Forbidden DreadNought E

Agree completely. These are XC range pedal bike gearing we are using. I swear the use case for these is Nino Schurter style lightweight light duty components. They are the achillies heel of modern e-mountain bikes.

I wish SRAM would hurry up and release a short cage, lower ratio full power emtb drivetrain and cassette.
Ironically, Amflow/Avinox seem to be doubling down by going up to a 38T chainring instead of going down in cassette size.
 
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You can hack your own right now:
1) DH Transmission rear
2) T-type 90 Cage
3) 7 HG speed cassette (11-34t < biggest I can find)
 
We got some fresh snow this weekend 😭, so no riding till next week. I just finished ride-wrapping the bike and took it out to feel it at a local park. Surprisingly, it didn't feel big; instead, it felt more playful than the Druid E. My Druid has the 40mm stem with 50mm rise oneup handlebar, but I put a 31mm stem with 35mm rise handlebar on the DreadE.

IMG_6662.webp
 
We got some fresh snow this weekend 😭, so no riding till next week. I just finished ride-wrapping the bike and took it out to feel it at a local park. Surprisingly, it didn't feel big; instead, it felt more playful than the Druid E. My Druid has the 40mm stem with 50mm rise oneup handlebar, but I put a 31mm stem with 35mm rise handlebar on the DreadE.

View attachment 184894
Why the backwards stem length/rise setup compared to the druid, different size frames ?
I'm tempted to try some 50mm bars on my sz3...
I'm hitting jasper and valemount this weekend...
 
One of my riding buddies has a X0 10 Speed DH 11-36t

Whole things costs under £200 and weighs way less than SRAM (almost half a kilo weight saving). He reckons it works fine on the M2S, has a better clutch, less noise, less prone to damage and he doesn’t miss the 2 larger cogs on the rear.

Looks half the size of the Transmission mech standing side by side.

IMG_3758.webp
 
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One of my riding buddies has a X0 10 Speed DH 11-36t

Whole things costs under £200 and weighs way less than SRAM (almost half a kilo weight saving). He reckons it works fine on the M2S, has a better clutch, less noise, less prone to damage and he doesn’t miss the 2 larger cogs on the rear.

Looks half the size of the Transmission mech standing side by side.

View attachment 184896
With a high pivot setup, you can run a smaller chainring without altering suspension performance to give you taller gearing with that setup if necessary.
 
One of my riding buddies has a X0 10 Speed DH 11-36t

Whole things costs under £200 and weighs way less than SRAM (almost half a kilo weight saving). He reckons it works fine on the M2S, has a better clutch, less noise, less prone to damage and he doesn’t miss the 2 larger cogs on the rear.

Looks half the size of the Transmission mech standing side by side.

View attachment 184896

I’ve just got the bits for my 10spd setup.
XTR M980 shifter
XTR rear mech with Saint M820 short cage
SRAM XG 1080 cassette.
KMC E10 chain.

Saved a huge amount of weight on X0 T-Type & have a stronger, more suitable & more reliable drivetrain.
 
I like the hacks, I really do, but seriously SRAM has to be cooking up a proper E-bike drivetrain for us.

Honestly, they could just fire up the 11sp X01 cassette making machine and they have already got a solid all steel cassette. Throw in a robust 11speed chain and extend the pulley cage on their electronic DH derailleur with programming to match the 11speed cassette, and they are all done.
 
I like the hacks, I really do, but seriously SRAM has to be cooking up a proper E-bike drivetrain for us.

Honestly, they could just fire up the 11sp X01 cassette making machine and they have already got a solid all steel cassette. Throw in a robust 11speed chain and extend the pulley cage on their electronic DH derailleur with programming to match the 11speed cassette, and they are all done.
I've grown fond of shifting without pedalling on the m2s/transmission combo. It'd be hard to give that up.
 
I've grown fond of shifting without pedalling on the m2s/transmission combo. It'd be hard to give that up.
That’s the one thing I will miss. I won’t miss much else about it though.

Keeping it on my Fuel+ & naturally aspirated bike though, much more suitable.
 
I like the hacks, I really do, but seriously SRAM has to be cooking up a proper E-bike drivetrain for us.

Honestly, they could just fire up the 11sp X01 cassette making machine and they have already got a solid all steel cassette. Throw in a robust 11speed chain and extend the pulley cage on their electronic DH derailleur with programming to match the 11speed cassette, and they are all done.
Honestly SRAM needs to have settings for 9,10 or 11 speed gap options in their app. The mech can handle the range, it’s all software to handle the shift spacing.

Wireless rear mechs from the likes of Wheeltop or Ltwoo allows this. Wheeltop goes from 7-14 speed cassettes. If SRAM allow this, it would preserve the fly on the fly features.
 
Honestly SRAM needs to have settings for 9,10 or 11 speed gap options in their app. The mech can handle the range, it’s all software to handle the shift spacing.

Wireless rear mechs from the likes of Wheeltop or Ltwoo allows this. Wheeltop goes from 7-14 speed cassettes. If SRAM allow this, it would preserve the fly on the fly features.

Yep. At a minimum SRAM could have programs to work with every available SRAM cassette, is that so hard?

I'm currently using the Wheeltop and it's damn good (so far). It wasn't a cost thing; it was a flexibility thing.
 
Why the backwards stem length/rise setup compared to the druid, different size frames ?
I'm tempted to try some 50mm bars on my sz3...
I'm hitting Jasper and Valemount this weekend...
I found the Druid a bit less responsive in steering, so I'm trying a shorter stem. The stack height is higher on the Dread (S3) at 669mm vs 662mm on the S3 Druid, so I didn't want to go too high with the 50mm rise. I'm still experimenting with the stem and handlebars to find the sweet spot.
 
New to this forum and a new owner of a Dreadnought E.

I am 6ft tall and choose the S3 and the sizing feels perfect.

I went with a T1 build and made a few small changes
  • 200mm SRAM AXS dropper
  • Schwalbe Radials (MM Ultra Soft Gravity, Albert Soft Gravity)
  • PNW Carbon bars (38mm rise)(Running most spacers under the stem)
  • Peaty grips
I am still working on dialing in the suspension (stock 400 spring is feeling good so far).

This is also my first eMTB so getting used to the power delivery and settings in the app.

I have a few rides on it now and am super impressed. Happy to answer any questions you all may have.

My buddy also got a T2 and here is a picture of both of them.

Thanks,
Daniel

IMG_4639.webp
 
New to this forum and a new owner of a Dreadnought E.

I am 6ft tall and choose the S3 and the sizing feels perfect.

I went with a T1 build and made a few small changes
  • 200mm SRAM AXS dropper
  • Schwalbe Radials (MM Ultra Soft Gravity, Albert Soft Gravity)
  • PNW Carbon bars (38mm rise)(Running most spacers under the stem)
  • Peaty grips
I am still working on dialing in the suspension (stock 400 spring is feeling good so far).

This is also my first eMTB so getting used to the power delivery and settings in the app.

I have a few rides on it now and am super impressed. Happy to answer any questions you all may have.

My buddy also got a T2 and here is a picture of both of them.

Thanks,
Daniel

View attachment 184957
And what is your partner's height?
 
New to this forum and a new owner of a Dreadnought E.

I am 6ft tall and choose the S3 and the sizing feels perfect.

I went with a T1 build and made a few small changes
  • 200mm SRAM AXS dropper
  • Schwalbe Radials (MM Ultra Soft Gravity, Albert Soft Gravity)
  • PNW Carbon bars (38mm rise)(Running most spacers under the stem)
  • Peaty grips
I am still working on dialing in the suspension (stock 400 spring is feeling good so far).

This is also my first eMTB so getting used to the power delivery and settings in the app.

I have a few rides on it now and am super impressed. Happy to answer any questions you all may have.

My buddy also got a T2 and here is a picture of both of them.

Thanks,
Daniel

View attachment 184957
I changed the sprint to 450lb. I weigh 190lb with gears.
 
New to this forum and a new owner of a Dreadnought E.

I am 6ft tall and choose the S3 and the sizing feels perfect.

I went with a T1 build and made a few small changes
  • 200mm SRAM AXS dropper
  • Schwalbe Radials (MM Ultra Soft Gravity, Albert Soft Gravity)
  • PNW Carbon bars (38mm rise)(Running most spacers under the stem)
  • Peaty grips
I am still working on dialing in the suspension (stock 400 spring is feeling good so far).

This is also my first eMTB so getting used to the power delivery and settings in the app.

I have a few rides on it now and am super impressed. Happy to answer any questions you all may have.

My buddy also got a T2 and here is a picture of both of them.

Thanks,
Daniel

View attachment 184957
Would love to hear your thoughts about riding both (if your friend lets you). I have a Tier 2 coming that the bike shop is upgrading to a Tier 1 spec for me. So I'll have the red ZEB, X0 drivetrain, etc. But the black/orange colour. I've ordered some Slik Graphics decals to make the logos and things red and grey metallic chrome.
 
someone recently reported in another thread that they got an XX DH derailleur working on Amflow


I also approve of the hacking but would prefer an official solution. with the M2S on the eDN I seem to not go below mid-cassette on the 10-52.

my rough math is the XX derailleur and cassette would save 270g compared to X0, and 339g compared to GX. unsprung mass so seems quite compelling
 
You can hack your own right now:
1) DH Transmission rear
2) T-type 90 Cage
3) 7 HG speed cassette (11-34t < biggest I can find)
and how are you gonna setup said system on a non transmission casette? a hg cassette sits more inward and you have no limit screws nor b screw to adjust your derailleur
 
and how are you gonna setup said system on a non transmission casette? a hg cassette sits more inward and you have no limit screws nor b screw to adjust your derailleur
just want to call that this is completely untested - and only hypothetical.

Based on my experience with Transmission and Full mount 13 speed RED - the microadjust feature is not per gear based, and I've adjusted to 70~80% of a full gear change. This should handle the "limit screw" / inboard / inward gearing limitation of a HG cassette.

The t-type 90 cage will set the upper pulley wheel back enough to handle the 34T. Chain length should be adjusted accordingly to cassette largest cog. This should handle the b screw since T-type 90's smallest jump is 2t and largest is 8t. The 7spd hg smallest is 2t and largest 6t.

HG Cassette - this is the only thing that will highly likely break the hack - what I do not know is the spacing. Spacing of the cassette width and spacing of the jumps. xg-797 has a big spider spacer where as the HG 7 speed doesnt.

Alternatively, get the cheapest 12 speed eagle cassette and cut out 5 of the largest gear which would satisfy the gear spacing.
 
I like hacks, but you are better off choosing the cassette you want, then purchasing the WheelTop electronic derailleur in the short cage version (they offer 3 cage lengths) where you can custom program the number of gears and all of the spacing.
Importantly mine is performing very well but it took some set up as the gear spacing is all Shimano specific.
It's also really lightweight and I actually prefer the shifter over the AXS shifter.
 
I like hacks, but you are better off choosing the cassette you want, then purchasing the WheelTop electronic derailleur in the short cage version (they offer 3 cage lengths) where you can custom program the number of gears and all of the spacing.
Importantly mine is performing very well but it took some set up as the gear spacing is all Shimano specific.
It's also really lightweight and I actually prefer the shifter over the AXS shifter.
I would highly suggest this, but you do lose the shift on the fly feature which apparently is quiet handy. No experience on this feature myself, but very curious.
 
Spent the last 4 days at Valemount, BC, enjoying their excellent shuttle park.
Swapped over to the 600wh battery, it's a tangible improvement on handling, particularly in the air.
One can undo one motor bolt, unplug a few cables and pivot the motor back to slide the battery out.
Still not something you want to do trailside though, there is a bolt in the 800wh that requires removing the display to access, and with the cables and all, it's a bit fiddly.
99% of my riding is in eco/auto, and I've picked up the fast charger too.

Bike itself continues to impress, corners so, so well. All my descending pr's are getting smashed without even trying. And I thought my '25 crafty xr was pretty fast.
 
Yeah doing ‘hot’ battery swaps wouldn’t be the quickest, not the worst either but I wouldn’t want to do it regularly.

My 10spd setup so far is spot on - haven’t missed anything more than the 32T on the back, I even think I could run a slightly bigger chainring on this. I forgot just how good Shimano 10spd stuff was.

The whole lot cost me less than a replacement X0 T-Type chain. 😆

IMG_4373.webp
 
I got out for a good ride this weekend in Blue Lake CA (https://www.trailforks.com/region/blue-lake/) which was a great place to test out the new bike. Lots of good downhill trails to test out and dial in the bike. Lots of fireroad climbs (5500 ft) that I was grateful for the motor!

I was pretty blown away at how well the bike performed.

IMG_4678.webp

IMG_4677.webp
 
I got out for a good ride this weekend in Blue Lake CA (https://www.trailforks.com/region/blue-lake/) which was a great place to test out the new bike. Lots of good downhill trails to test out and dial in the bike. Lots of fireroad climbs (5500 ft) that I was grateful for the motor!

I was pretty blown away at how well the bike performed.
I rode there last year, some pretty fun off-menu trails not far from Hatchery Ridge that are worth finding if you're there for a few days.

Hatchery Ridge is a showcase for an ebike. Wish I had one when I was there due to some punchy climbs.
 
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