My Ludi V2 X2

[rtp]

Parts waiting to go on while we're in a 'deep freeze' of sub-freezing weather. Hopefully it'll reach into 40-something* at least for a bit as both wanting to do some work on the bike and also manage to get at least a short ride in.

Random note - whenever you are looking to buy a tool from Park Tools, always look at whatever other models they have in the lineup. I've got one of their higher-end repair stands (PRS - 25..)

https://amzn.to/3FWDq3u

which is great, but bought their (cheaper) annoying, cheaper bar holder without looking for others. Then of course found this one which is a bit overpriced but so much more useful:

https://amzn.to/3AnKOUo

Meh - the other one I guess will turn into a paper towel holder or something. :D

[rtp]

Crank Arms
The 'deep freeze' finally let up this past weekend, after teasing me with decent temps during the week a couple of times.
I had ordered a set of crank arms from Miranda, who now makes crank arms for the M500 and M600 ranging from 150mm to 170mm. As I already had the OE 170mm and a set of Luna 150mm, I went ahead and ordered a set of 160mm, mostly for grins. I had originally had some pedal strike issues with the 170mm, and might have gone for the 160mm size if they were available - having said that, the Luna 150mm are light and have had no issues with them.

Not sure how, but Miranda shipped super quickly - seems like I got them from overseas within a few days, to the point a package showed up and I was wondering what it actually was,, expecting delivery to take weeks instead of days..

Weights of the pairs of crank arms:
Bafang 170mm: 566g for the pair
Miranda 160mm: 514g for the pair
Luna 150mm: 462g for the pair

You can see both the Luna and Mirandas are rounded at the ends vs the funky 'hacked off at an angle' look of the Bafang arms.
You'll have to ignore the scale and 'powder' - was making some pizza dough...

They did come with their own set of pinch bolts, and pretty much have the same Q factor, curve etc. as both the Bafang and Luna arms.

Boxed up:


Miranda 160mm weight:

Bafang 170mm weight:

Luna 150mm Weight:

[rtp]

SRAM MatchMaker
I had picked up a pair of SRAM Matchmaker clamps previously, and finally got around to installing at least one of them after a few rounds of control adjustments, replaced throttle, etc.
I went ahead and picked up a GX shifter in the meantime, as the original shifter is separate clamp only and won't work with MatchMaker. NX shifters and upwards can be had in MatchMaker-compatible versions, but for a literal few dollars more, the GX has more metal in it's construction over the NX, something like $45 vs $42, so went with the GX shifter - they are all compatible within the Eagle lineup.

I only did the right hand/shifter side for now as I have a new dropper post and lever to add, while I'm not yet sure which dropper lever I'll wind up using.

Interestingly, there really isn't any fundamental difference in the MM clamp versus the normal G2 brake lever clamp - other than the added bracket with the red screw protector on in the pic below (which would also fit into the G2 clamp) and the bolt coloring.


The range of adjustment comes in on the added bracket - it can be loosened and slid up and down, although at least for me, with the GX shifter, the net was it allowed about as much positioning adjustment as the original shifter did, meaning with a separate clamp shifter, I was limited by the top of the shifter hitting the brake clamp, and with the MatchMaker setup, the limit of the slot for sliding the clamp put it in around the same position.

How the shifter installs to the MM clamp:


and installed on the bike:


Overall it's not a huge benefit in my case - I'd like to move the shifter inward/outwards a bit, but that level of adjustability isn't there on this combo.
Yeah, the bars are slightly cleaner, but I didn't really net much more adjustability. I suspect it may be more useful depending on my choice of dropper lever - assuming it doesn't interfere with the keypad operation if using a horizontal lever.

[sendler2112]

Has anyone ever ridden both the X1 and the X2? What is the real world riding difference in frame geometry?

[rtp]

sendler2112 - I didn't have an X1 previously, but several have and posted on FB, as well as the X2 using the Dengfu E10 frame - lots of builds on emtb-forums covering the frame. I've yet to see anyone with an X1 saying the geo/frame hasn't improved, but would depend on your riding. Are you debating on used X1 vs new X2 or? (I'd take the X2 solely based on the LudiV2 controller..)

[sendler2112]

The Ludi controller can be installed on any M600. X1, X2, BikesDirect. ect

[rtp]

Is Luna SELLING the controller standalone now - they weren't at least initially. Pls use comment vs new reply if possible ...

[perseverantone]

Realized how old it was.

[sendler2112]

Your posts are pinked out for some reason so they then lack the quote, comment, ect, buttons. I assumed Luna was selling the Ludi alone but I never looked for the ordering button. Which is not there. So you saved me from making a big mistake on buying a used X1 or BikesDirect and thinking I could add the Ludi. I already have a sweet Shimano E8000 with a 150mm Pike which I absolutely love. For a Class 1 ebike. I can challenge the times of the fastest racers in tight Eastern wooded single track. Even if the net altitude is down. This motor is much more instantaneously responsive to torque sensing that my early Levo. The ep8 in my friends Orbea Rise is even more transparent and quiet. The only reason I want another bike is to get the M600 with a Ludi and a throttle for when I travel to spend time at my friend's retirement house in Southern Arizona where I want to see how well a 2,000W ebike with two batteries can keep up with his dirt bikes.

[rtp]

Weird - not a clue (as to why can't comment etc.) :( You can check on their store but last I saw they weren't (maybe yet?) selling the LudiV2 separately. Personally, I think they *should*, but it's also their call, up to both supply chain AND supportability of it versus selling on complete bikes. At the least they 'should' offer it to current X1 owners, and maybe that's in their plan assuming they can keep up with X2 orders etc.

Have heard good things on Shimano motors other than the seem more difficult to repair, and of course for anyone wanting higher output they're a non-starter. Personally I run my X2 at lower PAS levels > 90% of the time, so maybe 'could' have gone with a 'Euro-limit' bike, but even at lower PAS levels, I'm probably running higher sustained output (although the peaks are probably more similar). Will pull my logs together and look at some point.

I'd definitely reach out to Luna to see if a standalone 'X1 upgrade' is available though - they may have something planned, etc.

[perseverantone]

If planning to run throttle all the time X2 ludicrous can get hot really fast. But if peddling it lasts forever. I love my X2 ludicrous but it took me over 3 weeks, to get her ready to travel on 20+mile runs. Took me forever to figure out the app right. Thank god for forums like this. If you want two batteries & on-demand throttle type power. HPC Revolution is expensive but amazing as well. Cyclone can do 3000 watts continuously in the X2 &Z1 price range.

[rtp]

Dropper Replacement
Considering my height of 6' and running a Medium frame (which is generally a good fit and lets my wife ride it was well), the KS dropper is a bit on the short side for me.
Researched for a bit and considered OneUp and a small # of others, ideally looking for a solid unit that was user-repairable if/when needed.
When the dropper is at full extension, I want it at my normal seated ride height, so did a few measurements based on where I had to slide the KS seat post up in order to land at the right position. I could have probably gone with a 200mm post, or at least a 175mm, but came across a solid deal on a used SDG Tellis 170mm dropper, which generally is user-rebuildable, has parts available, etc. - so pulled the trigger on it.

It came with a RaceFace push dropper lever, which I figured was fine out of the gate. Picked up a Jagwire Pro Dropper kit to replace the cable, as the KS has the barrel at the lever, and a second 'fun' allen key clamp at the dropper post, and wanted to make sure I didn't come up short, as well as wanting to make sure the cable itself was a known quality - although I hadn't had issues to date.

Here's the KS on the left compared to the SDG Tellis on the right:


Removing the KS is pretty simple, although there is a track above where the battery sits inside the frame you may need to loosen up to let the outer cable sheath move during removal and installation.
Unscrew the KS dropper lever and let it hang, and then loosen the seat post clamp.
Go ahead and push some slack on the headset side of the dropper cable sheath, pushing a bit into the frame, while twisting the KS seat post a bit, using the seat as leverage.
Don't tug too hard and make sure the cable and sheath can lift upwards with the post.
Once you have the post out, you'll need I think it's 2 and 3mm allen/hex heads for the tiny barrel clamp to disconnect the post from the cable and slide the post out, then pull the cable through the front of the bike.

In case anyone's wondering - the 'grey stuff' is carbon assembly paste I'd used on the KS post...


The new dropper is pretty much the reverse. Either replace the existing cable sheath, or you can probably re-use the one in place. Most droppers have the cable's fixed barrel at the post side, so I added a few drops of cable lube, and fed the new cable through the existing sheath - was going to replace it, but it finally warmed up here so was a bit rushed. I did use carbon assembly paste in a light coat on the new SDG dropper, and swapped the seat over before the install.

When installing, you'll want to keep tension on the cable vs the sheath, so before installing the dropper post, you can line it up properly with the barrel connected to the post, and the sheath/end cap sitting properly against the dropper, then go ahead and connect your dropper remote before feeding the seat post into the bike - this will keep everything tight and positioned properly, although you may need to pull some slack out of the frame as you're inserting the dropper post, as it's final sitting position will be some ~6 inches lower that the top of the seatpost tube.

Sadly, I discovered the Raceface lever - is a huge POS. It looks nice, but it's a single grub screw with weak threads, and basically could not be tightened properly to keep the cable from slipping. I crimped a barrel on the backside/bottom of the lever for the time being, but IMO - this is crap, so have a different dropper lever coming, one that doesn't use a Phillips bit and uses a washer to not mangle the cable and to keep it together - I think I have an SDG coming, but the WolfTooth and a few others are decent.

I DO like the amount of adjustment available on the RF lever, but the clamping mechanism just sucks so it's gone.

Here's the POS RF one:


Installed:


I'll clean up the front cables once I get the new lever. One slightly annoying thing is the power/controls on the bike are shaped so obnoxiously (mostly where the power button hangs down), I expect it to be challenging to get a horizontal lever to work right. I went ahead and ordered a Matchmaker lever which may make things more challenging to not get in the way, but we'll see how it goes once it shows up.

[perseverantone]

I actually LOVE the lever that came with the KS E-TEN I, The Plastic piece isn't that great but the rest of the design is awesome. I actually have 170mm Travel adjust PNW Rainier, but I just ordered a 200mm PNW Loam, because the 170mm is a little short, 36mm above the collar, & with a carbon bike, I'd like to have as much insert depth as possible. But we will see if I like the LOAM which isn't a Sealed Cartridge, which means more maintenance. If I don't like Loam gonna just go back to the Rainier3 & return the LOAM, I can get away at level 9 on the insert on the 170mm Rainer 3, but if I ever decide to resell this x2 ludicrous, I want people slightly bigger to be able to ride it as well. PNW now has a lifetime warranty, on dropper posts, so I figured It was a good way to go. I considered the Tellis too. But couldn't find it any bike shops near me to try.

[rtp]

Rear Shock
Rode the RockShox for a couple hundred miles, and overall - it was OK. At 6' and 220#, I never quite managed to get the bike to feel compliant with low stiction over trail chatter, but also stuff enough to take some hits. I thought about going to a coil setup, but wanted to give an upper level air shock a try first.

I still have some decade+ Fox gear from dirt and dual-sport motorcycle miscellaneous, but am not a huge fan of their non-user-serviceability, so passed there, although I did consider a Fox DPX2 for a few. Narrowed down further to a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate, ideally with MegNeg can, or - a DVO Topaz T3 air. DVO is a smaller shop, with it forming out of a bunch of guys from Marzocchi, and in general - being able to user service and buy all individual parts as desired. It doesn't have quite the set of knob-based adjustments as the DPX2, but I'm not doing super-aggro downhills, so it fit with my general preference of - can rebuild and adjust it myself.

The X2 needs a 210x55mm shock, and the DVO Topaz T3 Airs use internal spacers for the 210x50mm and 210x52.5mm variants, so basically any 210 length DVO could be turned into a 210x55mm.
There are ways to use slightly different shocks, either via offset bushings or by thinning the rear yoke (Y shaped piece the bottom shock mount threads into) in the rear to ensure it does NOT come into contact with the frame at full compression - this would make for a bad day. The 210x55 fits without modifications.

I almost picked up a used RS SDU with MegNeg at a decent price but the seller wound up losing the email and sold it locally. Meanwhile, I didn't want to buy new for an 'experiment' and used Topaz's are somewhat tough to find, but eventually I scored one. I went ahead and picked up a pair of rebuild kits (damper, and air canister), but want to run it before digging into a rebuild.

Meanwhile, I picked up some new bushings - in this case, brass, from Offset Bushings (https://www.offsetbushings.com/ ) - they're a UK shop, but well familiar with the E10 (X2) and E22 (Z1) and other Dengfu frames, while finding the right shock mounting kits from manufacturers - can be a bit challenging. I got them non-offset, but picked up one of their cheap DU bushing press tools (~$15) and some spare DU bushes at the same time.

DU Bush Tool
You don't really need one of these, and there are more expensive versions out there, but for $15 it's worth keeping in my toolbox. DU bushes are a polymer, I believe graphite infused, thin bushing that sits in the shock eyelets. Existing shocks may also come with metallic type bushes, which can wear over time. Removing them is essentially a press operation, where you need something small enough to fit inside the shock eyelet but large enough to still 'grab' and put force on the bush - on the one side, while you need something that is just bigger than the shock eyelet on the other side, so you can press the bushing out from one side into the larger 'cup' on the other side. The same idea as serviceable old-school car ball-joints applies here - you may be able to find appropriately-sized sockets, or - spend the $15...


It's pretty simple, allen 5mm on one side, 10mm on the other, and you can see on the left, the 'press' sits cleanly inside the 'receiver'/outer metal shell on the right.

But hey, let's get the shock out first...
IMPORTANT: Let the air out of the shock..just remove the cap and depress with a small screwdriver, fingernail, something.
Note you don't really need to take all the air out, but - might as well. The bike will sit back as you let air out, eventually going to 'full compression' mode.

The top mount is a sleeve that rides inside the bushing, with the left hand side mount bolt being screwed into that sleeve. Showing the replacement bushing and spacers below, but the sleeve and screw are re-used, so... unscrew on the left while holding the right from moving, then you can wiggle the shock a bit and 'unscrew' or slide out the 'sleeve' to the right.


Once the top is free, you may want to keep the sleeve bolt in partway to loosen up and remove the bottom mount. The bottom bolt goes through it's bushing and threads into the bottom of the yoke. You probably can't use a T-handle here due to frame orientation but it's easy enough coming out once you get it started.



Once the shock is mostly free, meaning top left screw removed, top sleeve ready to remove from the right, and bottom screw hand-tight and able to be removed, you may want to support the frame of the bike a bit. If you're doing this in a repair stand, put something soft between the yoke and the frame, as if you let the wheel drop, the yoke will hit the frame. You can use a metal coat hangar or wire to ensure it doesn't drop, or I just did it with wheels on the ground, and put a small piece of foam on the rear of the suspension to stop the rear linkage from slamming the back of the frame.

Shock removed:


Here's the DVO and RS for comparison:


Yeah, I do really wish DVO or someone made replacement bits in red. I'll put my red air cap on the DVO, but the O-rings, rebound adjuster and piggyback cover will remain green. The O-rings are different sizes, but I'm sure I can find a red o-ring, and maybe I'll just sharpie the rest of the green. Personal preference...

You can see the DVO has a pressed in bushing in the lower eyelet, and a split plastic-ish bush in the upper eyelet. Going to replace both for good measure.

Really couldn't be easier - unscrew the nut, remove the two washers, and put the 'hole' side of the upper piece (looks like a socket, on top of the eyelet in pic above), put through the eyelet, put the 'bush driver' inside the eyelet, then put the washer and nut back on, and tighten down and the bush comes out the top.

The plastic bush can be removed with a razor or small butty knife between the eyelet body and the plastic 'ring' outside the eyelet, and twisting, and out she comes.

Replacing the bushes - check the bushes and see if one side has a slight bevel - if so, that's the side you want facing into the eyelet for installation. Reverse the 'socket' on the bush tool so the solid side is against the eyelet, put the bush driver, washer and nut back on, and tighten away - the solid side of the 'socket' will stop you from over-inserting the DU bush.

Getting ready to install - here's the bushing, spacer, and hardware orientation for the top mount:

I went ahead and used a small amount of light grease on the inside sleeved bolt, and put 'er together. Vibra-gel/gel blue loc-tite on the screw threads for upper left screw and bottom mount screw.
Re-torque to ~6Nm.


Before calling it good, and before airing the shock up - check full compression and full extension and make sure there is no suspension linkage to frame contact. Assuming the shock is the right size, there shouldn't be, but - it's free to check and could save you from a future bad day. Also note piggyback orientation - I suppose I could have ran the shock 'backwards' but there's definitely no way to run the piggyback to the bottom on the X2 frame. As it is, you still want to manually cycle the bike's suspension from full compression to full extension and make sure the piggyback canister also is clear of the frame at all times.

Installed and checked, I aired up the main shock first, then unscrewed the 'big green cap' from the piggyback to add air into the bladder. The main air canister goes up to 325psi or so like other shocks, while the piggyback bladder wants between 170-200PSI. I started out at 220PSI main, and 190PSI in the piggyback bladder. I did get a small bit of oil leaking as I aired it up, but the shock has been sitting for a bit - will see how it fares after a few rides and then do a rebuild for good measure anyways.

Oh - the DVO takes it's own variant of volume spacers, which can actually be adjusted without removing the shock - there's an O-ring on the bottom of the can which you can see if you fully extend the shock. Remove that o-ring, then the can itself slides down and you can add or remove spacers. Here's a video showing how to do this, but - it's simple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5gcfT7UQ1o

Here's a pic of the spacers with the air can slid back, top is positive, bottom is negative spacer-wise. I started with 2 spacers up top/positive, and one negative for now, and a few clicks out for rebound.



Installed and ready to go:




Initial Impressions
I was able to get out for a 15-16 mile ride on it so far, some mild trail, small section of single track and greenway ride, so limited use so far, but - the ride definitely felt smoother, eating up small trail chatter and bumps effortlessly. It was a noticeable difference on the single ride. I expect I may need to add a bit more pressure to the main can, but will need some more ride time to dial it in further.
Immediate impressions are regardless of fine-tuning, it's already an improvement over the RS Deluxe.

[perseverantone]

If I was to buy used from Pro's Closet would it be safe to buy a used set of Wheels, &/or Rear shock? I wanted to tear down my Luna X2 & build it back with quality parts. But the Straight spoke hubs are So expensive, my Industry Nine Hydra Turquoise Hub, & Industry nine Backcountry 360 rims & Enduro 305 V3, Also like the DT SWISS XM521. The build I've planned is Hope Pro 4 hubs, & prob Raceface Atlas Arc 40 offset. I want to add cushcore to it as well. My trails are rough & now I need to fix the suspension on my bike as well. Any advice is appreciated. I know this is an older post I'm replying too. If I had to do it all over I'd of bought the Hydra by watt Wagons, & prob by a Bosch Driven Downhill/freeride Emtb, for downhill days. I know Hydra is heavier but at least all 2000Watts are available & if I wanted I could run the throttle all day long. As long as I had enough batteries. Getting a second battery for my X2 has been nearly impossible, & the distance I get out of a single charge is about 30miles if I'm running PAS2, 1250watts, PAS 63, Field weakening 3.0. I realize getting a bigger battery is not going to happen. Even if I had a second battery I know I'd need to let my Engine Cool for 30 minutes to an hour between sessions. Thankfully your guide showed me I don't need to spend ridiculous money, to turn X2 into a quality build, & begin saving up for my next EMTB. I was very disappointed with my X2. It isn't a HIGH QUALITY $8k bike as they market it as. The new FLX WEAPON X is a nice bang for my buck build, but I already got the X2 Ludi. Weapon X is also tuned but doesn't overheat & uses the newest color display unlike the ugly ones avail for X2. All in all it is a very nice M600 build. I like the Bosch for technical riding DH, FreeRide. But for Basic Trail, Roads, gravel= Ultra Bafang motor, & off-road trail/xc/enduro Still with Hydra Archon X1. But I already own the X2 so gotta get the best build I can for the trails out of the X2, without wasting money trying to build it to handle the terrain, it just isn't designed to ride.

[rtp]

Rear Light(s)

I'd been looking on and off for a rear light, ideally one that was motion sensing both for cutoff and for a 'brake light,' but most importantly just for some general visibility as some of our rides are on park trails, greenways and the like, and after years on motorcycles and in small cars, I'm convinced some people really don't pay attention to what's around them.

I had gotten a 'free' rear light that came with my front Victagen headlight, and while I expected to hate it as a freebie, it was pretty decent but not rechargeable (uses CR2032 cells), which is just kind of silly IMO. Yeah, I used some CR style batteries in some of my rifle optics, but they're intelligent on/off and don't generally stay on for hours every few days, etc.
The freebie was a simple rubber strap, and had 4 modes - as usual, most of which were annoying like a full fast strobe, but it also had a decent slow cycling pulse, so I pretty much wanted that, ideally rechargeable and with brake/motion-sensing.

You can see the light in the prior pic in last post - small and out of the way, but gave out enough light. I had also at some point picked up a Milan 'Smart Light' which had a remote, but it was just too big for what I was thinking, which was reinforced after running the freebie one for a while.

Searched Amazon for a while, and noted when people would post, and eventually came across a RockBros Smart Rear Light. In this case, I got it from AliExpress, and the listing is confusing as hell, but Amazon has at least one of the ~6-7 models listed on AliExpress:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000074337087.html

https://www.amazon.com/ROCKBROS-Bicy.../dp/B08GP6SN74

I got the one from Ali with both mounts - if you click through each of the options there, it's kind of bizarre but some have different #s of modes. You can get them with rubber strap mount, with seat rail mount, or with both, for < $20. I went with both as I wasn't sure which route I'd take for mounting, partially depending on mount quality.

The light showed up and seems pretty solid, actually. The lens seems thick and clear, and the rest of the light including the seat mount is black aluminum. The light 'head' screws in and unscrews from either base as shown below.


They include an allen wrench (think it's 2mm, I grabbed a T-handle..), and the orange bits slip inside of the seat rail mount so you're not clamping directly metal to your seat rail.
Looking at the mounts, I'm sure either is fine - I went with the seat rail mount, unscrewed the pair of screws, added a dab of blue Loc-Tite, and a few minutes later good to go.
The charge port requires the light head to be unscrewed as it's on the backside, but that's not a terrible thing, mores as they claim it's waterproof. Pushing the center of the light (black button) cycles through all modes. Charge port is sadly micro-USB, but not like I don't have dozens of cables and yet another one comes with the light..






The last pic is kind of crappy, and the light is a full circle when lit; just an artifact of grabbing an iPhone picture.
Will see tomorrow if the gyro/accelerometer works to act as a brake light, but initial impressions are pretty good for the $. It's tucked out of the way, but should still be nice and visible when I want it to be.

[rtp]

Dropper Remote
As mentioned, the Raceface dropper remote that I got with the SDG Tellis dropper, is IMO - a POS. Maybe it's due to mine being used, but I've seen others with the same gripe - the screw clamping the dropper cable doesn't have a washer, and is seemingly made of cheese.

Went round a few times considering the Wolf LA remote, but I also wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to get a horizontal dropper remote to play nicely with the dorky DPC 240 control pad on the left. Looked at pretty much 'all of the remotes out there,' almost went Wolf, then OneUp, then saw the SDG remote had some extra adjustability in it, even beyond the SRAM MMX mount I was going to give a shot - it slides in and out 3/4" or so, saw no negative reviews on them, so went with the SDG Tellis remote for ~$50. It has a sane cable clamping system with a washer, and a fairly beefy allen head (vs phillips for Raceface - wtf) screw.

Installation was pretty simple once I grokked how the SRAM MMX pieces went together properly, although I'll probably go back and shorten the dropper sheath a bit later - had chewed up the cable end a fair amount with the RaceFace lever, so really was just wanting a reliable remote again...

You can get their remote in MMX, Shimano i-spec, and normal bar mount options. I wasn't entirely sure with the angle I run my brake levers if it'd work out...
The X2 brake clamps are the same as the MatchMaker/MMX clamps, but you need either an MMX kit which then comes with the clamps again, or the part that screws into the clamp slot with s all 90* bracket, which I hadn't seen sold separately. You can see the piece needed to mount MMX to the existing M2 clamps below - look at the silver Torx screw and the small 90* elbow coming off of it.




That silver screw lets you slide the whole thing up and down the bars, while the vertical screw going into the remote has another 1/2"+ of in/out adjustment. Do yourself a favor and put it together like shown, tighten the 2 screws to just snug, then loosen half a turn, as you'll want to adjust things once clamped onto your bars and brakes.

The adjusting nut is longer than I thought it was, but either way, turn it clockwise all the way in before clamping the cable down.

Not much to it once you get the MMX bits and pair of screws in place - put it back over your bars, pop the brake lever in, then tighten it to barely snug...get on the bike, adjust brake levers first, and then see if you can get the dropper lever situated happily.

It was pretty tight with the DP C240 control pad, and I'll go back and add a silicon tube over the control wiring to provide some added abrasion resistance, but it worked out pretty well for my ergos. It looks like it may be in the way with the control pad, but on the bike, it's all good.

Unlike with the RaceFace remote, it actually feels secure. Going out riding tomorrow so will see how she does.

[rtp]

Built a new wheelset - DT350 Hybrid rear, DT 240S Hybrid front, ARC35s, Alpine III spokes. Chose the ARC35s mainly as they're asymmetric so I wind up at 84R/88% NDS tension vs DS (compared to ~60-something on non-asym wheels). WTB makes an interesting beefy asym 'emtb' wheel, but it's heavy (the HTZ i35 - https://www.wtb.com/collections/e-bi...oducts/htz-i35).

The Arcs have an interesting history, guess they came from Eaton, then bought by RaceFace. Original rims used a different compound so were on the soft side by some claims, but newer ARCs are using 6069 like most others. I went ahead and used some Sapim MG washers on this build, just for a little bit of added protection - they definitely made the wheel build take longer, but good to go. Amusingly, I did weigh the ARC40 wheelset I pulled off, but managed to forget to weigh the new one, will have to wait until next time they're off the bike. Tubeless, of course. There's also an ARC 'HD' which is a bit beefier, but only comes in i30. I can already notice the difference in sidewall shape between the ARC40 and ARC35 with the same 2.8" tires, so don't want to drop down to an i30 with 2.8" tires.

I picked the ARC35 primarily due to the rating difference - ARC40 is rated as Trail and All-Mountain, while the 35 is Trail/AM/Enduro, so went for that 'happy medium' in still wanting to build a near bulletproof wheelset (hopefully - if not, will move to the HTZ i35). Chose the DT Hybrids mostly for grins - they have 2.8mm hub-side spoke holes meant for wider elbow-end spokes, larger bearings, etc. - there doesn't seem to be all that much load difference vs DT 350/240 Classics, but there is some, so why not? It was kind of a bitch finding components, thus the 240 Hybrid front, but got it close in price to a 350 Hybrid front... had to order from overseas, but it ironically came in quicker than my US-ordered DT350 Hybrid rear.

32 hole front and rear - considered 36H for the rear, but the combination of 36H hubs and rims I'd consider just isn't really stable/there consistently yet, let alone trying to order them. Should be fine, but we'll see.

[perseverantone]

So I am considering running HOPE PRO 4 hubs w/ Race Face ARC40, & have been considering the Industry nine Back Country 360 rim. I noticed you are running 1 straight-spoked hub and one Jspoked Hub, Is the straight-spoked hub on the front or rear?

[calfee20]

Dropper Remote
As mentioned, the Raceface dropper remote that I got with the SDG Tellis dropper, is IMO - a POS. Maybe it's due to mine being used, but I've seen others with the same gripe - the screw clamping the dropper cable doesn't have a washer, and is seemingly made of cheese.

Went round a few times considering the Wolf LA remote, but I also wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to get a horizontal dropper remote to play nicely with the dorky DPC 240 control pad on the left. Looked at pretty much 'all of the remotes out there,' almost went Wolf, then OneUp, then saw the SDG remote had some extra adjustability in it, even beyond the SRAM MMX mount I was going to give a shot - it slides in and out 3/4" or so, saw no negative reviews on them, so went with the SDG Tellis remote for ~$50. It has a sane cable clamping system with a washer, and a fairly beefy allen head (vs phillips for Raceface - wtf) screw.

Installation was pretty simple once I grokked how the SRAM MMX pieces went together properly, although I'll probably go back and shorten the dropper sheath a bit later - had chewed up the cable end a fair amount with the RaceFace lever, so really was just wanting a reliable remote again...

You can get their remote in MMX, Shimano i-spec, and normal bar mount options. I wasn't entirely sure with the angle I run my brake levers if it'd work out...
The X2 brake clamps are the same as the MatchMaker/MMX clamps, but you need either an MMX kit which then comes with the clamps again, or the part that screws into the clamp slot with s all 90* bracket, which I hadn't seen sold separately. You can see the piece needed to mount MMX to the existing M2 clamps below - look at the silver Torx screw and the small 90* elbow coming off of it.




That silver screw lets you slide the whole thing up and down the bars, while the vertical screw going into the remote has another 1/2"+ of in/out adjustment. Do yourself a favor and put it together like shown, tighten the 2 screws to just snug, then loosen half a turn, as you'll want to adjust things once clamped onto your bars and brakes.

The adjusting nut is longer than I thought it was, but either way, turn it clockwise all the way in before clamping the cable down.

Not much to it once you get the MMX bits and pair of screws in place - put it back over your bars, pop the brake lever in, then tighten it to barely snug...get on the bike, adjust brake levers first, and then see if you can get the dropper lever situated happily.

It was pretty tight with the DP C240 control pad, and I'll go back and add a silicon tube over the control wiring to provide some added abrasion resistance, but it worked out pretty well for my ergos. It looks like it may be in the way with the control pad, but on the bike, it's all good.

Unlike with the RaceFace remote, it actually feels secure. Going out riding tomorrow so will see how she does.

I bought one of these dropper levers and I rate it as extremely good. https://www.amazon.com/CRANKBROTHERs-16066-Highline-Remote-Only/dp/B01LZH79XM/ref=sxin_14_ac_d_bv?ac_md=3-1-QmV0d2VlbiAkNDAgYW5kICQ1MA%3D%3D-ac_d_bv_bv_bv&crid=1P27LE07RK9NV&cv_ct_cx=dropper+ post+lever&keywords=dropper+post+lever&pd_rd_i=B01 LZH79XM&pd_rd_r=91f94f5b-9de8-467b-83a7-9604e5066551&pd_rd_w=GOcmC&pd_rd_wg=knbyh&pf_rd_p= 54c129c2-85cf-4ab9-9c56-050e3ac14828&pf_rd_r=7WETXQ8GQ0E6ATCYDBPX&psc=1&qi d=1651337316&sprefix=dropper+%2Caps%2C206&sr=1-2-270ce31b-afa8-499f-878b-3bb461a9a5a6

[rtp]

I bought one of these dropper levers and I rate it as extremely good. [URL="https://www.amazon.com/CRANKBROTHERs-16066-Highline-Remote-Only/dp/B01LZH79XM/[/URL]

Yeah, there were a pretty good number of possible remotes to sort through. Not a thing wrong with your setup, although the CB remote, at least from what I saw, doesn't have a MatchMakerX/MMX version. Not important for most, but I wanted to see if/how much I could reduce the number of clamps etc., and in this case the Tellis remote worked out pretty well. I've got a few rides in on it now and so far, so good.

The PNW, Wolf, OneUp and a few others also get generally good reviews. There's a ton out there, was just surprised at how utter crap the RaceFace one was - and of course, random China no-names weren't in consideration, really prefer to do once and be good for a while whenever possible. ;)

[rtp]

Firmware and app updates, and - iPhone
(and a few other things like field weakening)

So Marcos has been hard at work, and a new LudiV2 app along with firmware has been released. Go to one of these locations to get it (and note the user manual has some good added info in it, linked in first thread below in first post)
https://electricbike.com/forum/forum...-documentation

https://lunacycle.com/update/

So unofficially, the Appstore VESC Tool on iPhone (recently released) would work (but not for firmware updates - don't try!), which was great, as I really am not an Android fan, and while I did buy an Android phone dedicated to the bike + travel SIM cards, without having it on a data plan, it wouldn't pull GSP coordinates so wouldn't log them for datalogging rides. Note - the Appstore iPhone app costs a few $ - I think it was like $4. Up to you to buy it, or not - it works well from what I've seen, and they are working on a fix to allow firmware updates to work from it in the future.

Now, there's a new Luna-specific app and updated firmware release for the V2. The Changelog is in the first link above, but highlights for me = improved dashboard, battery behavior or MUCH improved and buffered, range estimation, the odometer and tripmeter now work, and a handful of others - looks like throttle ramp was increased somehow, and also field weakening, which can allow for higher top speed but at the penalty of added heat.

Updating is simple - download the updated app from one of the two links above, turn on the bike, connect - I set the phone right above the motor on the frame to ensure connection stays stable (and faster), then update the firmware from the app after ensuring it is showing the motor as Luna_M600. Let it complete - usually a couple of minutes.

Now, what I've really wanted is to be able to datalog on the iPhone so I can send myself the files to open up in the desktop VESC app, but I fell into a deep dark hole for a bit on this one, as the native VESC file browser (e.g. for choosing a log folder) brings up the app's sandboxed environment looking like a Unix/Linux filesystem, e.g. /var/mobile/Containers/<GUID>/<blah blah/more> while of course the IOS Files app - does no such thing.

Wasted a ton of time down that black hole looking at different file mgmt tools, considered jailbreaking it, and was just convinced I couldn't 'find' the logs, nor set the log output to somewhere useful, like e.g. Documents/Logs. But it's simple - either you can open Files then search for YYYY-MM-DD, e.g. 2022-05-04 and look for the file with the same at the start of it's name (rest of name is HH_MM_SS or hours, minutes, seconds log started) ending in .csv. Oddly just searching for 'csv' doesn't seem to work for me, but *shrug*

OR, you know - you can go to Files / On my iPhone / VESC Tool - and there you go. From there, long press, Share, mail or text to yourself, send to dropbox or whatever so you can do analysis in the desktop app. Easy. :D



I did note the iPhone app does NOT retain the 'enable RT logging' setting across cycles/use unfortunately - hopefully that will be merged in at a later date (the Luna VESC tool does).

Range is..interesting. It seems quicker to reduce range, e.g. even if you tap the throttle, and not sure on the algorithm and time duration being used, but it's cool to see and can only improve over time. odometer, trip meter, etc. all work - have around 50 miles on the latest and zero issues here.

Kudos to marcos on the release.

Oh, also - Luna posted some step by step videos as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHsPYdIIRJ8

[perseverantone83]

wait are you saying you get 50miles per charge? Or 50miles with the new Firmware? Everytime I try to load the new firmware using VESC tool version 6.02 and try to upgrade from firmware 5.3 to 6.2 it fails and the ride screen becomes corrupted. I am using a Samsung Note 20 Ultra 5G 512GB & I can' t get the firmware to load. I have around 460miles on my X2 Ludicrous and I use PAS1-5 Ride in PAS 2 or 3 usually and my settings are 1000watts, PAS AMPS 88, PAS RESPONSE-0.6 and FW2 and if I use throttle for more than a few miles I hit High 80degree centigrade and even in th e90's and have to wait for her to cool down. SO I never use the throttle anymore. I get about 6miles for every 30% of my battery. Is my Battery Having issues? Am I doing something wrong. I am not even riding trails I am riding on the road because where I live there aren't any trails. But I Can't get more than a max of 24miles per charge. when I first got the bike I could get around 34 per charge. I Am curious to know what settings you are using, what firmware, & if you really got 50miles out of a single charge? If so I am insanely jealous. lol Can you educate me some? Had my bike for about 1 year. Drivetrain is perfect still, but the distance I am getting with those settings isn't very good. Was going to buy a second battery to make up for the lost distance but if there is something I can change in the settings to get more distance per charge please let me know. Thanks for any and all help.

[IOUZIP]

What are your VESC settings? I am getting a V2 controller for my X2. Stock battery so limited to 34 amps but should provide 1000 watts max. I cannot find a thread with people sharing VESC config settings.

I have the VESC tool now and am using the following settings. Not been for a ride yet but this is where I am starting. I have a stock battery BMS so currently I have at 29 Current Max amps.

throttle amps 90
pas amps 76
power 2000
rpm 5250
Throttle response .4
throttle linearity 100
fixed throttle box checked