Best Seattle R&M service

[DanRichman]

Seattle's Dandelion Bikes took exactly one day to diagnose a noise-and-vibration problem in my 2018 Riese & Muller Supercharger GX Rohloff HS. It took one additional day to fix it, installing a brand-new Bosch power unit, lockring and sprocket. Those expensive parts were covered by my Bosch warranty. R&M covered the labor cost.

In sharp contrast, Seattle's other, older R&M dealer -- the one that had sold me the bike -- spent six weeks trying in vain to even diagnose the problem. I'll be kind these stressful COVID-19 days and just say that I had an extremely frustrating experience there.

I recommend Dandelion for any complex repair of an ebike, and of course for smaller and routine service. If you're shopping for a new ebike, Dandelion has a big selection and a big inventory -- unusual in these bike-crazy times. It says it sells more R&M ebikes, and more models, than the other dealer.

Contact info: dandelion.bike; [email protected]; 206.928.6102; 1801 South Jackson Street, #207, Seattle, WA 98144.

(Details of the problem: According to Dandelion, the problem was caused by the Bosch lockring loosening at some point. That allowed the sprocket to slowly deform the splines on the drive unit. That in turn allowed for fore and aft movement of the cog.)

 

[BlackHand]

I believe they are the Moustache dealer in Seattle too. Good to hear they are on top of their game.

 

[Luto]

Dandelion rocks. Tyler is a super solid owner. Van knows his stuff and works like a master. I bought two bikes from them (moustache diamanche 29.3 and 29.5. I am not surprised they are out selling. Tyler's Dandelion is more the "next generation" type shop. Free to do the right thing, and buying a bike from them is more a curated experience than anything else. Once Covid is over I look forward to going there to visit and saying "Hi" and having a coffee at the shop.

 

[Nycturne]

buying a bike from them is more a curated experience than anything else

Great way to describe it.

I’ve been working with Tyler as part of shopping for my first e-bike, and my experiences have been very positive. One thing I run into a lot with sales folks is either an inability/unwillingness to help educate first-time buyers, or an attitude that they know more about how this all works than the customer ever will which can feel condescending. Tyler has been the opposite of that, happily delving into details, going over logistical options beyond what I expected, and correcting my bad assumptions. And not a whiff of condescension that I can get from many sales people. The test ride I had this weekend was the sort of experience that I’d expect for bikes in this price range, and really helps make it easier to decide if these bikes are right for you, while also navigating R&M’s large catalogue and narrowing things down nicely.

And as I’ve been doing further research based on the test ride I had this weekend, it’s clear to me that Tyler had presented things in a clear and honest manner. If anything, my follow-up research went smoother than it would have otherwise.

I’ve since reached out to buy one of the bikes I rode this last weekend, and a good chunk of that was because of the service I received, along with the safety precautions the store is operating under during the pandemic. Still a couple things to sort out and take delivery, but I’m looking forward to getting some use out of the Nevo3 Vario.

 

[Luto]

@Kaiede, that is great! Not to get into "know it all" territory, I would suggest getting a good pair of pedals with good grip studs for our wet conditions.

Also they will help you fit the bike depending on how you will ride it (position bending over). That bike is more setup for riding upright and there are a lot of adjustments for fit: seat height, seat position forward-back, handle bars. A lot of it depends on how much the front shock is compressed by your weight and how much load you expect also.

Also you might consider:
1) a leather seat that conforms over time; so Van can set it up and adjust it for you first time and be done.
2) the front rack. turns out, it might actually be MORE efficient than the back due to the with the weight is distributed and the way the bike flexes. But it depends on how much power you put in, and how much assist you use. But it is a great option.
3) I think the tires options are moot. I would just use the ones they give until they wear out. Tires make a huge difference but until you get accustomed to the bike and where and when you ride, it will be hard to choose optimally.

Best of luck, and maybe tell those guys, Dean (the guy who called on Xmas) says "Hi".

 

[Nycturne]

@Kaiede, that is great! Not to get into "know it all" territory, I would suggest getting a good pair of pedals with good grip studs for our wet conditions.

Also they will help you fit the bike depending on how you will ride it (position bending over). That bike is more setup for riding upright and there are a lot of adjustments for fit: seat height, seat position forward-back, handle bars. A lot of it depends on how much the front shock is compressed by your weight and how much load you expect also.

I should say I’m not new to bikes, just e-bikes. I grew up riding in the King County suburbs. My problem is that I’ve inherited bad knees and hips which have been a bigger problem in the last few years, and we recently moved to a house on top of a hill that’s not fun to climb on my road bike. So I haven’t been getting use out of my bike, which I miss. It was nice to try out the Bosch system on some hill climbs, and I definitely see this as a game changer that will let me get out more frequently again. I did pick the Nevo partly because of the more upright position, something I made changes to the road bike to support better than it did by default.

One of the things to sort out is the seat. The included seat on the R&M bikes is terrible on my hip, and not great on the perineum either. I don’t know exactly where I’ll wind up here, yet, but it is something I’m still looking into. The seat I have on my road bike is better on my hip, but still not great on the perineum for longer (30+mi) rides, so I could use it as a stop-gap, but it’s not what I’d want here.

I’ll consider the front rack suggestion. I’m not expecting to do a ton of cargo hauling with this, but having the option to fetch a bag or two of groceries or take out is something I’m interested in. I wasn’t even considering swapping the default tires, as nothing seemed wrong with them during the test ride.

 

[Nycturne]

@Kaiede, that is great! Not to get into "know it all" territory, I would suggest getting a good pair of pedals with good grip studs for our wet conditions.

1) a leather seat that conforms over time; so Van can set it up and adjust it for you first time and be done.

So I just wanted to follow up now that I’ve got about 150mi on the odometer on this thing.

First, you are 100% right on the pedals. Went ahead and had them swapped out with some pedals they had at Dandelion before taking it home, and I’ve had zero complaints with the new pedals. Grip is perfect just using my regular shoes.

For the seat, they didn’t have many options available for me to try, so I took it home with the best option they had. I’ve since put on a Bontrager Boulevard Fluid which has been much better. Handles my shorter 8-10mi rides (all I can do right now) without numbness setting in, or soreness afterwards. A little hard, but properly supportive.

Waiting to see when I can get on an order list for a Nyon MY21 retrofit kit.

 

[Luto]

So I just wanted to follow up now that I’ve got about 150mi on the odometer on this thing.

First, you are 100% right on the pedals. Went ahead and had them swapped out with some pedals they had at Dandelion before taking it home, and I’ve had zero complaints with the new pedals. Grip is perfect just using my regular shoes.

For the seat, they didn’t have many options available for me to try, so I took it home with the best option they had. I’ve since put on a Bontrager Boulevard Fluid which has been much better. Handles my shorter 8-10mi rides (all I can do right now) without numbness setting in, or soreness afterwards. A little hard, but properly supportive.

Waiting to see when I can get on an order list for a Nyon MY21 retrofit kit.

Great to hear. I am going in to Dandelion to have cranks put on to reduce the Q factor from 180 to 170mm. Although I am in the San Juan, and there is a bike shop, I would rather have Vann do it. BTW on seats, I was looking at my Brooks B17, and what was interesting is it flexes probably about 1 inch while retaining support. And that is adjustable by setting the leather tension and it breathes.