CYC PHOTON

[hindesite]

Is it worth using a torque wrench or digital torque adapter as advised on facegroup photon owners group so that it can be tightened to a specified torque in order to reduce probability of it coming loose and damaging the bottom bracket?

Absolutely should use a torque wrench if you have one, I didn't have the correct socket for the nut though. In my installation if the motor moves it gets tighter against the downtube. But to use a torque wrench you'll have to remove the crank axle.

 

[Atak_Snajpera]

I was a bit confused by your previous comment that SW102 showed 177kWh, using a spreadsheet (or even AI) is a bit overkill, this should be built into the app, or at least available through log output.

This is what you have to do when app is in "FINE STATE" for most users...

 

[raylo32]

Wh usage is in the "Motor" selection of the display menu. Not the startup menu but the menu you access by holding down the menu button when the system has been on for more than 15 seconds. There is also the "Human" button" that shows human stats for the ride... power (max and average), cadence, etc.

How are you getting that Wh usage figure. Using the battery indicator is approximate and to coarse to be useful and my SW102 doesn't show a power usage total anywhere.

CYC should build this into the app, hopefully at the same time they add datalogging...

 

[raylo32]

There's the difference. I got mine from US vendor. You will have a good wait, it seems. I ordered my X1 directly from CYC a couple years ago and some parts along the way and note that they are good at telling you when the order is "prepared" and when it ships. But then you have to wait for the slow boat from China.

Edit: I just saw your post that they are waiting for more motors. Damn, they are selling a lot of these things.

Since I ordered mine 7 days later after your order directly from CYC Motors then there should be first order status update already. Apparently they don't serve everyone equally or I have chosen the wrong day to order after they have run out of controllers or any other parts.

 

[raylo32]

Steep part was about 8-10%. Overall climb is like 1.5 miles but most of the vertical is in 1k or so. And I was pedaling pretty hard to carry 13 MPH. On assist level 5 I could have gone faster, pedaled easier, or some combination of the 2. But then the motor will be doing a lot more work. I am old and heavier than I used to be but still a relatively strong rider and decent climber. Certainly not like the old days, tho.

So, from my observations so far, in level 2 of 5 I don't believe it would be possible to overheat the motor in any way. Temp never got above 125 no matter how hard I rode it. Maybe I'll repeat this climb in 3 and 4 to see how she does. We have some much more serious climbs out nearby so one day maybe I'll get out there and give those a go.

How steep was the climb in %? Never been a good hill climber since muscle and aerobic power delivery depends on a state of mind and semi-subconscious depression levels.

 

[raylo32]

You know what I'd really like to see for the SW102 display? A way to set it during a ride so that it shows only 3 things: Assist Level in a big font, like 2/3 of the screen, then below in smaller font motor temp and battery voltage. The other stuff I get from the Garmin.

 

[sysrq]

There's the difference. I got mine from US vendor. You will have a good wait, it seems. I ordered my X1 directly from CYC a couple years ago and some parts along the way and note that they are good at telling you when the order is "prepared" and when it ships. But then you have to wait for the slow boat from China.

Edit: I just saw your post that they are waiting for more motors. Damn, they are selling a lot of these things.

If US vendors don't have them in stock then it shouldn't make any difference, or does that mean that they are serving their distributors faster than individual customers? And if they have them in stock then shipping should be faster than 8 weeks.
Could have ordered from local European dealers but they seemed too obscure at the time due to confusing reviews.
The most logical thing to do in this situation would be selecting another mid-drive but there is nothing convincing besides Bafang (reluctant do buy it due to fear of unpredictable nature of cadence sensor since the new torque sensor version is not available yet).

 

[raylo32]

Hard to know. All I can say is that the vendor seems to be working their backlog down and might have gotten a goodly tranche of kits. But they might blow through those pretty quickly and then maybe have another pause.

If US vendors don't have them in stock then it shouldn't make any difference, or does that mean that they are serving their distributors faster than individual customers? And if thd have them in stock then shipping should be faster than 8 weeks.
Could have ordered from local European dealers but they seemed too obscure at the time due to confusing reviews.

 

[raylo32]

Here's an FYI for those of you looking at Photon and you have the rear derailleur cable running along the downtube and under the bottom bracket. I had one minor problem for the physical installation of my Photon since it doesn't have a way to hold it in a fixed position off the downtube. The motor, when rotated up against the down tube, pinched the rear derailleur shift cable and bound it up, making shifting difficult. So, I designed and 3D printed this little standoff with a 2mm cable pass through groove. I used a couple pieces of 3M mounting tape to stick it to the downtube and Photon casing. So far so good. Alternatively, I guess you could take a Dremel and make a little groove in the Photon case itself.

 

[Mongo]

If US vendors don't have them in stock then it shouldn't make any difference, or does that mean that they are serving their distributors faster than individual customers? And if they have them in stock then shipping should be faster than 8 weeks.
Could have ordered from local European dealers but they seemed too obscure at the time due to confusing reviews.
The most logical thing to do in this situation would be selecting another mid-drive but there is nothing convincing besides Bafang (reluctant do buy it due to fear of unpredictable nature of cadence sensor since the new torque sensor version is not available yet).

There's the difference. I got mine from US vendor. You will have a good wait, it seems. I ordered my X1 directly from CYC a couple years ago and some parts along the way and note that they are good at telling you when the order is "prepared" and when it ships. But then you have to wait for the slow boat from China.

Edit: I just saw your post that they are waiting for more motors. Damn, they are selling a lot of these things.

At this early stage of, well, unknown reliability of the Photon, I canceled the direct CYC order I had for a second motor and started up a new order from Electrify Bike, the U.S. vendor I preordered the first motor through.

7 1/2 weeks and counting - no reason I can see it won't be 8+ weeks at this point, with the holiday coming up.

You know what I'd really like to see for the SW102 display? A way to set it during a ride so that it shows only 3 things: Assist Level in a big font, like 2/3 of the screen, then below in smaller font motor temp and battery voltage. The other stuff I get from the Garmin.

Agreed, though I'd share the top half of the screen with assist number and a watts vertical graph. With the Garmin data feed standard, CYC could maybe, possibly, pretty-please feed data (via Bluetooth) over to the much better Garmin Edge displays - to the point of doing away entirely with the CYC display and instead just having a small pod with an on/off button, assist level buttons, and USB-C low-output power port.

I want to be able to quickly glance-read the display.

 

[sysrq]

Somebody announced on Facebook that by the end of the June they will be able to fulfill a lot of orders. So probably there is still too high demand to fulfill all of them.

There's the difference. I got mine from US vendor. You will have a good wait, it seems. I ordered my X1 directly from CYC a couple years ago and some parts along the way and note that they are good at telling you when the order is "prepared" and when it ships. But then you have to wait for the slow boat from China.

Edit: I just saw your post that they are waiting for more motors. Damn, they are selling a lot of these things.

 

[hindesite]

Wh usage is in the "Motor" selection of the display menu. Not the startup menu but the menu you access by holding down the menu button when the system has been on for more than 15 seconds. There is also the "Human" button" that shows human stats for the ride... power (max and average), cadence, etc.

I looked at that briefly when setting up my system and ever since then have referred to the CYC manual for the SW102, and that is completely incorrect, so much missing. It only shows an option to clear trip data and little else. Time for CYC to get on to updating all their software and documentation I think.

 

[hindesite]

You know what I'd really like to see for the SW102 display? A way to set it during a ride so that it shows only 3 things: Assist Level in a big font, like 2/3 of the screen, then below in smaller font motor temp and battery voltage. The other stuff I get from the Garmin.

I'd like to see the 4 assist levels more clearly; also % actual assist as a graphic (vertical bar perhaps) as well as motor power. Speed and distance I get from my GPS, and everything else could be logged. Why HR is in there is beyond me, surely anybody using HR is probably logging and displaying elsewhere more readable or in conjunction with mapping or route software.

 

[sysrq]

Hi everyone, new member here
I see some of you waiting on kit so thought I'd post up to hopefully ease your worries a bit.

I ordered a X1 stealth around April with a quoted wait time of 6-8 weeks. As expected I was impatient and messaged them for an update after about 4 weeks. They advised me of a delay due to a controller supply issue but that should only push my wait time back by 2 weeks and said my kit would be shipped the first week of june. I wasn't feeling too confident however 3rd June I get an email with pictures of my assembled kit and double checking my details. A few days later I got a shipping email from FedEx and it was delivered to the UK about 4 days later. No import fees etc, well packaged and half assembled ready for me to slap on.

Also with regards to other companies offering kits. I contacted one UK company to see if they had a unit there ready to ship to me because I was being so impatient. I was going to cancel my order from cyc and pay extra for the one in the UK. Turns out as others have said they simply place an order with cyc on your behalf!!

When did you ordered yours in April? They have run out of brushless outrunner motors as I understand from what they have told me. This time they didn't mention anything about expected delay time frame. Some people had to wait for 7 months for their CYC Stealth despite the fact that others who ordered them 3 months later recieved them sooner for some reason.

 

[seanchad]

When did you ordered yours in April? They have run out of brushless outrunner motors as I understand from what they have told me. This time they didn't mention anything about expected delay time frame. Some people had to wait for 7 months for their CYC Stealth despite the fact that others who ordered them 3 months later recieved them sooner for some reason.

Yes I ordered mine on 8th April and had it on my doorstep by 8th June. I contacted them around the 6 week mark and they advised of s controller shortage and that my dispatch date was pushed back two weeks and was due for shipping in the first week of June which it was. I got an email with pictures of my assembled kit and asked to confirm my address, a few days later I had the dispatch email from FedEx and shipping to the UK was under a week. Hope you all get your kit soon.

 

[sysrq]

Yes I ordered mine on 8th April and had it on my doorstep by 8th June. I contacted them around the 6 week mark and they advised of s controller shortage and that my dispatch date was pushed back two weeks and was due for shipping in the first week of June which it was. I got an email with pictures of my assembled kit and asked to confirm my address, a few days later I had the dispatch email from FedEx and shipping to the UK was under a week. Hope you all get your kit soon.

One YouTube user said it took 5 months to receive his Photon and it was in winter when there was less demand, so it's too much random luck involved with this motor. Shame it seems like an only all rounder motor currently on the market in terms of optimal power, size, torque sensor and tolerances, etc..
As far as I understand only US vendors such as GoldenMotor are able to keep the shipping times consistent (up to 5 weeks only). European dealers are probably more reluctant to order them before anyone buys them.

 

[raylo32]

Folks, I have a "bottom bracket" creak with my installation. It doesn't hurt performance but is annoying. It happens with and without my derailleur cable spacer in place so that is not the issue. Everything is snug. Has anyone run into this problem? I guess I am going to take it apart and have a look. My install is on a Cannondale F1000 aluminum frame with standard 68mm BSA BB so it has 15mm of spacers total, 3mm on the drive side, and 7+5mm on the non-drive side, since the Photon is made for 83mm. On pedal bikes when I have had this issue some grease and retightening usually fixed it right up. So, I'll try that. Or maybe I need to tweak those spacers a bit for my specific bike. IDK.

 

[seanchad]

Folks, I have a "bottom bracket" creak with my installation. It doesn't hurt performance but is annoying. It happens with and without my derailleur cable spacer in place so that is not the issue. Everything is snug. Has anyone run into this problem? I guess I am going to take it apart and have a look. My install is on a Cannondale F1000 aluminum frame with standard 68mm BSA BB so it has 15mm of spacers total, 3mm on the drive side, and 7+5mm on the non-drive side, since the Photon is made for 83mm. On pedal bikes when I have had this issue some grease and retightening usually fixed it right up. So, I'll try that. Or maybe I need to tweak those spacers a bit for my specific bike. IDK.

I have the same with my stealth, each time I've managed to get a bit more of a turn on the bottom bracket nut it's gotten a bit better. I don't have the correct tool so used a pair of wide mouth grips with some innertube for protection but I think I need the proper tool to really tighten it up.

 

[raylo32]

My bottom bracket creak is solved, at least for now. I took it all apart then reassembled it with liberal application of grease to the threads, between the various spacers and inside the BB shell bore. It is quiet as a mouse now and sounds like a premium e-bike.

 

[hindesite]

Folks, I have a "bottom bracket" creak with my installation.

Mine has just started creaking (I think); it is intermittent and barely noticeable but still annoying.

 

[hindesite]

About Photon ground clearance:



I have several times in this thread seen dismissive comments about the Photon having poor ground clearance, but this really is not my experience at all.

Mystified as to why people are making these comments, or what they realistically expect. On the right frame, Photon ground clearance is excellent - and hard to see how it could be improved. This is a LOT better than the more bulky Bafangs and TSDZs. Good job by CYC imnsho.



And this is with the smallest 34T chainring.

Edit: (added relevant comment I also made later in the thread)

One of my other bikes is a Giant Trance, which has a 'S' shaped downtube which seems to be a trend, and the Photon would look terrible on that, it would not have good clearance at all; however it would still be better than the alternatives I think. That frame also has ISCG tabs which would need to be cut off.

It is certainly a factor to consider when considering a frame for this motor - a downtube like mine, straight and steep at the BB and curving forward at the top to meet the head tube (which increases the steepness) is ideal. The tradeoff is less room for the battery, as on my bike.

 

[raylo32]

Yeah, I had seen a couple of those comments and thought, WTF? Tons of clearance from the ground, the lowest part being the chainring. But I wonder if some of them might have been talking about clearance issues on the bike, like my issue with the shift cable being sandwiched between the motor and down tube? This happens because Photon does not have mounting hardware to keep the motor off the bike frame but instead rotates the motor hard into the frame.

I made a custom standoff for that. Likewise, if I were to put a Photon on my gravel bike I'd have to create another standoff for the motor to get it to clear the internally routed rear brake hose and the derailleur cable housing where they exit the down tube where the motor wants to be hard against the frame. In either of these cases, though, the 42t chainring would still be the lowest part.

About Photon ground clearance:



I have several times in this thread seen dismissive comments about the Photon having poor ground clearance, but this really is not my experience at all.

Mystified as to why people are making these comments, or what they realistically expect. On the right frame, Photon ground clearance is excellent - and hard to see how it could be improved. This is a LOT better than the more bulky Bafangs and TSDZs. Good job by CYC imnsho.



And this is with the smallest 34T chainring.

 

[raylo32]

I am working with CYC on my SW102 issue being stuck on 29" wheel size. They wanted to see a video. So far I am happy with their tech support. They seem very responsive.

 

[Joakim]

About Photon ground clearance:

View attachment 335942

I have several times in this thread seen dismissive comments about the Photon having poor ground clearance, but this really is not my experience at all.

Mystified as to why people are making these comments, or what they realistically expect. On the right frame, Photon ground clearance is excellent - and hard to see how it could be improved. This is a LOT better than the more bulky Bafangs and TSDZs. Good job by CYC imnsho.

View attachment 335943

And this is with the smallest 34T chainring.

Thats excellent ground clearance indeed. My frame downtube doesnt go as ”straight up” as yours, I cant rotate my tsdz2 very high at all. But maybe the layout of the photon would make it so I can rotate it higher then the chain ring still. I doubt it though. I really dont want the motor to be the lowest point. Would be really nice to have it like your bike. Maybe I can experiment with the printouts for the photon and get an approximation

 

[raylo32]

Ahh, I see. Yes, many modern dual susp MTBs have the crank set back in a longish horizontal section of the downtube. In that case you would have less ground clearance.

Thats excellent ground clearance indeed. My frame downtube doesnt go as ”straight up” as yours, I cant rotate my tsdz2 very high at all. But maybe the layout of the photon would make it so I can rotate it higher then the chain ring still. I doubt it though. I really dont want the motor