Introducing Riide Pass in Washington DC and San Fran

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Monthly subscription
Unlimited maintenance
Theft insurance

I hope they do transform the eBiking landscape in DC.
Washington DC has one of the best biking infrastructure in the country but no competent dealers to service the area!

More info here by Pete: http://electricbikereport.com/riidepass-electric-bike-subscription-service-videos/

 

[opimax]

I just read the article before coming her and saw this thread. I strongly think the bike needs a few gears and then i am liking this idea a lot, especially the included maintenance and insurance

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I just read the article before coming her and saw this thread. I strongly think the bike needs a few gears and then i am liking this idea a lot.

These guys designed the headtube and rake angle after consulting with Paul & Co at Bicycle Space.
Not focusing on the "bike specs" , imagine how many people could benefit from such a service!!
$79 a month, no worries about theft or maintenance. I would love that...

 

[opimax]

I am not sure how the public will react to long term commitment and the product has to be good or it could cause "negative awareness". I find there are enough hills here that single speed is just not the answer . If you use the standard bike share program you rent or use your unlimited use to go down big hills, leave the bike at he next stop and then metro home. This is "your" bike , no leaving it.


I still think this a good idea and hope it vis something I can promote to friends and people who ask me about my Ebike.

I would like to meet Paul still

 

[Joris Mossfeld]

I test rode a Riide bike out of their new 9th street store in early December. I had previously tested a Faraday (at BicyclespaceDC) and a Specialized Turbo (at Freshbikes in Arlington). The Riide looks kind of home-made, or maybe badass, depending on your personal aesthetic. Obvious welds and flat-black powder coat. Still, the test ride was a lot of fun. I tried the same hill that Court Rye rode on the video review. I was following a line of bike commuters and I had to lay off the throttle to keep from overtaking them, which would have seemed like cheating. The throttle control is great for getting going from a dead stop. I'm not so keen on having to hold on to the throttle to keep the power on long term. The torque sensors in the Faraday and the Turbo are superior. I see the e-assist as more of a temporary thing, to get you going from a start, or to help you up a hill. The bike would be really fine for within a city, though. I'll probably not get a Riide, since my commute is a bit long (9 miles each way) and somewhat hilly. Still, I think that their $79/month lease option is very innovative. It's a clever way to overcome the sticker shock that many people would encounter when evaluating a new purpose-built e-bike. The Faraday and Turbo are great bikes, each in their own way, but at $3500 and $3000, respectively, and without all of the racks and stuff that commuters would want, many folks would not consider that kind of commitment.

 

[JoePah]

I'd like to know who the creators of the Riide are connected to. They produced a not so competitive ebike that didnt get much attention on crowdfunding. They got all kinds of publicity for very little in sales.

Now this lease arrangement...

Meanwhile Sondors gets no help from above and sold 9000 bikes... go figure!

 

[Joris Mossfeld]

I'd like to know who the creators of the Riide are connected to. They produced a not so competitive ebike that didnt get much attention on crowdfunding. They got all kinds of publicity for very little in sales.

Now this lease arrangement...

Meanwhile Sondors gets no help from above and sold 9000 bikes... go figure!

I think that Riide got some funding from the D.C. government as a way to jump start "industry". The Sondors looks like a bargain; no need for leasing at that price.