrowed down the whistle from wind I keep fighting with, will need an air compressor to be at all accurate in finding it, I think.. It's not the cranks themselves. It's either motor casing(which I've made some educated guesses about and covered with tape to test), or something inside the motor itself.

 

[Archmagination2002]

What did you end up tightening to? My tests with the Gates app have me in the right range-ish so I'm leaving tension alone.

Still haven't narrowed down the whistle from wind I keep fighting with, will need an air compressor to be at all accurate in finding it, I think.. It's not the cranks themselves. It's either motor casing(which I've made some educated guesses about and covered with tape to test), or something inside the motor itself.

My Kricket kept showing 35 pounds or so of tension and was within the acceptable range, the best tension suggested for an ebike is around 40 pounds so I moved it up to around there so I wouldn't have slippage when I am really pushing it. What is funny about my whistle is that it keeps setting off my Apple watch's loud noise alarm.. lol.

 

[CincyKid]

Guess what???

I have the bike in hand...with a charger. Being in the middle of this tariff change has wreaked havoc on shipping. I can not being to imagine the expense and frustration on Zen's part.

The battery is on the charger now. Is there a standard first time charging minimum? The battery was completely DOA. There is no information in the owners manual about first charge.

It took about 29 minutes from unboxing to built status. Nothing complicated at all. Of course, I used to wrench my own bikes when racing MTB back in the day, too. In reality that experience has nothing to do with how easy it is to build up out of the box.

First impression? This is a BIG bike!

I have put 600 miles on a Cannondale CX4 Hybrid. Both on a Zwift trainer and on the road to get in "shape" for this ebike. It seems little next to the Photon.

Super excited to get it out on the road!

And, it's my birthday!!!

 

[CincyKid]

Just returned from my first shakedown ride. I'm on the tail end of a summer cold. All I can say right now is...WOW.

So much power.

I have some personalization adjustments to attend to but initial impressions are leaving me quite speechless.

 

[DrewInSK]

Just returned from my first shakedown ride. I'm on the tail end of a summer cold. All I can say right now is...WOW.

So much power.

I have some personalization adjustments to attend to but initial impressions are leaving me quite speechless.

Excellent! I found it really easy to dial in the comfort. Lifted the bars, and turned em a bit....adjusted the seat a little, and done. Definitely a major plus about the bike.

 

[DrewInSK]

My Kricket kept showing 35 pounds or so of tension and was within the acceptable range, the best tension suggested for an ebike is around 40 pounds so I moved it up to around there so I wouldn't have slippage when I am really pushing it. What is funny about my whistle is that it keeps setting off my Apple watch's loud noise alarm.. lol.

I think I finally zeroed in on the whistle. My first tape test was not enough coverage, but it's definitely the outside of motor and motor casing making the whistle between 24-30km/h. I got rather more liberal with the tape(but left the openings clear-ish where the motor meets the frame). Just had my first 10km without the whistle. Gonna recharge both myself and the battery and go for another tour to confirm..It's ugly, and I'll need better tape to sort it more permanently(unless this is the kind of thing I can get parts for, I'll ask, but they're stretched thin as Ravi mentioned).

 

[Kriti Yad]

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! We want to take a moment for a candid post and heartfelt thank you. Your patience over the past few months as we delivered your Photon e-bikes has been incredible, and we deeply appreciate the feedback you've provided. It has been helping us improve and grow.
This journey hasn’t been without its challenges. We faced several unexpected hurdles that significantly impacted our delivery timelines for the second production run of Photons. Our advanced battery protocol required reprogramming to meet new UL certification standards, causing a four-week delay. Further complicating matters were changes in tariffs and custom laws in the US, which led to our shipments being held for over 40 days for a detailed examination. This caused extensive delays and bike damages, disrupting our schedule. To add to this, we lost bikes worth $50,000 due to cyber fraud, which further complicated the situation taking time and energy from us to resolve it.
Our team has been working tirelessly to deliver all the orders, and I am happy to share that the last few bikes will be shipped next week. I acknowledge that our communication wasn’t up to the standards we aspire to, and for that, we sincerely apologize. Your kindness and support have meant the world to us as we navigated through this challenging time.
My team and I are committed to delivering the quality and service that we promised. Over the past month, we have worked to build more resilient internal systems to better serve our customers. We are optimistic about providing a smoother experience as we move forward, Thank you for being a part of the Zen and for your continued support.
If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].

Keeping it Zen!

 

[Kriti Yad]

I think I finally zeroed in on the whistle. My first tape test was not enough coverage, but it's definitely the outside of motor and motor casing making the whistle between 24-30km/h. I got rather more liberal with the tape(but left the openings clear-ish where the motor meets the frame). Just had my first 10km without the whistle. Gonna recharge both myself and the battery and go for another tour to confirm..It's ugly, and I'll need better tape to sort it more permanently(unless this is the kind of thing I can get parts for, I'll ask, but they're stretched thin as Ravi mentioned).

We will look into this today. Thank you for sharing the details.

 

[DrewInSK]

We will look into this today. Thank you for sharing the details.

Much appreciated! Heard from your team Monday and it seems like things are moving towards solutions to me. Thank you!

 

[CincyKid]

Question for all you smart folks. I need to replace the seatpost quick release lever with a standard clamp. What size is needed?

I'm in the process of customizing the cockpit with a new handlebar and a new seat. My wrists are killing me after 7 miles or so.

 

[mlandau]

Question for all you smart folks. I need to replace the seatpost quick release lever with a standard clamp. What size is needed?

I'm in the process of customizing the cockpit with a new handlebar and a new seat. My wrists are killing me after 7 miles or so.

Before you replace the handlebars, try rotating them a bit.

 

[CincyKid]

Before you replace the handlebars, try rotating them a bit.

I appreciate the response. My issue is way beyond a mere rotation. It's the backsweep. Places my wrists in an odd and uncomfortable position.

 

[DrewInSK]

I appreciate the response. My issue is way beyond a mere rotation. It's the backsweep. Places my wrists in an odd and uncomfortable position.

Are you going with flat bars or just less sweep? I'm just curious what you're switching to if you're willing to share. I had a heckuva time with flatter/MTB bars(Chromag Cutlass) on previous ebikes, found the solution that improved things massively was grip size(ESI racer's edge).

There's so much personalization around fit-- If I hadn't found the sweet spot so quickly that worked for me with this one.. as I mentioned previously I was going to go see if someone would do a proper bike fitting.

 

[CincyKid]

I'm attempting to find the sweet spot of less upright, slightly more aggressive posture with less sweep on the bars and a more solid saddle.

I have ordered this bar: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMVVP4B?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 with the 810mm width, 15mm rise. 5.5 degree upsweep and 8 degree backsweep. I think with the current stem, I will be able to find a good position.

For the seat, I'm looking at several racing style saddles. Less foam, more support. I have a Kinect seatpost so this takes care of the "comfort" aspect. I find the current saddle far too squishy when pedaling with effort & speed.

Last, I want the seat post clamp replaced because 1) I need a better seat post clamp due to slippage with the QR and 2) make the seatpost less likely to "walk off".

Interesting thought on the grip size. Not sure I am in love with the ergonomic grips. Was curious about replacing them with foam style grips. However, these grips would need to be cut fit with the twist throttle.

 

[DrewInSK]

I'm attempting to find the sweet spot of less upright, slightly more aggressive posture with less sweep on the bars and a more solid saddle.

I have ordered this bar: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMVVP4B?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 with the 810mm width, 15mm rise. 5.5 degree upsweep and 8 degree backsweep. I think with the current stem, I will be able to find a good position.

For the seat, I'm looking at several racing style saddles. Less foam, more support. I have a Kinect seatpost so this takes care of the "comfort" aspect. I find the current saddle far too squishy when pedaling with effort & speed.

Last, I want the seat post clamp replaced because 1) I need a better seat post clamp due to slippage with the QR and 2) make the seatpost less likely to "walk off".

Interesting thought on the grip size. Not sure I am in love with the ergonomic grips. Was curious about replacing them with foam style grips. However, these grips would need to be cut fit with the twist throttle.

On your seatpost, are you greasing it near where it sits with QR?(in my case i have a tube of park tool Poly 1000, so it's what I used) I find that plus a little tightening on the QR stopped the slippage.

I still plan to replace the clamp -- but to use with Pitlocks. same with the front through axle. So if someone has the measurements for it as well, these are the stock options from the north american reseller. https://www.urbanbiketech.com/shop/pitlock/locks-for-bikes-with-thru-axle-hubs/

If not I'll pull it apart and measure. no sweat.

It saves me wasting time and weight with a cable lock for the front tire. Also if anyone's got pointers on possible frame locks that are compatible -- I'm interested. Anything to save hassle around security.

 

[Ebiker33]

Question for all you smart folks. I need to replace the seatpost quick release lever with a standard clamp. What size is needed?

I'm in the process of customizing the cockpit with a new handlebar and a new seat. My wrists are killing me after 7 miles or so.

When I began to ride an ebike my wrists also got destroyed, perhaps a bad angle or vibration; not sure, I ended purchasing gloves with wrist supports and it me helped immensely.
I would also consider a "Suspension Step" my next Ebike will have this

Suspension Stem

Introducing the Revolutionary Active Suspension Stem that is designed to reduce arm, wrist, and shoulder discomfort for all bikers. Adjustable, Compact, and built to last. The Ultimate Upgrade™

cirruscycles.com

I found out the hard way if you go for long rides, wrists begin to pay a price, funny thing is normally my wrist never bother me, and they never did when I rode a standard bike either.

 

[jim1274]

When I began to ride an ebike my wrists also got destroyed, perhaps a bad angle or vibration; not sure, I ended purchasing gloves with wrist supports and it me helped immensely.
I would also consider a "Suspension Step" my next Ebike will have this

Suspension Stem

Introducing the Revolutionary Active Suspension Stem that is designed to reduce arm, wrist, and shoulder discomfort for all bikers. Adjustable, Compact, and built to last. The Ultimate Upgrade™

cirruscycles.com

I found out the hard way if you go for long rides, wrists begin to pay a price, funny thing is normally my wrist never bother me, and they never did when I rode a standard bike either.

Maybe try these Ergon GC1 grips to save your wrists discomfort?

Produkte · Ergon Bike

Ergonomic products for cyclists.

www.ergonbike.com

I have or will shortly have Ergon grips on all my bikes. They have a larger support pad area than the OEM ones on the Photon. I had hand numbness and wrist pain on several bikes until I put on Ergon grips. They were a game changer for me.

 

[jim1274]

Retrofitting the automatiq is farly easy.
Enviolo has several videos on the process, and there is a thread on this site with someone who did it on a riese & Mueller

I’m all ears when someone does the conversion. I too have mixed feelings on the manual version, but just recently got my Photon, so too soon to draw any conclusions. The Automatiq sure seems like the way to go to me, though.

 

[jim1274]

The only thing making me hesitate to order is the largest frame size seems a bit small for taller riders. I was thinking, like you, maybe the fit can be tweaked to fit better.

Any owners out there 6-3 or taller with a 35” inseam find the geometry and fit working and comfortable for them?

I normally don’t reply to my own posts, but do want to say my concern over frame size being too small for my height is not a problem. Another poster made a comment that the bike seemed big, something that I thought too when it arrived. The bike actually fits me pretty good right out of the box with no tweaking or adjustments. I am going to do some mods as noted in a recent thread started on contact point mods (https://forums.electricbikereview.com/threads/zen-photon-pro-contact-points-mods.56217/) but basic geometry seems pretty good for me.