Which Bicycle?

[mgilbert]

I'm considering an e-bike. Several "manufacturers" seem to carry virtually identical bikes, similar to what I'm after - Rad's RadCity 4, Ride1UP's 500, Aventon's Pace 500, etc. All these bikes are being slapped together from the same, mostly Chinese, component suppliers, and all are around $1,500, which I consider to be obscene, but that's beside the point. I want to buy from a company that's been around, and will likely still be around for years to come. Service after the sale is most important to me. Right now, Ride1UP is at the top of my list, due to slightly lower cost, including tax advantages.

Anyway, I'm looking for a commuter bike with class 3 speed and range, with fenders, a rear rack, lights front and rear, 48/52 volt battery with Samsung/Panasonic/LG cells, 500 real watts of power, throttle, and an informative display. I am not interested in fat bikes. I don't want the expense and weight of the wide tires. I'll be riding almost exclusively on pavement, and have a 25 mile round-trip commute. I'm 6' 1", 195 pounds, and about to turn 60.

Based on all this, are there other bikes and manufacturers I should be considering? Thanks...

 

[indianajo]

Lawrenceburg, IN? 50 miles east of Seymour on Rte 50?
Like fixing things yourself do you? Rad will be glad to send you a new spoke if you stretch one. 3 or 4 times if you do that, one at a time. The lady in scotland was tired of driving her bike over to the shop to have a spoke replace. 12 pages of entries on known problems thread. Last week a rad owner had a rim crack: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/need-new-rim.41413/
Aventon has 5 pages of known problems. Ride1up only has 3 pages. I don't know if the low count of problems has to do with their lower market share.
Somebody else was looking at gazelle with 6 problems, and kona, with zero. Dealer supported bikes like trek, cannondale, you haul it over there and they deal with any problems. Not cheap. Trek has 2 pages of known problems. Cannondale has 2 pages. Blix is tiny but has one known problem.
You won't want my bike, but in 3 years & 6000 miles, I've kicked & broke a fender. I adjusted a shifter stop once. I wore out normal items, front shoes 4000 miles, a chain @ 5000 miles, a $221 hub motor 4500 miles, 8 sets tires. Other problems were aftermarket add ons like the motor. Known problems has one entry, I hated the OEM seat.
Happy shopping.

 

[mgilbert]

Lawrenceburg, IN? 50 miles east of Seymour on Rte 50?
Like fixing things yourself do you? Rad will be glad to send you a new spoke if you stretch one. 3 or 4 times if you do that, one at a time. The lady in scotland was tired of driving her bike over to the shop to have a spoke replace. 12 pages of entries on known problems thread. Last week a rad owner had a rim crack: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/need-new-rim.41413/
Aventon has 5 pages of known problems. Ride1up only has 3 pages. I don't know if the low count of problems has to do with their lower market share.
Somebody else was looking at gazelle with 6 problems, and kona, with zero. Dealer supported bikes like trek, cannondale, you haul it over there and they deal with any problems. Not cheap. Trek has 2 pages of known problems. Cannondale has 2 pages. Blix is tiny but has one known problem.
You won't want my bike, but in 3 years & 6000 miles, I've kicked & broke a fender. I adjusted a shifter stop once. I wore out normal items, front shoes 4000 miles, a chain @ 5000 miles, a $221 hub motor 4500 miles, 8 sets tires. Other problems were aftermarket add ons like the motor. Known problems has one entry, I hated the OEM seat.
Happy shopping.

Actually, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. I corrected that in my profile. I'm sure those problem numbers are relative to the number of bikes they've sold, so it's hard to make much sense of them. And you are right about bike shop bikes. Thousands of dollars, and none have more powerful motors, larger batteries, etc. I'm leaning toward the Ride1UP 700, and I used to build and maintain ultralight airplanes, so I can fix things myself. I'd just prefer not to have to. And what bike do you ride?

 

[indianajo]

The reliable bike in the picture is a 2017 yubabike bodaboda. Bought unpowered, 24 speeds 32:32 to 52:11, sram shifters, tektro 160 mm cable pull brakes. Small drop frame to fit my 28" legs. After a 5.7 hour 27 m trip in 9/2018, I bought an ebikeling $221 geared hub motor & a $630 luna 48 v 17.5 ah battery. Seat is aftermarket, rack for large boxes is aluminum angle. Rack for battery on front is aluminum angle, mounted to frame bosses. Motor is in front. Carried 2 shelf units home from menards this week. 94 lb with dual leg stands, panniers, tools, water. Out to summer camp with 60 lb groceries next week. My conversion has messy wiring and an unidentifiable battery, and only the aftermarket taillight & headlight have been stolen so far. Girly frame & color may help.
There are bikes made of steel, and bikes made of scrap. My previous MTBs Pacific Quantum & Diamondback, were made of scrap. Quick wear cranks, constant adjustment of the cables & shifters, broken axle, dropped axle balls on the road. Not as many bad spokes & rims as Rad seems to distribute. One wheel was too small to keep 26" tires from popping off.

 

[GenXrider]

I almost ordered a R1U 500 last year but didn't because they were back-ordered for weeks. So, I waited until this year and got the R1U 700. I really like the pedal assist system because it's current based instead of trying to maintain a speed like a cruise control on some inferior PAS systems, plus you can adjust each assist level individually. It's great for exercise to add your muscle power to the PAS power without the motor dropping the power level when you surpass a specific speed threshold. Most of the problems I see posted about in the FB group are shipping problems, assembly issues including not lubricating or tightening spokes and such, lack of understanding, etc. There was one person who bought one recently who said they were selling it, but it was because she was too short, even for the ST model.

 

[mgilbert]

I almost ordered a R1U 500 last year but didn't because they were back-ordered for weeks. So, I waited until this year and got the R1U 700. I really like the pedal assist system because it's current based instead of trying to maintain a speed like a cruise control on some inferior PAS systems, plus you can adjust each assist level individually. It's great for exercise to add your muscle power to the PAS power without the motor dropping the power level when you surpass a specific speed threshold. Most of the problems I see posted about in the FB group are shipping problems, assembly issues including not lubricating or tightening spokes and such, lack of understanding, etc. There was one person who bought one recently who said they were selling it, but it was because she was too short, even for the ST model.

I ordered an R1U 700 Sunday night, and received an email Monday afternoon, saying it had shipped, which actually only means a shipping label has been printed, but it does appear it is quickly on its way. I'm very mechanically and electronically inclined, and have watched several videos on assembling the 700, and have yet to see anyone applying grease to anything. Please tell me where I need to be applying grease during assembly. As to spokes, I will check and tighten as necessary - I've been riding for decades and know about that part. I also have an inch-pounds torque wrench, and will be using it whenever possible, to avoid stripping threads.

 

[Taylor57]

I ordered an R1U 700 Sunday night, and received an email Monday afternoon, saying it had shipped, which actually only means a shipping label has been printed, but it does appear it is quickly on its way. I'm very mechanically and electronically inclined, and have watched several videos on assembling the 700, and have yet to see anyone applying grease to anything. Please tell me where I need to be applying grease during assembly. As to spokes, I will check and tighten as necessary - I've been riding for decades and know about that part. I also have an inch-pounds torque wrench, and will be using it whenever possible, to avoid stripping threads.

Not sure you need grease. Spoke tightening maybe...

 

[mgilbert]

Not sure you need grease. Spoke tightening maybe...

Okay, thanks! My thinking was that, surely, that pre-grease anything that needs it before sending it out. I will check those headtube bearings to be sure, though.

 

[Taylor57]

Okay, thanks! My thinking was that, surely, that pre-grease anything that needs it before sending it out. I will check those headtube bearings to be sure, though.

Its all in the manual

 

[mgilbert]

Its all in the manual

Its all in the manual

Oh, okay, thanks. Then I'm covered, because I actually RT*M when assembling things.

 

[ElevenAD]

i dont know if Ride iup can match Rad with customer Service as they are a new company but i do think the 700 is the best value of the bikes you listed, good choice imo, prepare to love it more than you expected!

 

[GenXrider]

You'll notice the R1U's 700 series assembly video actually states in the description "*This video does not mention the very helpful step of adding grease to your seatpost, pedals, cranks, or headset." Various people have had squeaking sound from the cassette when pedaling and had to add lubrication there.

 

[ElevenAD]

Not sure you need grease. Spoke tightening maybe...

agree 100%! apply grease only if you find you need to.

 

[indianajo]

Bicycle bearings are normally prelubed @ the factory. Your unit might have been the one produced right before break at one workstation. I checked these bearings on my $1500 bicycle when I received it. they were fine. At several thousands of miles, I relube with petroleum jelly. IMHO NGLI #2 grease is fine for cars, and too thick for bicycles.
I also waxed it before riding. this included the seat shaft, which is carbon steel and could rust.
I oil all cable exits, all shifter pivots, brake handle pivots, all derailleur takeup wheels, takeup pivots, the chain, carbon steel fasteners, twice a month. Annually I lay the bike on the side and drip oil into the freewheel clutch, and the pedal pivots. It has to be laid on the other side to do the other pedal pivot. While it is upside down for tire replacement I drip oil in the drain hole of the crank tube. I use Type F or A ATF (no detergent) or SUS 46 generic hydraulic fluid from the farm supply (no detergent).
I check spokes yearly at tire change by scraping them with a screwdriver & listening to the pitch. My $180 Schwinn MTB used to require tightening sometimes. The OEM wheels on this Yubabike have not. The power wheel, that came with the $221 hubmotor, has required a few spokes to be tightened.
My connectors are industrial grade terminals crimped on the wires. They require no lubricant. Push against a spring battery terminals do better with some sort of chemical; see other posters for suggestions of what brand.

 

[GenXrider]

Here's some more on the lubrication points from Ride1Up.

Noise from your Ebike Drivetrain?

If you hear noise coming from your drivetrain, it could be a number of things. We will review the possibilities below. Crank Arms, Pedals, and Bottom Bracket Spindles If you suspect it is coming from your pedals or crank arms, follow this li...

ride1up.freshdesk.com

 

[mgilbert]

Here's some more on the lubrication points from Ride1Up.

Noise from your Ebike Drivetrain?

If you hear noise coming from your drivetrain, it could be a number of things. We will review the possibilities below. Crank Arms, Pedals, and Bottom Bracket Spindles If you suspect it is coming from your pedals or crank arms, follow this li...

ride1up.freshdesk.com

View attachment 82498

Thanks. I've spent quite a bit of time on the Ride1UP website, and have seen that. I had forgotten about it, though.