The time has come to pass the Macina Lycan onto someone else.
I think that I have only used it once since the last trip to the Swiss Alps back in July, the simple reason being that I just get more fun from riding hardtail mountain bikes, be that retro or bio, and now that I have the plus size hardtail KTM Fogo, the reason to keep it has become even less. I’m well and truly hooked on plus size, and can’t at the present time see me ever switching to anything else for eMTB use. Perhaps a plus size full suspension eMTB will crop up one day, but for now hardtails rule.
The Macina Lycan has proved to be an exceptional bike in every respect, and in many ways, I shall be sad to see it go. The only reason that I can currently think of for keeping it though, is for to have a spare battery for the Fogo, but that is no big deal in the scheme of things.
It has certainly had some use in the time that I have owned it, well near on seven thousand miles of use, and pretty much all of which has been off road, and in all weather and light conditions. Not a bad mileage percentage given that the miles are purely hobby use, and for the most part evenings and weekends.
The bike has gone through several stages of transition during my ownership period, the first being the removal of Nyon which I hated, the fitting of Intuvia as replacement for Nyon, and then last year the fitting of Purion. I have nothing against Intuvia, but Purion suits my requirements better and helps to make for a clean and tidy handlebar area. I loathe unnecessary clutter.
The OE handlebars were changed in favour of some 20mm riser bars, along with the fitment of a 70mm stem, which combined, relieved some shoulder tension that the OE set up gave me.
The brake disc sizes were upped by 20mm, but this was only because of riding in the Alps and nothing more.
I swapped out the OE saddle to my favourite choice of a Ragley Tracker, and fitted clips in place of the OE flat pedal.
The fitting of a Rockshox Reverb Stealth was by far the best aftermarket addition to the bike, and just like plus size tyres, I’d now not want to be without one. Neither are essential, but both improve riding enjoyment.
Several differing brands of tyres have been used, and I still feel that Hutchinson Toro’s suited the bike the most. The downside of Hutchinson Tyres, both Toro and DZO, is that the side walls seem to go porous after a time, which is a pain when running tubeless. Tubeless set up being another addition.
Gearing was also something else that I played with, and I settled for an 11-42 Sunrace cassette, with a 15t Connex front sprocket (I have yet to find anything better than Connex) and a KMC X10 chain, which again, was a make and type that was both hassle free and cheap.
The biggest change has been both the motor and battery. The bike was supplied with a Performance Line motor and 400wh battery, but Bosch were kind enough to upgrade both the motor and battery for me to a CX motor, and 500wh battery. The CX motor being used for a little field testing.
For UK riding use, I actually prefer the Performance Line, especially when linked to a 500wh battery. For my use, I feel that I don’t require the additional torque of the CX motor, and I'm happy to have less torque and better battery consumption. The CX is power hungry. Even when riding in the Alps, the reduction in torque can easily be compensated for by gearing. It’s no big deal, but I might still be slightly hesitant to say that I'd not take the CX option first in respect of riding in the Alps. That is the lazy side of me saying that.
The bike has certainly taught me a lot, and has allowed me to go on some pretty epic rides/climbs. It has taken me to places that I would never previously have dreamt about going to, or riding, and has also seen me go way out of my depth a few times! It has proved to have been ultra-reliable, and the support from FLI Distribution and Cycling Made Easy in respect of ordering up wear and tear parts, has been superb. The most impressive to me, was the removal of a rear mech hanger from a stock bike, the day before heading off to the Alps, just because I wanted to take a spare hanger with me, and there wasn’t time to pre-order one. It might seem a small thing to have done, but to me that was big gesture of good will.
The Macina Lycan has certainly had no mercy shown, and from day one, has been treated very much as a tool to do a job. It has never wanted for anything in respect of maintenance though, and whilst the paintwork may now look tired, the bike is mechanically perfect in every respect, and even scrubs up very well considering.
The bike has also introduced many potential eMTB owners into the world of off road riding, and I have lost count of just how many people that have taken the bike out for a ride, both with or without me, and there are definitely several people out there now, riding eMTB’s because of having first ridden this bike.
Finally, in respect rides, placing the memorial plaque for my friend Single Speed Pete, was easily the most memorable.
Miscellaneous shots to follow.
I think that I have only used it once since the last trip to the Swiss Alps back in July, the simple reason being that I just get more fun from riding hardtail mountain bikes, be that retro or bio, and now that I have the plus size hardtail KTM Fogo, the reason to keep it has become even less. I’m well and truly hooked on plus size, and can’t at the present time see me ever switching to anything else for eMTB use. Perhaps a plus size full suspension eMTB will crop up one day, but for now hardtails rule.
The Macina Lycan has proved to be an exceptional bike in every respect, and in many ways, I shall be sad to see it go. The only reason that I can currently think of for keeping it though, is for to have a spare battery for the Fogo, but that is no big deal in the scheme of things.
It has certainly had some use in the time that I have owned it, well near on seven thousand miles of use, and pretty much all of which has been off road, and in all weather and light conditions. Not a bad mileage percentage given that the miles are purely hobby use, and for the most part evenings and weekends.
The bike has gone through several stages of transition during my ownership period, the first being the removal of Nyon which I hated, the fitting of Intuvia as replacement for Nyon, and then last year the fitting of Purion. I have nothing against Intuvia, but Purion suits my requirements better and helps to make for a clean and tidy handlebar area. I loathe unnecessary clutter.
The OE handlebars were changed in favour of some 20mm riser bars, along with the fitment of a 70mm stem, which combined, relieved some shoulder tension that the OE set up gave me.
The brake disc sizes were upped by 20mm, but this was only because of riding in the Alps and nothing more.
I swapped out the OE saddle to my favourite choice of a Ragley Tracker, and fitted clips in place of the OE flat pedal.
The fitting of a Rockshox Reverb Stealth was by far the best aftermarket addition to the bike, and just like plus size tyres, I’d now not want to be without one. Neither are essential, but both improve riding enjoyment.
Several differing brands of tyres have been used, and I still feel that Hutchinson Toro’s suited the bike the most. The downside of Hutchinson Tyres, both Toro and DZO, is that the side walls seem to go porous after a time, which is a pain when running tubeless. Tubeless set up being another addition.
Gearing was also something else that I played with, and I settled for an 11-42 Sunrace cassette, with a 15t Connex front sprocket (I have yet to find anything better than Connex) and a KMC X10 chain, which again, was a make and type that was both hassle free and cheap.
The biggest change has been both the motor and battery. The bike was supplied with a Performance Line motor and 400wh battery, but Bosch were kind enough to upgrade both the motor and battery for me to a CX motor, and 500wh battery. The CX motor being used for a little field testing.
For UK riding use, I actually prefer the Performance Line, especially when linked to a 500wh battery. For my use, I feel that I don’t require the additional torque of the CX motor, and I'm happy to have less torque and better battery consumption. The CX is power hungry. Even when riding in the Alps, the reduction in torque can easily be compensated for by gearing. It’s no big deal, but I might still be slightly hesitant to say that I'd not take the CX option first in respect of riding in the Alps. That is the lazy side of me saying that.
The bike has certainly taught me a lot, and has allowed me to go on some pretty epic rides/climbs. It has taken me to places that I would never previously have dreamt about going to, or riding, and has also seen me go way out of my depth a few times! It has proved to have been ultra-reliable, and the support from FLI Distribution and Cycling Made Easy in respect of ordering up wear and tear parts, has been superb. The most impressive to me, was the removal of a rear mech hanger from a stock bike, the day before heading off to the Alps, just because I wanted to take a spare hanger with me, and there wasn’t time to pre-order one. It might seem a small thing to have done, but to me that was big gesture of good will.
The Macina Lycan has certainly had no mercy shown, and from day one, has been treated very much as a tool to do a job. It has never wanted for anything in respect of maintenance though, and whilst the paintwork may now look tired, the bike is mechanically perfect in every respect, and even scrubs up very well considering.
The bike has also introduced many potential eMTB owners into the world of off road riding, and I have lost count of just how many people that have taken the bike out for a ride, both with or without me, and there are definitely several people out there now, riding eMTB’s because of having first ridden this bike.
Finally, in respect rides, placing the memorial plaque for my friend Single Speed Pete, was easily the most memorable.
Miscellaneous shots to follow.
Last edited:
