The mountain bike that got a promotion.
A Merida Big Nine 20 came into the workshop as a 29er hardtail. It left with a CYC Photon Gen 2 mid-drive, a 52V Samsung-cell battery, full-length mudguards and tyres that shrug off glass. Built at 132 Union Rd, sitting on the showroom floor at 106. One only.
Why a mid-drive. A hub motor drags a wheel around. A mid-drive puts its power through the gears, so the motor works with the drivetrain instead of against it. Hills flatten out, the bike still steers and balances like a bike, and you can swap a rear wheel without touching the electrics. The Photon Gen 2 is the small motor that does not ride like one: 750W rated, 1200W peak, 130Nm at the crank, on a battery that bolts to the downtube where the weight belongs.
What we changed. The stock Big Nine drivetrain went; a Photon needs its own chainring, cranks and bottom bracket, so it got them. Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus tyres replaced the knobblies because a motor this strong deserves rubber rated for it. SKS Bluemels mudguards, a Focus kickstand, a shorter ProTaper stem and platform pedals finish the job. Fresh Shimano resin pads in the brakes. Then it was ridden, tested and tidied.
Build breakdown
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Frame: Merida Big Nine 20, aluminium 29er hardtail, Large, Black/Grey
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Fork: stock Merida, 120mm travel
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Motor: CYC Photon Gen 2 mid-drive, 750W rated, 1200W peak, 130Nm
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Battery: 52V 10Ah downtube, Samsung cells, 520Wh, charger included
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Display: CYC SW102T
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Throttle: thumb throttle
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Chainring: CYC Photon Gen 2, 42T
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Cranks: CYC 165mm
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Bottom bracket: CYC Photon kit, 68/73/83mm
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Chain: KMC X8
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Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus, 29" x 2.00", front and rear
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Mudguards: SKS Bluemels 60mm
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Stem: ProTaper 31.8 x 45mm, Stealth
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Pedals: BBB Mountainhigh BPD-32
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Kickstand: Focus
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Brake pads: Shimano B03S resin
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Everything else: stock Merida, checked and set up in the workshop
Want one built around your bike? This is one of the conversions we do. Bring us your bike, or start from scratch: we have access to a lot more bikes than the website shows, so call (03) 9088 2153 or come in to 106 Union Rd, Ascot Vale, and we can work with you to spec the motor, battery and everything around it to how you actually ride. Built in Melbourne, shipped Australia-wide.
Where you can ride it. This bike is not road legal in Australia. Every state draws the same line for a bicycle, a motor rated at 250W or less, and this one is above it. That means no roads, no footpaths, no bike paths and no shared trails. Registering it as a motor vehicle is possible in some states, so if you are buying from interstate, check your state's rules or call us on (03) 9088 2153 before you pay. Want one you can commute on? The Photon Gen 2 comes as a factory 250W road-legal unit. We can swap it into this bike before it leaves, or build you another around it.
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