Luna Fixed Bike DISCUSSION THREAD

[moonboot]

Some more details:

first of allI’d like to thanks Tony from Luna, as he always provided support, especially when looking at the fork mount measures…great customer care! Jeremy and the Lauf team have been really supportive, exchanging pictures and measures until I got comfortable pulling the trigger on the fork...also, big shout-out to Wiggle Bicycles here in SF, they not only built the wheels, but provided a lot of advice about ordering the correct braking system parts combination...while I did the build myself, and it has been a ton of fun, it could definitively have been problematic in a couple of cases at least...local shops for the win.

The idea behind the built was to make use of unconventional/mechanically well designed and built parts, in order to have an original (yet functional) look, for what I think it could be called “high performance commuting” when going around the city.
The base for the build was pretty strong and, and i would say, the changes I made pushed the bike toward an extreme that may not fit every scenario like it did before, but it definitively excels in the right context.

Solutions like the wheels or the brakes are likely an overkill, but considering how easily the bike can go fast, they won’t hurt for sure and they look amazing (at least to me!)
With regards to suspensions, the streets here in the city are not exactly Bonneville, and I needed something to make the ride more comfortable.

So, keeping the “maintenance free” philosophy, I opted for the Lauf Grit SL fork, it comes with a tapered steerer of exactly the right dimension… pretty swap on (if you change the wheel too anyway), exception made of course for the need to cut the carbon fiber steer column based on your preference.

The front through axle is 12mm, matched to a Hope 32H 12mm hub, with center lock brake mount.

SRAM 180mm CL both front and rear; that’s the minimum size given Hope RX 4 pots CNC calipers (post-mount front, flat mount rear) won’t allow less in this combination.

A Redshift dampening stem keeps the fork in place, I may test a traditional stem, but I really like the “bouncing” overall effect when working in combination with the fork and the carbon Zipp Speed Weaponry SL-70 Ergo Drop Handlebar (44cm)
For the levers, the choice was Shimano GRX, they are listed as compatible and tested by Hope to work with their calipers, only thing is, they come with an integrated (and heavy) shifter assembly, which is not needed in this case…took me a while to "reverse engineer" the process, but eventually I did figure out how to safely dismount *every* part not related to the brake, saving a lot (not a super weight weenie, but you know… things must be functional).

No need to say, the braking system is probably the strong point of the built, along with the fork (and the amazing stock motor/transmission)

The shifter is actuated by a Sturmey Archer SL-S30 lever, and mounted to a bar extension, along with the display and a bell.

Seat mount comes form Canyon, S25, swap on, it is supposed to provide some dampening effect keeping the weight down, I didn’t feel much difference initially, but going back to a traditional post made me realize it actually contributes to a slightly smoother ride. The saddle is a San Marco SuperLeggera and the 7x9mm rails required a different set of seat post clamps, which are sold out in the US…fortunately I have a friend in Germany who bought it directly from Canyon.

As mentioned, the rear has a new hub, identical to the stock one except for the number of spokes now 32.

I kept the stock transmission, as top speed is plenty, especially for the city.

What else… changed pedals with something lighter (ebay) they do the job but I’m still looking for something matching the bike better (crank arms too).

One note, I took the time to fix an issue I had wth my bike, as the battery assembly did rattle inside the frame, when hitting a bump/pot hole. I did pad the parts and checked that the bay would allow the assembly to slide (not too tight, but tighter) adding some extra tape around the battery and padding on the controller. Took some time to smoothen the PVC tube cuts, to avoid bleeding edges to work on wires.
The bike now is *silent* and a joy to ride, thanks Tony again.

Future enhancements: a range extender for sure, but rather than adding weight with switches/relais, I think I’ll work on a swappable connector, routing wires through the power supply connector hole, using a custom battery shaped like a bottle…simple, reliable and lightweight.

..love the bike!

edit: total weight is now 37.6 lb!

[moonboot]

25mm (80mm deep rear) and 25mm (60mm deep front) carbon tubeless rims, 32 Holes...I took a bit of gamble buying them on eBay, but that was the only way to get a custom rim for the rear, to fit the Nexus IGH..I'm impressed and so far so good (also, not using the rim brake solution, I'm not concerned about wearing out the carbon shoulder anyway). I changed the rear hub, as Shimano makes the 32H while the the bike came originally with 36H..swapped without issues. Tires are 28mm 700c tubeless, Maxxis re-fuse.

[paxtana]

What kind of wheels are those?

[moonboot]

Hi everyone! just wanted to share my build, hope you'll like it!

I'll post further details in case interested! cheers

[Trung]

They were not easy to track down (for me) but I ended up ordering them here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254212274282

[badrab]

Anyone know the model of the Tektro brakes that come on the bike? I need some replacement pads and the F10BS pads supplied with the bike seem to be a little hard to find...thx, pete

[ScoobeE]

Luna Fixed Stealth , adding fenders. I purchased SKS P45 longboard. I hand to move the lower front fender bracket up two inches. The rods were to short, and with the mounts being of the dropouts, modification was required. I think they look great.

[paxtana]

There are workarounds if you need to replace a housing, especially if you have extra room like on the Fixed. On a bike like this you could probably just mount a 36v shark pack and wire it in line with discharge, similar to how the fellow in the post above did. No need to go mucking about with the original battery, though that would probably not be that hard for someone that builds batteries; it is similar to any other battery in that it uses 18650 cells spot welded, just in a innovative new configuration.

[slooney64]

Not sure about that. The plastic battery housing was wearing out as well, so advanced 3D printing or injection molding would be involved for a long-term fix. The manufacturer does not produce the battery anymore and I couldn't find it on eBay.

An internal battery like the Fixed's (vs one with a custom cradle or other plastic attachment mechanism) seems more likely to be serviceable by someone willing to take apart the battery package.

(I actually sold the bike for $130 to someone who I hope has the skills and time to rebuild it, but I'm skeptical that they will be successful.)

This is a longer term issue for e-bikes in general that I hope will ultimately be solved by standardized battery/BMS packages. Battery cell packages (e.g. D-cell, AAA, etc...) haven't changed for decades so they are easily replaceable even as the tech improves. E-bike battery packages, not so much. Once that particular model is no longer supported, it's hard to keep the bike on the road for long.

I'm a fan of e-bikes, but I hope one day they won't be disposable. Thus my question.

[paxtana]

The battery is replaceable sure. Same could have been done on that bike you threw away for anyone that has the skillset

[slooney64]

I recently had to throw away my 2012 e-bike after 8000 miles of happy commuting because the battery died and is no longer manufactured. Felt bad.

I'm hoping my next bike will have batteries that can be replaced 10 years down the road. Can the actual cells be replaced in the Fixed, or do I have to trust that the entire physical battery package will still be available in 2030?

[paxtana]

The post appears to be deleted, would love to hear the details though!

[timmyd]

D1NY - I ended up doing the upgrade, it's working really well so far. Details are here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LunaOwners/...attery_custom/

[timmyd]

Hey all -- I upgraded my Luna Stealth to have a 70T front sprocket and an 36V/20aH external unit pack power battery with a custom switch between the internal and external batteries. I'm cruising now around 27 mph in 3rd gear on flat ground, and the extra range is amazing. Love this bike :) It was quite a challenge to do the upgrade, but finally got it done. Thanks for the amazing bike Luna, keep building them -- perhaps you can create an official range extender add on for the stealth. Details on my upgrade are here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LunaOwners/...attery_custom/

[paxtana]

Try letting some air out of the tires, should fit in easier. Worst case just take it to a local bike shop, they regularly do assembly and inspection for shipped bikes and the fee is very little, 50 bucks I think, they do proper assembly, check out all the parts, and give it a tuneup. A nice service for any shipped bike really