Decathlon Stilus upgrades

[Motounion]

Handlebars are totally subjective..I just have a thing for renthal fatbars mate.

 

[Tallguy888]

The stock tyres just don't work, at least for me. They skid, wheel-spin and slide. The pedals I can see are cheap plastic but so far they haven't broken, despite many pedal strikes. When they break I won't mind getting new ones.

But what's the issue with the bars? What should I look for in the future as an upgrade?
I changed my handle bars and stem because I personally just didn’t like the ones in the bike, plus I found them heavy so my bars are actually carbon.
Pedal wise the ones supplied I just didn’t like so purchased Hope but there really expensive but many other good ones around.

 

[Tallguy888]

I found the tyres supplied really slippy, I put them on my parters bike and she also found them loose so I threw them away.

 

[Motounion]

Yeah for top brand tyres they stink..!

 

[Kiwimike]

Hi all - what chainrings are people running? any suggestions? I haven't had any issues with the FSA one, but am installing a new Link Glide 11s drivetrain, and want to make it all new.

Does anyone know what the offset is of the stock chainring?

 

[MickS]

@Kiwimike I couldn't find a new FSA Megatooth 34 (the stock one) anywhere, so I bought e*thirteen e*spec steel 36T chainring (there are other sizes ofc and there is also aluminium version, too). You can also find SRAM direct mount chainrings for Bosch, but be careful to pick the right one for the boost chainline.
I'm not sure what do you mean by offset, but the stock chainring is for 53 mm chain line (at least that's what I assume when comparing with that e*thirteen I have now which is 1 mm lower and is described as 52 mm chain line). If you explain what do you mean by "offset", I can measure that for you (I still have that old chainring).

 

[Kiwimike]

@Kiwimike I couldn't find a new FSA Megatooth 34 (the stock one) anywhere, so I bought e*thirteen e*spec steel 36T chainring (there are other sizes ofc and there is also aluminium version, too). You can also find SRAM direct mount chainrings for Bosch, but be careful to pick the right one for the boost chainline.
I'm not sure what do you mean by offset, but the stock chainring is for 53 mm chain line (at least that's what I assume when comparing with that e*thirteen I have now which is 1 mm lower and is described as 52 mm chain line). If you explain what do you mean by "offset", I can measure that for you (I still have that old chainring).

Yeah chainline - what was the Stilus spec?

 

[MickS]

Yeah chainline - what was the Stilus spec?

Who knows? Good luck with finding that out... Tbh, I don't think it is so crucial to have that exactly up to the spec, even if these are different by 1mm I could not see any difference between them. Shifting was and still is OK, and even if the new chainring is 1 mm lower, the chain is still not in contact with the rear 2.6 tyre when you shift to the largest sprocket on the cassette.

 

[Kiwimike]

Fitted an Exposure Flex light and tail light, wired directly into the motor feed. Used a 36-12V 3A Buck Converter and some solder connectors. Buck Converter fits nicely under the battery connector. Confirmed that the light now draws the full 1.8A to give 3,300 Lumens. Turns on and off with the bike as the bty output gets enabled/disabled. The rear LED is always on, no biggie, the front can be turned off with the Exposure remote on the bars.

A bonus is that when you're charging, the red taillight comes on - but once charged, as the charger shuts down, so does the light - so it's like having the World's Largest Charging LED indicator

Used solder-waterproof connectors, they just need a heatgun (I used a gas soldering iron with a hotair tip) to flow the solder.

All in all an easy-ish job, with a bit of planning, measuring and careful cutting. There's actually plenty of room under the battery connector for wires and connectors. Will be 3M VHB-taping the converter to the underneath of the mount once the patches arrive.

By going direct to the 36V you get 3,300 Lumens instead of the 2,500-ish usually available with the 1.5A max out of the front light port. At full power measured light draw 0.6A at 36V, and 1.8 on the 12V side - near totally efficient downconversion.

And critically, no loss of 10% range, becuase the light ports aren't used

 

[Tallguy888]

Great job

 

[Motounion]

Top job mate. but not for the faint hearted or those bikes still under warranty.
I had a speed chip on mine since day one. Took it into Decathlon Farnborough for its 6 or 8 week check
4 months after purchase. They fixed the broken dropper post lever as i brought in an upgraded one.
They didn't even have a cable to connect the diagnostic equipment.

I don't think unless im buying trainers or have another warranty issue i will use Decathlon again tbh.

 

[Kiwimike]

Top job mate. but not for the faint hearted or those bikes still under warranty.
I had a speed chip on mine since day one. Took it into Decathlon Farnborough for its 6 or 8 week check
4 months after purchase. They fixed the broken dropper post lever as i brought in an upgraded one.
They didn't even have a cable to connect the diagnostic equipment.

I don't think unless im buying trainers or have another warranty issue i will use Decathlon again tbh.

Yeah it’s a pro job, pretty much.

Re affecting warranty, that’s a good question. If the motor bearing failed, or a remote or display stopped working, there’s no chance it could have been caused by this mod. If you were really panicked, you could swap out the wiring before sending it in.

I’ve had a few warranty issues with the two Stiluses we own, and the support has been awesome. The bike industry in general has a major issue with staff training and longevity, not just one brand.

 

[Kiwimike]

First ride on the 2023 Super Deluxe Ultimate coil - WOW. Over chattery gravel and small roots the bike feels like a hardtail on a newly-tarmac’d road!

Climbing over big rocks, felt utterly planted and grippy like never before.

And the first half of the descent was likewise unreal.

The fact I washed out the front and now have a separated clavicle and two months off the bike isn’t the shock’s fault

So won’t get to play with all the settings for a while - but with everything set in the middle, it beat the pants off the Deluxe air, as you’d expect. It’s a Linear tune.

Fit-wise went on easily, but there’s zero clearance at the bottom between the coil and seat tube. I expect if the coil settles back it might rub the paint a tiny amount, but really don’t care. As the suspension progresses it moves out, so no bother.

 

[Kiwimike]

Question for geometry geeks: I and others have gone to 170mm forks and had no issues / great results. I’m looking at the new Zeb and wondering - any reason not to go all-out at 190mm? I mostly ride reds and blacks around Dunkeld, so often pointed downhill at 30-45°

 

[kriz]

Any recommendations for a replacement chainring please

 

[samohtr]

I put a sram one on when I replaced mine.

Sram X-Sync Eagle Direct Mount Bosch Chainring​

 

[darvd29]

The time has come, I proudly present my Stilus, ready to shred through another season Everything is downright amazing now, the suspension is butter smooth (hah - buttercups!), mullet wheels with 29" front makes descending much easier and faster while the 27.5" rear keeps the bike's agility and nice cornering intact, and the stopping power of Code RSC brakes with 223 mm rotors is bonkers.

List of upgrades:
Fork RockShox Lyrik Ultimate 2023 29” 160mm Charger 3 RC2 DebonAir+ Buttercups
Rear shock RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate 2023 RC2T 205x65 Linear
A ShockWiz to better understand all of the possible suspension settings and help find the best one for my style of riding

DT Swiss HX1700 35mm IS 29” front i 27.5” XD rear (build by DT Swiss on the iconic EX511 rims and 350 hubs, and additionally reinforced to be suitable for ebikes up to 150kg bike and rider weight)
29" 2.5" Maxxis Assegai MaxxGrip Exo+ front tyre (for the maximum grip)
27.5" 2.5" Bontrager SE5 rear tyre (got two real cheap, they're good enough for the rear, will swap to Minion DHRII once these are worn out)
SRAM Code RSC brakes
Galfer Brake Rotors 223x2mm (must have for heavy e-bikes... and riders)
SRAM GX Eagle CS-XG1275 12s 10-52T cassette (wider gearing), along with a GX chain (will swap to XX1 once worn out) and GX derailleur and shifter

RENTHAL Fatbar Lite 35mm 30x760mm bars
Bontrager BITS multitool in the head tube
Bontrager Line Elite Dropper lever (much smoother than the original, also metal = better feeling)
SRAM Matchmaker X 2 pc. (cleaner look due to a shared clamp for the brakes and shifter/lever)
ODI Elite Pro grips
OneUp flat pedals (insanely grippy when combined with five tens)
WTB Volt Cromoly 150mm saddle (finally a relief for my sit bones, I've been looking very long for the right saddle)
Three Fidlock magnetic bottle holders (hydration is key!)

Aaand since I've made this photo a few weeks ago I've already changed the front mudguard to a longer one, custom-made for Lyrik 2023, which also protects the stanchions and seals. The one supplied by RockShox with the Lyrik was quite mediocre as it caused mud to splat all over my face .

 

[Tallguy888]

The time has come, I proudly present my Stilus, ready to shred through another season Everything is downright amazing now, the suspension is butter smooth (hah - buttercups!), mullet wheels with 29" front makes descending much easier and faster while the 27.5" rear keeps the bike's agility and nice cornering intact, and the stopping power of Code RSC brakes with 223 mm rotors is bonkers.

List of upgrades:
Fork RockShox Lyrik Ultimate 2023 29” 160mm Charger 3 RC2 DebonAir+ Buttercups
Rear shock RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate 2023 RC2T 205x65 Linear
A ShockWiz to better understand all of the possible suspension settings and help find the best one for my style of riding

DT Swiss HX1700 35mm IS 29” front i 27.5” XD rear (build by DT Swiss on the iconic EX511 rims and 350 hubs, and additionally reinforced to be suitable for ebikes up to 150kg bike and rider weight)
29" 2.5" Maxxis Assegai MaxxGrip Exo+ front tyre (for the maximum grip)
27.5" 2.5" Bontrager SE5 rear tyre (got two real cheap, they're good enough for the rear, will swap to Minion DHRII once these are worn out)
SRAM Code RSC brakes
Galfer Brake Rotors 223x2mm (must have for heavy e-bikes... and riders)
SRAM GX Eagle CS-XG1275 12s 10-52T cassette (wider gearing), along with a GX chain (will swap to XX1 once worn out) and GX derailleur and shifter

RENTHAL Fatbar Lite 35mm 30x760mm bars
Bontrager BITS multitool in the head tube
Bontrager Line Elite Dropper lever (much smoother than the original, also metal = better feeling)
SRAM Matchmaker X 2 pc. (cleaner look due to a shared clamp for the brakes and shifter/lever)
ODI Elite Pro grips
OneUp flat pedals (insanely grippy when combined with five tens)
WTB Volt Cromoly 150mm saddle (finally a relief for my sit bones, I've been looking very long for the right saddle)
Three Fidlock magnetic bottle holders (hydration is key!)

Aaand since I've made this photo a few weeks ago I've already changed the front mudguard to a longer one, custom-made for Lyrik 2023, which also protects the stanchions and seals. The one supplied by RockShox with the Lyrik was quite mediocre as it caused mud to splat all over my face .

View attachment 114334

Looking good