PLANET3 installation instructions for YT Decoy

Recommended tools for the job:
- 3 mm allen/hex
- TX25 bit and a torque wrench for the rotor bolts
- 17 mm cone wrench (3 mm thick)
- 20 mm open ended wrench or adjustable wrench
- 19 mm open ended wrench or adjustable wrench
Hotel? Trivago.

[@planet3bike]

For the base model of the YT Decoy, simply skip the first steps that are related to the e*thirteen hub and use uniform pressure on the bevel edge of the ring gear to get it started onto the 19 mm hub end cap of the DT Swiss hubs found on the bike. Proper installation depth part of the procedure is the same (push and rotate, push and rotate). Please clean and degrease the end cap if it's greasy since the DT Swiss version of the PLANET3 ring gear is held via a press fit.

[@planet3bike]

Super nice! :)

[@bradhill3046]

Is this compatible with the YT Decoy 2020 models?

[@planet3bike]

@@bradhill3046 Yes, but there's the "Shimano issue". Mainly, with the September 2019 update of the Shimano DU-E8000 motor firmware (version 4.7.1.), they have further narrowed down the range of the allowed speed-vs-cadence to a point where only a 1.3:1 ratio of a PLANET3 (30% bump in speed) will not cause W011 speed sensor errors on occasion when climbing stuff in lower gears. The ratio on CZcams and which works on older firmware versions (4.5.1 - 4.6.0) was ~1,6:1 which gave you a 60% bump in speed. Now, I have a device for the Decoy that works perfectly with the 4.7.1. firmware but as I said, the ratio is 1.3:1. This is usually enough for people located in the USA and other areas in the world where the speed limit is 20 mph and then PLANET3 gets them to 26 mph at no risk to their warranty, but for people in the UK/EU and parts of the world where the limit is 25 km/h or 15.5 mph, a 30% increase means "only" 20,2 mph. Most claim this is enough for them, but the fact is that even I find it too low so I've started giving out this "fair warning" to users.
The problem of the new firmware is not unsolvable and it can be downgraded to an older version without much trouble, but it does require a Shimano module to connect the bike to the PC/laptop (SM-PCE02 or SM-PCE1). This tool costs around 150-200 EUR and most users can't justify having it for a single use BUT some have purchased as a group of friends and split the cost that way. Another way is to talk to your local bike shop that sells/services Shimano equipped e-bikes and should have the tool. I have borrowed it on several occasions for the price of a beer, basically. Since then I've bought my own and some users were perfectly OK with paying an extra return shipping of the tool that I would send them along with their PLANET3s. Especially when an order would involve multiple units.

[@bradhill3046]

PLANET3 is it the same device for the old and the new firmware? e.g. if 30% isn’t enough for me can I downgrade and get 60% using the same device. Thanks for the detailed response - very helpful!

[@planet3bike]

@@bradhill3046 Yes, the new ones are modular and I'd send you the internals for both 1,3 and 1,6 ratios (different sun gear splines that are just pressed into the base and different planets) so you'd have options if you can swing a downgrade.

[@PBeBeR974]

fayaaaa!