Frey CC ordered!

eggbert

1 mW
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
16
I really haven't seen much spoken about the Frey CC. Micah and a couple of others have briefly discussed the bike but I don't think it has gotten as much attention as other bikes Frey are selling as it has a very different market than the bikes they typically sell (although I bet a lot are used more for commuting than the trails!).
I was looking at getting a HT model for my daily commute (18ish km each (11 miles)), but found a little more money in the kitty and decided to go for the CC instead.
I can't find any reviews online from someone who had bought the bike, so I presume I must be one of the first buyers. Hopefully they put a lot of care and attention into it's build if that's the case.
As yet I've had no build updates, so have no photos I can show, but will update as and when they start trickling in.
Luckily where I live there are extensive bike tracks (co -use with pedestrians in many cases), so hopefully not much chance of interactions with other vehicles. Only problem I see is that it's coming up to monsoonal season soon.
 
Congrats! When do you expect delivery? What color did you go with and did you change anything from the standard config?
 
I pretty much went with the standard setup in as close to British racing green as I could find but added lights, rack, mudguards, gear shift sensor and a spare charger.
The bike was already at the outer limit of what I could justify spending and I couldn't really think of any additions /upgrades to make.
 
Congratulations Eggbert, look forward to your posts on the Frey CC experience :thumb:
 
Elektrek just put up a review. Was hoping for a more in-depth review but better than nothing as there's not much out there.

https://electrek.co/2019/12/24/review-1-5-kw-frey-cc-full-suspension-electric-commuter-bike/
 
Tom, there is not much out there about the Frey CC is because it's a brand new design that was shown to the "public" just a few months ago.

The "public" at that Frey event was Micah, 2 westerners who ride Frey's, their Swiss distributor and myself.

That's why so far only Micah has published about the CC, the Sea Otter Classic will be the event where more riders can test the Frey CC and the other models.

If you have any specific questions about the CC, send me a PM or send Ivy an email.
 
Right, I was hoping for more info from those that had a chance to ride it. Would be nice to know how well the suspension woks with rear rack attached to the swing arm, particularly with weight on the rack. Also how did the "universal size" of the CC suit each of you?
 
There were 2 CC's available at the event, the cream colored one without a rack and the red one with a rack.
No one put anything on the red CC's luggage rack, the test environment and settings were not really requiring it.

But as a commuter, what will you put on that rack?
A few shopping bags, let's say 5-10 kilo or so? A laptop bag and lunch going to the office?

So for a commuter bike adding 5-10 kilo on the rear rack, compared to the potential weight of a 60 to 100 kilo rider, what's the point? And if this is a real problem for you, you can always opt for the Frey hardtail model (the HT) with the same rack and same motor but lower in price without the rear shock.

With regards to universal size, if you have an large body frame, I suggest you send Frey some of your measurements and ask them to offer components to suit your body size?!
 
I think it's a valid concern given the CC it's being marketed as a commuter. I'm not planning to carry heavier loads on the rack but others might be. 10kg of unsprung weight may be enough to handicap the rear suspension from working properly. Here's just one discussion about the potential issue:

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=55531#p467532

I emailed Ivy and her response was that it's about having a rear rack option if you want it vs. not having a rear rack. Sounds like you can lock the rear shock for heavier loads if it's an issue.
 
I don't know how much of a difference adding 10 to 20 lbs of groceries will make in suspension settings. The bike will ride a little softer with extra weight. Most shocks have a lockout or climb switch as well. Much ado about nothing.
 
You're right, we shouldn't worry about it. Never mind the discussions about why rear racks don't work well on full suspension bikes or the laws of physics. I'm sure it will be fine and nobody is going to be disappointed. :wink:
 
Tom said:
You're right, we shouldn't worry about it. Never mind the discussions about why rear racks don't work well on full suspension bikes or the laws of physics. I'm sure it will be fine and nobody is going to be disappointed. :wink:

Go ahead and discuss how the "laws of physics" prevent 20 lbs of groceries being carried on a bike.

So here's the "explanation" of why a bike with suspension can't carry groceries:

"The suspension is fouled up by 10kgs or so of stuff hanging onto the suspension arm."

That's right, it's because the "laws of physics" say that "The suspension is fouled up by 10kgs or so of stuff."

What a brilliant analysis. All from a poster who called himself "hamster" posting in 2011. :lol:
 
I'm not sure if either of you understand the issue. I posted a link to a discussion above explaining it but feel free to refer to the Wikipedia link below. Weight that is attached to the rear swing arm is going to affect the mechanics of the rear suspension very differently than the weight attached to the suspended frame such as rider and backpack weight. Those are the laws of physics that I was referring to. Call it something else if you prefer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsprung_mass

Edit: Same principle that Court illustraes and this video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ohtXHWDOkEU
 
Tom said:
I'm not sure if either of you understand the issue. I posted a link to a discussion above explaining it but feel free to refer to the Wikipedia link below. Weight that is attached to the rear swing arm is going to affect the mechanics of the rear suspension very differently than the weight attached to the suspended frame such as rider and backpack weight. Those are the laws of physics that I was referring to. Call it something else if you prefer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsprung_mass

Edit: Same principle that Court illustraes and this video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ohtXHWDOkEU

That's a terrible explanation by court. He uses the term rebound when he should be using the term compression. Fail.
 
It matters if you want to be obsessive about it and split hairs all day long. The ride will be marginally softer and you will be marginally slower. How fast do you want to be? You've already got 1,500 watts and 160 nm of torque on hand. If you don't think that's enough power to handle 10 kgs of groceries, look into a top fuel dragster.
 
I'm not being obsessive about it. I simply asked a question. Since this is a thread about the Frey CC I thought it would be good to have a genuine discussion about it. Thanks Sinbord1981 for chiming in with a relevant data point.
 
Tom said:
I'm not being obsessive about it. I simply asked a question. Since this is a thread about the Frey CC I thought it would be good to have a genuine discussion about it. Thanks Sinbord1981 for chiming in with a relevant data point.

The point is, you were citing people who were completely clueless about the subject. Court, who doesn't understand the difference between compression and rebound, and a facts-challenged anon troll who called himself "hamster" posting a decade ago.

I tried to save you the embarrassment but you insisted on plowing forward. It's better to ask when you don't know rather than to pretend as if you know what you're talking about.
 
You make some very compelling arguments that unsprung mass doesn't matter. And excellent point about usernames on the internet - anyone that uses the name hamster is clearly wrong! Looking forward to eggbert getting his bike and hearing more user feedback.
 
Tom said:
Bla, bla, bla, unsprung mass, bla, bla, bla...

Yes you are very clever that you discovered that extra unsprung mass will effect the handling of a vehicle. So don't order a Frey CC or don't order the bike rack for the swing arm and carry your shit in a back pack. If you're such a downhill champion and vehicle dynamics expert you will probably have a much better bike or solution already. Congratulations.... :roll:
 
I'm actually planning to order a CC. Don't know why people get so offended about discussing how well the rear rack might work in conjunction with the suspension. I am guessing it kind of defeats the purpose but have no first-hand experience. I shall not question the authority of the experts here further.
 
The worst that can happen is that you lose $20 if the rack doesn't work out for you. You can also use a trailer or a large backpack for that matter or a beam rack.

I've carried 10+ kgs on the handlebars, it didn't tax the suspension in the slightest. You are overthinking this.
 
Weight on the handlebars would be sprung weight so similar to rider or backpack weight.
 
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