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Schreiber815

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Hello! My name is Nick and I live in Oregon. I’m buying my first EMTB in a couple days (Gasgas G Light Trail 2.0) and I am looking for some insight into a couple things. I’d like to know what others are using for water bottle set ups as I have read there isn’t a lot of space for one on this bike. I’d also like to know of any bash plates to protect the motor better. I know of the Protect brand but I don’t see that I can get them in the states. Any ideas?
 
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Schreiber815 said:
Hello! My name is Nick and I live in Oregon. I’m buying my first EMTB in a couple days (Gasgas G Light Trail 2.0) and I am looking for some insight into a couple things. I’d like to know what others are using for water bottle set ups as I have read there isn’t a lot of space for one on this bike. I’d also like to know of any bash plates to protect the motor better. I know of the Protect brand but I don’t see that I can get them in the states. Any ideas?
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Welcome to the Forum @Schreiber815
Before companies set themselves up to provide alloy or carbon fibre armour for your carbon fibre or alloy bikes, if we were going somewhere unusually rocky we had to go DIY.

I went to the French Alps in 2012 and I protected my bike frame with old bike tyres. OK, YUK!, I know, but hear me out!

It is easy to cut the beads from a tyre just using a pair of kitchen scissors. Then cut through the width of the tyre with a craft knife. Lay it on a board for a clean cut. Without the bead, the tyre is remarkably flexible and easy to handle. Lay the tyre along the length of your down tube (or whatever shorter length you want to protect) and over the motor area. Cut to length, trim the width as appropriate. I secured mine with zip ties. You can choose which tyres to use depending upon how much protection you want to add. The weight can be quite small and on my mtb I can't say that I noticed it much, mostly going downhill. Many others did the same.

The bike survived the attentions of the lift attendants throwing the bike into the cable lifts and my attentions ploughing down very much rockier slopes that I was used to. The bike survived a week without a scrach.

PS: I went over the top and also cut up some inner tubes and wrapped the stays and the fork lowers. Zip ties again did a good job.
 
Hey Nick. Getting my first ebike soon too. We can be gushing noobs together 😛
 
Schreiber815 said:
Hello! My name is Nick and I live in Oregon. I’m buying my first EMTB in a couple days (Gasgas G Light Trail 2.0) and I am looking for some insight into a couple things. I’d like to know what others are using for water bottle set ups as I have read there isn’t a lot of space for one on this bike. I’d also like to know of any bash plates to protect the motor better. I know of the Protect brand but I don’t see that I can get them in the states. Any ideas?
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I recommend a small hydration pack rather than mounting a bottle on your bike. At least for me and the way I ride my Trek Rail, it would not survive and it adds weight to an already heavy bike.
 
Well, I picked up my bike today! When I got to the store I decided to make a change and pick up the Trail 2.0 instead of the Light Trail. I liked the way it was equipped better and the extra weight didn’t bother me. After riding it down my street and back I already figured out the stock pegs are terrible. New PNW Range pedals will be here tomorrow as will a pair of the PNW Loam grips. That should do for now. I’ll keep adjusting things while I get used to it and figure out what else, if anything I need to add. Probably should pick up a helmet while I’m at it….

IMG_4883.webp
 
Nice, good choice on the PNW pedals, stock ones are always garbage.
 
Schreiber815 said:
Well, I picked up my bike today! When I got to the store I decided to make a change and pick up the Trail 2.0 instead of the Light Trail. I liked the way it was equipped better and the extra weight didn’t bother me. After riding it down my street and back I already figured out the stock pegs are terrible. New PNW Range pedals will be here tomorrow as will a pair of the PNW Loam grips. That should do for now. I’ll keep adjusting things while I get used to it and figure out what else, if anything I need to add. Probably should pick up a helmet while I’m at it….

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Definitely get a good helmet, that's not a place you want to skimp-on. Reminds me of the saying when I rode motocross, "if you have a $10 head get a $10 helmet". You may want to look into knee and/or elbow pads as well OH, and gloves, mtb shoes...$$$$$... You're in now, there's no turning back!
 
@Schreiber815 Pedals on good quality bikes are always as cheap as chips. The manufacturers know that pedals are one of the first things that are changed by buyers, so they would be wasting money if they spent much on them.

In addition to the pedals, I always change the saddle for my preferred choice. I put the OE one in a plastic bag for when I come to sell the bike. The pedals usually go in the bin or the local free site, just to get rid of them. I do the same with the grips, no matter how highly specced they are. (Errr.. plastic bag for later, not the free site).
 
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