Rod,
I'm trying hard to avoid the slippery slope of aftermarket mods. I did it with my 2018 Santa Cruz Tallboy.
Before working on the linkage with the Orbea today , I checked the rear axel and discovered the weird "pull and turn" derailleur hanger connector. I've only had the bike since July and never took of the rear wheel. I always carry a spare hanger but realized I'd never get that connector off without a pliers, which I don't carry.
Any thoughts?
Brother, half the fun in mountain biking is the "Slippery Slope" of aftermarket mods, just ask my wife....wahoo!!! On second thought, don't ask her...
I think the Rise is a very versatile "Trail" bike. In stock form, the bike is a capable trail bike. There are not that many eBikes out there that can match the Rise's combination of power, range and lightness. However, the Rise in stock form has shortcomings that limit the bike's capabilities, especially if a rider wishes to take the bike onto more technical terrain. I totally respect your desire to not want to mod your bike. I've been there. However, if you wish to safely take the bike onto more technical terrain, you may need to anticipate sliding down that slippery slope to the land were mods exist. Feel free to shoot me a private message if you want to discuss possible mods.
As you've mentioned, there is a black plastic Castellated "Pull and Turn" nut located on the right (Drive Side) rear drop out on the Rise. The castellated nut holds the derailleur hanger in place. The rear axle inserts into the castellated nut and threads into an insert located on the non drive side (Left) of the bike.
To remove the castellated nut, you first need to remove the rear axle and rear wheel. Next you take your fingernails or a soft pry lever and pull up slightly on the nut. Next turn the castellated nut in a
counter-clockwise half turn direction. This will release the castellated nut and you can remove the derailleur hanger by pushing it out of the castellated nut. The derailleur hanger is held in place inside the castellated nut via a friction fit which is caused by a small thin "O" ring which wraps around the shoulder of the derailleur hanger. In the parts diagrams you will see "C" clips. The "C" clips retain the rear chain stay pivot bearings in their bore holes. The C clips have no function with the inserts.
Note: You do not need to remove the castellated nut to remove the rear axle and rear wheel. You must remove the rear axle to remove the castellated nut. The castellated nut is made of soft plastic that can be easily damaged if you use pliers to pull up on and turn. Sometimes the nut can be difficult to pull up on, especially if there's a lot of crusty trail build up. I like to spray a little bit of lubrication, i.e. WD-40 or something similar onto the nut and let it soak in before I try removing the nut.
IMPORTANT: The left, non-drive side chain stay has a threaded black alloy insert that fits into the chain stay. The rear axle threads into this insert. The insert is held in place on the chain stay via a friction fit which is caused by a thin "O" ring that wraps around the shoulder of alloy insert. If you examine the picture below, you will note that the left insert has a notched indentation.
There is a corresponding notched indentation that is molded into the seat stay. The indentation prevents the insert from turning when you tighten the rear axle. HOWEVER....it's very easy to dislodge the insert slightly when working on the rear. This may cause the insert indentation to fall out of alignment with the seat stay notched indentation. If you tighten the axle with the inserts out of alignment, this can damage the seat stay notch. Before tightening the axle, always make sure the insert's notched indentation and the seat stay notch are aligned.
The derailleur hanger on the Rise is fairly stout. I put about 3,200 miles on my Rise before I sold it to my brother. I never had an issue with bending the hanger. That's not to say bending a derailleur can't be done, anything is possible with the right rock strike.
It's important to know that Orbea spare parts all come from the factory in Spain. It takes about three to four weeks or more, for spare parts to reach So Cal from Spain. When I first got my Rise, I bought a host of spare parts as I did not want my bike to be down four weeks while waiting for parts. I bought a spare derailleur hanger, pivot bearing kit, rubber chain stay guard, chain guide and charging cover door. I've used everything except for the derailleur hanger.
In regards to pliers, I keep a "Leatherman, Squirt PS4" in my hip pack. The Squirt PS4 is a micro sized multi-tool which contains a pair of pliers. I've lost count of how many times that small micro pair of pliers has bailed people out on the trail. I once used the pliers to straighten out a rider's bent derailleur hanger while on the Whole Enchilada in Moab. The guy was dead in the water. The only other option would have been to remove the derailleur and make his bike a single speed. The pliers did the trick.
If your interested, I did a tech article on "Trailside Repair - What's in my pack." If you would like to read the article, here is a link.
Hello, It's been a while since I've written a technical article. I thought I'd change it up and talk about what items I carry in my pack and why I carry them. Hopefully this article may give you some thought on what to carry in your own ride pack. What I carry, may not be what you carry. Forum...
www.emtbforums.com
As a side note, I still have my 2018 Santa Cruz Hightower Lt. It's such a great bike.
Be safe,
Rod
