I have the EnergyPak Plus 250 Wh range extender and even though I’ve had it for 5 weeks now (for as long as I’ve had my Reign E+ 1 with the 625 Wh battery) I have not used it yet as I’ve just went through the process of installing the support.
From what I’ve read you can plug it in and turn it on at any time, but the bike will only draw energy from the extender when the main battery reaches about 5%. Then, once the extender runs out of juice it switches back to the main battery to use those remaining 5% or so. I’m not aware of any way to change this behavior.
Here are some random notes and some pictures:
- Packaging is nice for both the extender and the mount, feels premium, almost iPhone like;
- It doesn’t look terrible with the E+ 1 colors (doesn’t look good either, in my opinion);
- The aluminium support rests against the frame, so I’ve put some electrical tape beneath to protect the paint job;
- The bottle cage mount holes in the frame are left open and the holes to mount the extender support itself are flush with the frame, so it looks fairly easy for water to get in;
- Since the bottle cage mount holes aren’t flush, it is unlikely that water gets in if I have the bottle cage plastic piece that comes with the kit attached (even though I don’t use a bottle holder);
- The mount holes look more problematic - I’ve stuffed some tape in it, let’s see how it goes (I hose down my eBikes - a Stance E+ 1 and this Reign E+ 1 - and moderate/heavy rain and wind don’t get in the way of my rides as both the 5/10 TrailCross GTX and the FOX 3L waterproof stuff do their job properly);
- The actual cord is very short and it is a very tight fit when connected to the bike as you can see in the pictures - it definitely doesn’t feel that it was made for this bike, even though it works (let’s see if the bent cable won’t break or if it won’t damage the bike);
- It comes with a nice carrying case - it's not completely useless for me as I can attach it to the Camelbak MULE Pro's bottom straps if I don't want to carry the battery inside the backpack or mounted in the frame.
Some more random thoughts about the bike itself - for context, before this I had (still have) a Stance E+ 1 in size M (the new Reign E+ 1 is an L) and before the Stance the last time I rode was in the 20th century:
- The Shimano XT drivetrain feels much more precise than the SRAM SX in the Stance, but the latter has been through some knocks and some 1500km;
- The Shimano XT brakes are way more powerful than the Stance’s 4 piston Shimano ones - I believe this is due to the XT lever, but in the end it is the whole package (the discs are the same SLX in both, if I’m not mistaken):
- The Fox suspension and shock along with the increased travel and wider tires make this bike feel much more comfortable and attached to the ground - even when just dropping it dead it refuses to rebound;
- Motor feels just as powerful (the Stance has a SyncDrive Sport with 70nm of torque), but the Reign is running lower pressure and grippier rubber, so that may take the extra 15nm - either way, I’ve never felt like I needed more power in any of the bikes, especially steep technical climbs where you’re not looking at how fast you’re going;
- The Reign is bigger and it feels bigger (size M vs L, plus geometry differences), but so far I’ve had no trouble going as slow as needed on tight single track switchbacks;
- Fantastic traction on steep technical climbs with dirt and slippy rocks - coming directly from the 90s, the Stance already felt like it shouldn’t climb certain things and the Reign definitely feels even more capable, despite the Enduro tag (or because of).
Overall, as expected for someone who’s not racing down all the time and who actually has a lot of fun climbing steep technical stuff that would otherwise be impossible without a motor, the Reign feels much more comfortable and much more ass-saving/forgiving than the Stance. For my skill level and for my usual fitness rides (even though off-road with fun climbs) I definitely did not need to upgrade from the Stance to the Reign; however even I can appreciate the significant difference in performance, confidence and comfort, so I’m very happy (and thankful) with the purchase.
Had some pedal strikes at first, but now I got used to it and having set the shock sag correctly definitely helped: when my LBS asked for my weight to pre-tune the fork and shock I told them I should be around 82kg with equipment - turns out it had been a while since I last weighted myself and I was at 97kg, so I had to increase the shock’s pressure. I’m 183cm tall and I didn’t feel that the Medium Stance was wrong for me and the Large Reign feels great too (definitely roomier and more stable, but there are a lot of factors in play).
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