Setup Guide
So you’ve got yourself a shiny new steed, now it’s time to turn it into your own personal workhorse—dialing in your ride is the first step. From suspension setup to saddle height, this guide will show you the basics of bike setup.
Setup Guide
So you’ve got yourself a shiny new steed, now it’s time to turn it into your own personal workhorse—dialing in your ride is the first step. From suspension setup to saddle height, this guide will show you the basics of bike setup.
Setup Guide
So you’ve got yourself a shiny new steed, now it’s time to turn it into your own personal workhorse—dialing in your ride is the first step. From suspension setup to saddle height, this guide will show you the basics of bike setup.
Ebike Charging and Range
Charging
Santa Cruz only specs high-quality e-bike batteries that have been thoroughly tested for long life, long range, and safety. While generally speaking you can simply leave your bike plugged in when not riding, a little charging discipline can extend your battery's lifespan and improve overall performance. If you're riding your e-bike regularly, keeping it plugged in when not in use is a perfectly acceptable way to keep it topped-up. If you're not going to be riding your bike for an extended period, most battery manufacturers recommend keeping the bike's battery at about 70% for best results. Over time, lithium batteries gradually lose charge, so a monthly check to see the charge level and, if needed, a little charging to get it back into that 70% range is advisable.
Since the level of charge on our Shimano drive system-equipped bikes uses a segmented battery icon rather than a numerical charge display, it takes a little rudimentary math to figure out your state-of-charge. Each of the bars within your battery icon display represents roughly 20% of the battery's capacity, so a 70% charge would theoretically be 3.5 bars of charge, so round up to four bars. When you're ready to use your bike again, charge the battery to 100% before riding for best results.
Note: If your battery is damaged in a crash or an impact, take it to your bike retailer for an inspection as soon as possible.
Range
How far your battery will take you on a single charge depends on several factors—your weight, including the bike, you and your gear; how much climbing and how steep that climbing is; your power mode; and even ambient temperature. Our advice is to kit up, make sure your battery is fully charged, set out on a baseline route you know well, and cycle through the riding modes to see how the bike performs in Eco, Trail, and Boost on different gradients and terrains. Understanding how power settings and your environment affect battery life will help you later as you venture further from home.
CAVEATS
Keep in mind that batteries get a bit finicky in cold conditions. While they will power your bike just fine, the range will typically diminish in low temperatures. Lithium batteries will also not accept a charge at temperatures below 5-degrees Celsius/41-degrees Fahrenheit. For Shimano's battery recommendations, please see the technical manual for lithium batteries on their website. Like with laptop computers and cell phones, e-bike batteries will eventually lose their ability to hold a reasonable charge and should be recycled at the end of their lifespan.
In North America, Santa Cruz (and most of the cycling industry) have partnered with the non-profit Call2Recycle for the safe upcycling and disposal of end-of-life or damaged e-bike batteries.
CAVEATS
Keep in mind that batteries get a bit finicky in cold conditions. While they will power your bike just fine, the range will typically diminish in low temperatures. Lithium batteries will also not accept a charge at temperatures below 5-degrees Celsius/41-degrees Fahrenheit. For Shimano's battery recommendations, please see the technical manual for lithium batteries on their website. Like with laptop computers and cell phones, e-bike batteries will eventually lose their ability to hold a reasonable charge and should be recycled at the end of their lifespan.
In North America, Santa Cruz (and most of the cycling industry) have partnered with the non-profit Call2Recycle for the safe upcycling and disposal of end-of-life or damaged e-bike batteries.