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Michael Pan, an avid road and MTB cyclist shares his comprehensive review of the CYC Photon.
Michael's first eBike conversion build, using the Specialized Sirrus frame with the CYC Photon
Just picked up my CYC Photon and installed into my commuter Specialized Sirrus. Only got about 100 miles in so far and it's been very fun and the bike is incredible quick at accelerating.
This is my first time owning any sort of e-conversion or even e-bike at all. So like a lot of you, I did a ton of research before actually deciding to purchase (Bafang vs CYC vs TongSheng vs ToSeven vs etc). Since I am an avid cyclist, I wanted the bike to feel realistic and not like an e-motorcycle with a throttle. I ride with the torque PAS only. I am a recreational road and MTB rider. I participate in group rides, clud rides, sportifs, gran fondos, and I am pretty much your average spandex wearing clipless road rider that you see.
Equipped with the 52V 14Ah Super Shark Battery
I use this bike mainly for commuting to and from work. It is about 12 miles each direction with about 200 ft elevation but I do have a big headwind (10-15 mph) when leaving work. I am able to complete the entire commute (~25 miles) easily with a battery that's only charged to 80% (to increase battery lifespan) and I normally still have over 30% left.
The CYC Photon kit reduced my commute time to about 10-15 minutes each way but I am still putting in work during the ride.
Looking at the DS103 display, I am nominally adding about 200-300W of human power in addition to the motor. The thing is FAST and I am glad I didn't go for a bigger motor.
The pedal assist feels great. I've ridden a few eMTBs with Bosch motors and the feelign between the two is nearly identical with the pedal assist coming on almost immediately. I did not have to tune any of the stock PAS settings on the CYC.
Parts used:
Specialized Sirrus Sport
CYC Photon w/ DS103 Display
50T Chainring
9-Speed Sora w/ 11-34 cassette
52V, 14Ah Super Shark Battery
42mm slicks with pannier rack
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