Trek Marlin 7 bbshd

[Rigby338]

Just finished my bbshd build. All I can say is WOW! Everyone said these bbshd kits from Luna Cycle are the way to go. I wholeheartedly agree. I am one of the lucky ones to also have the new Wolf pack battery.
I had never ridden any ebike before this. It is like I am superman now. Just amazing. I bought the Marlin last summer to get into shape after having some serious medical problems. Unfortunately I soon found out I was very limited. Fortunately the Marlin isnt as limited. It is a 29er with a strong frame and hydraulic disc brakes.
. The install took about 4hrs after having my lbs remove the bottom bracket. I got the standard 68mm bbshd. Kudos to Luna Cycle because I did originally order the wrong kit, a quick E mail and everything was corrected and i did receive the proper size kit. Still going through the battery balencing and break in process now. It kills me to have to stop riding and come in to charge etc. I suppose a guy does have to eat on occasion though.
Overall the experience with Luna Cycle was incredibly smooth. The kit in its entirety with the new dcp-18, Wolf pack, Lunas chainring adapter and 42 tooth sprocket is one of the best purchases I have made in a long time. I have a perfect chainline with no spacers on eithrr side. All 9 gears are working perfectly. Running Swalbe Big Apples.
I can see now I am hooked. The first thing I did eas ride to my lbs to show off my nee bike. While there I got looking ay a leftover HKS300 Fatty. Uhhohh here we go again. Too dark now but will try to adf pics and further data, topspeed, range etc.

[Rigby338]

Update on my build. I am now using my Ebike for almost all my local travels. On flat ground I can easily cruise at around 20mph in pas 2. I have had the bike up to 42mph on a long gradual downhill. That is wicked fast on a bicycle. It is amazing how quiet the bbshd is. I ride a rail to trail bike path to town, walkers and other cyclists have no idea im powered. I only use pas 1 on the trail trying to fit in. The past week has been so much fun. I do try to stay on low pas to get a workout as much as possible. When looking at a big steep hill that i would have had to find an alternate route now i just shift down and up the pas level. It is the greatest feeling to no longer be limited by hills etc. Even my Harley rider friends were impressed once they tried it. They coulnt believe how fast and quiet it was. It was funny watching them try not to crash, I put the bike in a low gear and pas2 which is very controllable. I told them, you wont need the throttle just leave it alone and pedal. Well of course being Harley riders they thought i can handle this little bicycle. It was quite interesting when the first guy hit the throttle and realized how instant electric power is. The next few to try it took my advice and left the throttle alone untill they got used to the bike a bit. My only regret now is i libe in Maine and our season is short. I am already looking at studdedtires and fatbikes. This is an addicting hobby.

[Jkpwr24]

You built the exact bike I'm thinking of building. Sounds like it went well and was pretty straight forward. Did you run into any problems along the way? This will be my first ebike build and ImI hoping it goes smooth. Also, what size frame did you use for your build? I'm planning to use mine for a long commute. What kind of speed are you able to get on the flats with throttle only? Thanks.

[Rigby338]

My frame size is 17.5". Standard 73mm bottom bracket size. I was able to install the whole kit in around 4hrs one afternoon. I have 3 front chainrings for different purposes. Currently i am running the bafang 46 tooth. I always use pedal assist 9, i can pedal along at 34mph on flats, have had it up to 45.2 on very slight downgrade. Tell you what 34mph pedaling a bike in traffic is fast. Wont go any faster throttle only. At pas 9 im pushing 1500watts almost the whole trip. Definatly want good hydraulic disc brakes.

[Rigby338]

Also Jkpwr24. I only charge to 80% and only draw down to 20% in hopes of extending battery life as much as possible. I am very rural, my typical rides are very hilly 15 to 20 miles one way.My last ride was 17 miles very hilly to a friends camp. I had an average speed of 24.2mph max speed of 45mph and made it in 22 minutes. It takes me around 15 minutes in my truck. My 17.5" frame has a very small triangle for the battery. The Luna wolf pack with magnet mount is perfect. Probably the biggest 52v i could ever fit. I did one max range trip, starting at 100% battery i went 42miles on rt1 in pas 5. Did most of it around 30mph. Even with higher gears realistically on the flats 1500w isnt going much over the 30-35mph range. If you were able to try mine you would understand. You really dont need to go faster. I have lost over 20lbs since i started riding.

[Jkpwr24]

Thanks for all the info. I bought the Marlin 7 a few weeks ago. Im probably going to build it up the exact same way you did, this fall sometime. It's actually the 17.5" bike too so its good to know the wolf pack will fit. Thats what I was planning to use. Can't wait to get it completed, it sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks again for the reply.

[Rigby338]

The coolest thing about th 17.5 29er is its like wicked fast and strong small frame. Like a 2hp bmx that really rolls. I actually have settled on th 46 bafang. For what i bought in chainrings for my setup and uses. It is my best chainline. The 36t luna 1 is awsome. Probably my favorite off road setup. But cant get to the granny gears. Funny thing with an hd, lunas offroad programming is perfect for me. I feel it is very forgiving but still cranks when u need it.

[Tofe-]

Hi Rigby338,

We are building exact same bike to my lilbrother in 2 weeks, frame size is 18,5". Did you have any problems with chainstay, did you need to shim motor out from frame?
That chainline was bad news with 36t, only chainring what we have is lekkie 36t, my earlier own build was 29er KTM Ultra Sport where chainline was excellent with 36t and i hoped it would be same with this Trek. Darn.
My own BBSHD build with boost axles and plus tires was pretty creepy with 36t, chainline was like a spiral even with 3rd gear, 42t 20mm offset ring works like a charm...

[Rigby338]

You are correct about chainline with 36 tooth. The stock bafang has the best chainline for me. Have been using that for summer commuting. Ive got a 7spd 11-34 cassette on the way for fall/winter offroading with the 36 tooth front ring.

[Terry81082@gmail.com]

I built the same exact ebike in January of this year. 2020 Trek Marlin 7, BBSHD, with the 52v 13.5 Wolfpack.
I started with the 42 tooth Luna chainring but had to space to put to much for my liking due to grinding into my chainring (The 2020 Marlin has wider chainstays) , so I ultimately went with the 42 tooth Lekkie. Fits perfect.
I've had a blast with it. However now I'm feeling the need for a little more power and I'm considering swapping out the controller for a phaserunner to increase the amperage. Any thoughts?

[akbarism]

Y'all got any pictures? Considering this build myself

[Rainmanji]

Also on the search for a better chainring solution. Even with 3mm worth of spacers the Eclipse 42T still digs in to the chain stay under power. The chain line is not great either. BTW a gallery thread without pictures is like a gold bikini without Leia.

[73Eldo]

The Lekkie has 4-5mm less offset than the Eclipse. That should solve the rubbing issue. Not sure if you will be able to do anything about the chain line, guessing this bike came with a 1x drive? From what I can see in the photos it doesn't look like the chainstay kicks out that far and its not a fat bike so I'm kinda surprised you are having issues. I assume its not staying in the lowest gear or two? If not I assume it was before the conversion? If not maybe your derailer hanger or cage got tweaked? If you can't find anything wrong then you can maybe look at re stacking the cassette so the low gear is in the 2nd or 3rd position. You then set the stop on the derailer so it can't access the missing gears. You can buy spacers or just stack the removed ones there to take up the space. Some report shifting issues with some missing so do your research on the brands that lend themselves to this.

[73Eldo]

I would also put a strap on the battery just to make sure it stays if the bike goes down for any reason. As long as the strap has a little spring to it as soon as the shock/drop is over it will just snap back on the magnets. Its not a good thing on any level if the battery comes off. This is the straps I'm using but there are other brands that are similar. Being able to stretch a bit to keep tension on it is the key. If its not got tension it may not snap back onto the magnets which is better than it falling completely off but sure is nice to keep it on the magnets.

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/Accessories/WashboardStrap