Some results from a bit more of a testing ride ...
Which left me with a shown 27% (starting at 96%) It sometimes take a few charge cycles for a battery to settle in. I need to ride the rest until it's flat so we know how accurate it is. It seems to move in a fairly linear fashion so far.
Rode in E, E+, T, B & R.
Ignoring comparisons, the motor feels more than adequate for EMTB ! "T" feels like it gives all the assistance you might need and you wonder if there's actually anymore to give in "B" ... until you switch to B and it effortlessly takes off up the hill like it weighs 2 kg's.
Mid range seems like more than the other motors, even if you go in full granny mode in the wrong gears it seems to pull you through.
It certainly feels like it gives more assistance for effort than the other motors too, so you probably end up riding one mode lower than you normally would or I think you'll end up with less range as you'll burn through the battery.
Tried walk mode. Starts really slow for one revolution then speeded up. Didn't use it extensively, but it works.
The motor certainly is the "smoothest" of any motor I've tried with the transition from assisted to unassisted (25kph for me). It feels like it limits power slightly before 25kph but then ramps down after 25kph. The gen4 does something similar and ramps down from an indicated 25kph until an indicated 26.5 ish (GPS real 25). The M510 feels like it ramps down over a pre-set time period - 2 seconds for example (I'm not sure exactly what it is). If you're absolutely gunning it as you hit the limit, you're still getting a reduced level of assistance afterwards, in my case upto 28kph at times as it smooths the transition rather than just dropping off.
As it's configured, I think it takes more of a revolution of the cranks before assistance kicks in compared to other motors. You only really notice this on steep hill starts, even in "Race Mode" you still need the same amount of revolution, unlike say a Bosch Gen4 Race in Race mode. There is a setting in "Besst Pro" for "Startup Angle", where you can configure , from small to large, how much of a revolution should be made before assistance begins - so you could in theory have this adjusted to your preference.
General bike feel - it feels great. Everythings tight, there's no creaks or rattles (except the no pedalling motor rattle).
Bars, grips, display, motor, saddle, dropper, tyres, wheels, hubs - all feel excellent so far !
Assembly of the bike was perfect and every credit to bikester, everything was set correctly and everythings tightened correctly. If I was really being picky, the brake lines need cutting back, but they probably assume most people will change them and as I say, I'm being picky.
Brakes... uhmmmmmm .. They work ! But they do lack feel. They're a bit "wooden". If I was an SRAM fan (which I'm not) I'd tell you that they have great modulation... The rear is generally adequate, but the front you really have to work hard to scrub off speed, there's no stopping on a dime ! . If we try and put a positive spin on it, they're a very safe brake, locking the front must be impossible unless you're a Gorilla. On the bright side, they didn't really squeal when they were wet and the already none existant performance didn't drop off.
Gears.. Had about 3 delayed shifts, though I think this may just have been from all the crap I kept collecting. It was always fine 10 seconds later. I've also adjusted my timing for the longer over run/extra power to pedal pressure you get so didn't have any clunky shifts.
Finally .. some negatives !!
Tyres are still tubed and I ran them at 3 bar today to get a feel for the suspension.
Didn't do any hard/fast hits or big drops so set at 30% sag and used 80% travel front and rear.
The fork .. I think the damper must be faulty - I hope the damper is faulty. It really feels like a €60 Suntour XCT which is the last Suntour fork I tried.
The compression doesn't click consistently, there's just under 2 turns available with a few random clicks as you turn. The rebound has infinite clicks in both directions. (I have written to Suntour to ask).
Hitting any rocks/roots/bumps feels like you have the suspension locked out .. it moves, but harshly, only working it's way through the travel over a series of objects.
Similarly, I found several holes today I had no idea even existed before as it just dropped into them.
Coming off any drops or anywhere you've got any air and the ground just feels like it smashes into the bars.
I know it's a base model with the base fork, but for all Suntours promo talk on the fork, I really hoped it would still perform a little bit - just without all the bells and whistles.
). Bedding in took more than I'd normally expect. They're now usable but feel like they're still improving.
You've got one anyway !
