View attachment 73634
I've tried a number of configurations and here are my notes:
Overall setup
- My setup is on the more rugged side. I have 203/223 rotors, and tough 2.4/2.5 tires. I ride a mix of steep/chunky terrain and flowy singletrack around the SF Bay Area. I tend to favor smoother lines enjoy popping of smaller trail features.
- I'm also running a OneUp 210mm dropper and 35mm rise bars, Paul Components 35mm stem, and WTB Saddle
- I'm about 180lbs plus gear and bike weighs in around 42 lbs with pedals, but without tool/pump/tube.
- I settled on a 450lb spring after experimenting with different rates and putting my #s in about 198732423 different "calculators".
210x55 coil with offset bushing, 160 fork, 29 F/R
- I bought a Fox coil on ebay that was supposed to be 216x63.5 but was actually 210x55, and didn't realize it till about 5-10 rides later when I measured the BB ht @ 340, HT at 65, and ST at 76
- Handled very quick, climbed steeps surprisingly easily with no wandering (which I attribute to the shock action vs geo). The ST angle is actually slacker here, but it climbed EASIER and felt more stable which was a surprise. Only conclusion I could draw was that the shock action helped maintain more traction despite the slacker ST angle. Still didn't quite make sense going from paper to trail, but I'll take it!
- Descending felt like a bigger bike for sure, great body positioning for steep terrain. Slightly reduced reach could be compensated with a longer stem ( I have a 50mm on the way vs the 35 on there now)
216x63.5 shock with offset bushing, 160 fork, 29 F/R
- This is my current setup and it feels amazing across rough terrain, You really just float over stuff that would have the 140/150 version bucking a bit more.
- HT measured 65.5, ST 76.5
- That said, the BB is much higher now, measured at 350. I compensated by running more sag which brought back some of the quick handling. It looks like there is room to run another offset bushing as well, so I'll add that in today which should drop the BB further and bring it closer to stock handling, while still running 29s front and rear.
34T ring conversion
- The Shimano chainrings DO NOT WORK with the Orbea chainguide. I scratched one up testing it out. The clearance between the frame and chainguide is SUPER tight and I haven't found any third party chainguide that works actually. I believe this is part of the design compromise as the Rise has super short chainstays for a 29er EMTB. Most other EMTBs with 445 chainstays are running 27.5 rear wheels. The Orbea chainguide is specifically designed to route around the carbon frame. So you can stick with 32t or you can remove the chainguide.
27.5 rear wheel conversion
- This MIGHT just be the ticket if you wanna run this bike as a legit enduro EMTB. a 27.5 rear with a 2.5 tire will put the BB right in the sweet spot if you use a longer shock and 1 offset bushing. It should end up somewhere around 5mm higher than stock BB ht, but with 20mm more travel!
- I tried this setup briefly with a borrowed wheel and I'm pretty sold it's the way to go
If you're itching to tinker with your suspension I would try these steps in this order first:
- Lower your shock pressure and use the bigger volume spacer
- Swap your fork airshaft to 160
- Add a single offset bushing to the rear shock mount (offsetbushings.com)
Then finally if you wanna go ALL IN:
- Swap your shock for a 216x63.5 (8.5" x 2.5")
- Add a second offset bushing to the front mount
- Swap your rear wheel for 27.5