How Loud, or Rather How Quiet, is the CYC Motor Photon?

Here is a comparison of the operating noise of two mid-drive kits for converting a bicycle into an e-bike — CYC Motor Photon and CYC Motor X1 Stealth Gen.3. Warning! This is not an academic treatise based on laboratory research.

It Doesn’t Make Sense…

Presenting the noise level of a device by recording it and publishing a video is, frankly, rather pointless. This stems from many factors. One of them is the “smart” algorithms built into phones and action cameras, which are most often used to record such videos outdoors and then uploaded online. They distort reality. We often watch videos — even our own — where the motor sound, or simply ambient noises, seem heavily exaggerated or, conversely, muted compared to what we remember from actually using the product ourselves.

Initially, we recorded this comparison video with a GoPro MAX, but we realized the camera was optimizing the audio and the much louder Stealth ended up being attenuated. In the end, we filmed it with a less intelligent device — just a mirrorless photo camera with video capability. Meaningful conclusions could be drawn from noise measurements performed with specialized microphones in different situations, ideally both in laboratory conditions and in the field — which, in fact, is very hard to do objectively.

“Whines Like a CYC” – The Inspiration

What inspired (or rather provoked) us to prepare this video and article was a post on a discussion forum, where someone linked a field presentation of the Photon recorded by our friend — Bohobike. After a joint conversion of his bamboo gravel bike into an electric bamboo gravel bike, he took it for an off-road ride. The video is available here. Based on it, a forum user wrote, “it was supposed to be so quiet and it whines like a cyc”. We assume “whines like a cyc” refers to the CYC X1 Pro or the Stealth. Indeed, watching the recording, one may get the impression that the Photon’s sound is constantly present. That’s why we decided, nonetheless, to make our own comparison. But we approached it a bit differently. This is not a decibel measurement; rather, it’s about showing a reference level against something else, so the viewer can form a somewhat, yet their own, opinion — based on more than an unreliable phone recording.

What are the known facts? Namely that:

• CYC Motor X1 Stealth is a kit that transfers drive through an external chain, just like the well-known X1 Pro.
• CYC Motor X1 Pro is known for not being quiet. It produces very distinct sounds — there’s plenty of material about this online.
• CYC Motor X1 Stealth is its smaller and weaker counterpart, operating somewhat more quietly.

…But We Did It Anyway

Armed with this knowledge, we set out to compare the Photon, which supposedly “whines” like the X1 Stealth. We recorded the video under the same conditions, in a quiet room. Both drives were set to the same “Street” mode, first assist level, without load, and at the same voltage (the same battery).

And the point wasn’t to prove that the Stealth is relatively loud. Both the CYC Motor X1 Pro and X1 Stealth are quite noisy — that’s no secret. The type of transmission and the power of both motors (Stealth – 1,500 W, X1 Pro from 3,000 to 5,000 W) carry certain consequences — namely, considerable noise during operation. This comparison aimed to dispel doubts about the lesser-known Photon and its genuinely quiet operation.

We also wanted to draw attention to the character of Photon’s sound — it’s neither piercing nor shrill, but gentle. We wanted to compare it to the noise of something else that everyone can personally know or imagine. We simply chose mechanical children’s toys.

Conclusions – How Loud Is the CYC Motor Photon?

• Photon is definitely quieter than the X1 Stealth. Very definitely.
• Photon sounds gentle, friendly, not piercing.
• Photon is only slightly louder than a small, simple train running on wooden tracks (powered by a single AA battery) and even quieter than a small car scraping along a plastic track.

Perhaps under load it’s louder. It’s very difficult to assess this when moving from a quiet room outdoors, where you hear many other things around you. But the greater ambient noise also makes the motor sound even less noticeable. It would be interesting to see what our camera would record in indoor conditions if we somehow simulated the rolling of wheels over gravel, stones, including wind noise, etc. Just notice in the video how loud the sounds of cables and parts sliding on the floor or even unplugging the battery cable seem.

Suggestion – Let’s Imagine That…

Now let’s imagine those two toys taken outside — on the road or into the mountains. If released next to a moving bike, would they be audible at all? Our answer, regardless of what someone posts online and how they filmed it, is this: in real off-road conditions, the Photon is almost inaudible. It makes a sound that is neither loud nor piercing nor annoying. It’s like ambient noise — the sound of wheels rolling over terrain, etc. Compared to what we remember from using the Bafang BBS02 350 W, the Photon is only slightly louder. The Bafang is basically silent, probably due to its plastic gears and much lower power.

Conclusion, Verdict, Opinion

In our subjective opinion, the noise of the CYC Motor Photon is simply not an issue — it’s not something you need to worry about, ponder over, or consider when choosing the Photon at purchase.