jonboy1066
New Member
TLDR: Hello, here’s my first e-bike and I’m stoked about it.
The long version: Finally I’m in the fold!
I’ve spent years, procrastinating, testing, demo-ing, borrowing other people’s bikes, saving up and waiting for the “right” time to get an e-bike…
Once I’d finally decided what was the right e-bike for me based on my wants, needs and experiences I decided now was the time to get a Whyte Kado S… but not just any old Kado S, I wanted to upgrade parts immediately to my personal taste.
Then followed 2 weeks of nightmares with DPD lying, returning to sender, failing to deliver, pretending I wasn’t in when I was, turning up with no bike in the van and generally being useless with customer service, my threats of the ombudsman paid off and my first e-bike was finally delivered on Thursday :
Being the bottom of the range there were parts on it that I wasn’t keen on and with experience with my Enduro & DH Bikes over the years I have specific tastes of parts I wanted on this rig, so I amassed upgraded parts before the bike had even been delivered.
I’ve spent all day on Friday fitting Invisiframe, and swapping out/upgrading parts.
I’ve overcome a few challenges along the way and still have some that I need to work on but I got her built and ready for a Shakedown ride in Surrey Hills yesterday.
Parts swapped:
Grips to DMR Deathgrips - wasn’t a fan of the standard grips
Shock to Rockshox Super Deluxe Coil RC2T - I love a coil
Fork to Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate 3.1 - I found one for £350 new and couldn’t turn it down, 3 other bikes in my fleet have Lyriks and I love them so it was a no brainer.
Tyres to Continental Kryptotal - I’m sure the Maxxis DHF’s are great but I have Contis on my other bikes and like them, Black Friday deal got me a pair for £80 so I couldn’t say no
Pedals DMR V12 - I had them lying around as spares
Ascend Components - Stem cap Garmin mount - I like stats and a neat cockpit
Brake Levers changed to Shimano Saint - Wasn’t a fan of the standard long levers of the M4100’s, I have Zee’s on my other bikes and I like them so Black Friday deals came in again.
Dropper lever changed to a Bontrager Dropline - Luckily I had it lying around as the Shimano one wouldn’t match with the Saint Levers and didn’t have a collar I’ll replace it soon, probably with a PNW
I’ve also bought an 800 Battery to slide in but the bike won’t recognise it (I’ll call Whyte next week for advice)
Fitting a 450ml Fidlock bottle was a challenge, it was blocked by the shock reservoir… so I had a touch of genius, flipped the bottle mount upside down which allowed the slide adjust to go further down, then flipped the attachment on the bottle 180° so that it fitted with the correct polarity with the magnets.
And Hey Presto, here’s my Kado S
Not sure about the saddle, I like Ergon saddles which seem to have the correct fit for my sit bones.
Then new bike shakedown day was yesterday! And what a day! Horrendous trail conditions but the new Whyte Kado absolutely lapped them up! Covered almost 20miles around Holmbury and Pitch Hills, climbed over 3000ft, got utterly filthy and loved every minute of it.
The upgrades I bolted on all worked like a dream too! Still a few jobs to do like tidying up the cables but I’m very happy with the result.
Now I’m wondering why I waited so long and stopped myself from having this much fun!
Out of the box and didn’t look like this for long!
My genius Fidlock flip solution:
The long version: Finally I’m in the fold!
I’ve spent years, procrastinating, testing, demo-ing, borrowing other people’s bikes, saving up and waiting for the “right” time to get an e-bike…
Once I’d finally decided what was the right e-bike for me based on my wants, needs and experiences I decided now was the time to get a Whyte Kado S… but not just any old Kado S, I wanted to upgrade parts immediately to my personal taste.
Then followed 2 weeks of nightmares with DPD lying, returning to sender, failing to deliver, pretending I wasn’t in when I was, turning up with no bike in the van and generally being useless with customer service, my threats of the ombudsman paid off and my first e-bike was finally delivered on Thursday :
Being the bottom of the range there were parts on it that I wasn’t keen on and with experience with my Enduro & DH Bikes over the years I have specific tastes of parts I wanted on this rig, so I amassed upgraded parts before the bike had even been delivered.
I’ve spent all day on Friday fitting Invisiframe, and swapping out/upgrading parts.
I’ve overcome a few challenges along the way and still have some that I need to work on but I got her built and ready for a Shakedown ride in Surrey Hills yesterday.
Parts swapped:
Grips to DMR Deathgrips - wasn’t a fan of the standard grips
Shock to Rockshox Super Deluxe Coil RC2T - I love a coil
Fork to Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate 3.1 - I found one for £350 new and couldn’t turn it down, 3 other bikes in my fleet have Lyriks and I love them so it was a no brainer.
Tyres to Continental Kryptotal - I’m sure the Maxxis DHF’s are great but I have Contis on my other bikes and like them, Black Friday deal got me a pair for £80 so I couldn’t say no
Pedals DMR V12 - I had them lying around as spares
Ascend Components - Stem cap Garmin mount - I like stats and a neat cockpit
Brake Levers changed to Shimano Saint - Wasn’t a fan of the standard long levers of the M4100’s, I have Zee’s on my other bikes and I like them so Black Friday deals came in again.
Dropper lever changed to a Bontrager Dropline - Luckily I had it lying around as the Shimano one wouldn’t match with the Saint Levers and didn’t have a collar I’ll replace it soon, probably with a PNW
I’ve also bought an 800 Battery to slide in but the bike won’t recognise it (I’ll call Whyte next week for advice)
Fitting a 450ml Fidlock bottle was a challenge, it was blocked by the shock reservoir… so I had a touch of genius, flipped the bottle mount upside down which allowed the slide adjust to go further down, then flipped the attachment on the bottle 180° so that it fitted with the correct polarity with the magnets.
And Hey Presto, here’s my Kado S
Not sure about the saddle, I like Ergon saddles which seem to have the correct fit for my sit bones.
Then new bike shakedown day was yesterday! And what a day! Horrendous trail conditions but the new Whyte Kado absolutely lapped them up! Covered almost 20miles around Holmbury and Pitch Hills, climbed over 3000ft, got utterly filthy and loved every minute of it.
The upgrades I bolted on all worked like a dream too! Still a few jobs to do like tidying up the cables but I’m very happy with the result.
Now I’m wondering why I waited so long and stopped myself from having this much fun!
Out of the box and didn’t look like this for long!
My genius Fidlock flip solution:
…
