Bike arrived with a broken derailleur hanger and bent fork, Ride1up says tough luck. Thoughts?

[PedalUma]

If all else fails you could put on a nice used steel fork from a dump or junkyard. These are more comfortable than aluminum. It just needs posts for discs.

 

[harryS]

I hope Rideup will send you a new fork, and $100 credit to have it installed.

 

[m@Robertson]

I would still tell Ride1Up they can either take the bike back or replace the fork. It has a manufacturer's defect in the eyelet that prevents use of a rack, fender or crown mounted headlight. It has blades that are misaligned and compromise both the brakes and rideability. Both are a safety issue.

There's no doubt this is on them. @PedalUma has a point in that the shortest distance to a solution is to pay to replace the fork yourself with something of acceptable quality. But honestly, with a bike like this and warranty service like you are getting, on such an obvious safety issue with so much product liability you'd think a company would jump at the chance to replace it and limit their risk (which tells me you aren't alone if they are ducking the issue) ... I'd be wondering whats coming next and have them take the bike back.

 

[Dewey]

Kind of off-topic, but it's strange how so many people recommend kits as the best value, when it really isn't, as you pointed out. ~$1000 for the kit, then paying someone to build it, on a suitable bike, and much lower resale value vs a branded bike.

This shop charges $1,800 for conversions.

But DIY kits are useful for converting a bike you already have that fits you, they are also useful for converting pedal bikes with desirable features, for example converting a Yuba Kombi with a BBS02 will get you a very useful cargo ebike for under two grand, or the cheapest way to get a belt drive ebike is to fit something like a Hilltopper front hub kit wheel to a Priority bike. Kits are also useful for people who want to customize their ride or who like me want to use a motor from one supplier and a battery from another. That shop the cost presumably includes motor, battery, as well as making the bike’s gearing work with the motor.

 

[m@Robertson]

Kind of off-topic, but it's strange how so many people recommend kits as the best value, when it really isn't, as you pointed out. ~$1000 for the kit, then paying someone to build it, on a suitable bike, and much lower resale value vs a branded bike.

This shop charges $1,800 for conversions.

To further the off-topic fork ...

Like anything else, its possible to do a project wrong. Especially if you are on the outside looking in and don't know the subject from personal experience. Knowing what to buy and from where makes all the difference. Also, kits are often the better choice for people who are comfortable about working on bikes, and know enough about the 'e' part and the 'bike' part to make an intelligent build. I'll give you an example:

The Surly Big Easy retails for $5250 and is typically sold at MSRP. The same goes for its mechanical analog: The Surly Big Dummy which is sold for about $2250. Thats a $3000 difference. The BE has a Bosch Performance CX motor, which peaks out at 85 Nm and has a 48v 500 wh battery. Stick a 160 Nm Luna BBSHD kit on a BD instead, and the all-inclusive kit with a potted waterproof, shockproof Wolf Pack 52v 12ah (624wh) battery is $1190. So, same use case, very similar bike, same manufacturer, and its a premium of $3000 for a motorized version, and $1190 DIY. $550 of that $1190 is the battery, which can actually be exchanged for one from a US seller who makes them locally to order and, thanks to a market quirk and some serendipity, costs less. Samsung 40T 21700 cells, 52v. 16ah/832wh for $479. So the DIY ends up being $1119 vs. $3000 and you get performance specs dramatically better.

Both bikes are great, but one is more powerful with rock solid reliability, greater range and is cheaper to boot.

*Note the wh counts above for the DIY options are using nominal (52v) values and not peak voltage of 58.8... so depending on who is doing the math for Bosch, the differential in favor of the DIY pack from a reliable vendor may be even greater.

 

[PedalUma]

To further the off-topic fork ...

Like anything else, its possible to do a project wrong. Especially if you are on the outside looking in and don't know the subject from personal experience. Knowing what to buy and from where makes all the difference. Also, kits are often the better choice for people who are comfortable about working on bikes, and know enough about the 'e' part and the 'bike' part to make an intelligent build. I'll give you an example:

The Surly Big Easy retails for $5250 and is typically sold at MSRP. The same goes for its mechanical analog: The Surly Big Fat Dummy which is sold for about $2250. Thats a $3000 difference. The BE has a Bosch Performance CX motor, which peaks out at 85 Nm and has a 48v 500 wh battery. Stick a 160 Nm Luna BBSHD kit on a BD instead, and the all-inclusive kit with a potted waterproof, shockproof Wolf Pack 52v 12ah (624wh) battery is $1190. So, same use case, very similar bike, same manufacturer, and its a premium of $3000 for a motorized version, and $1190 DIY. $550 of that $1190 is the battery, which can actually be exchanged for one from a US seller who makes them locally to order and, thanks to a market quirk and some serendipity, costs less. Samsung 40T 21700 cells, 52v. 16ah/832wh for $479. So the DIY ends up being $1119 vs. $3000 and you get performance specs dramatically better.

Both bikes are great, but one is more powerful with rock solid reliability, greater range and is cheaper to boot.

*Note the wh counts above for the DIY options are using nominal (52v) values and not peak voltage of 58.8... so depending on who is doing the math for Bosch, the differential in favor of the DIY pack from a reliable vendor may be even greater.

Further off the Forked-up fork. Good builds do not necessarily look ugly, unlike many retail and online bikes. I do agree that the supplier is highly important. Is that Rolex from China the real deal? Here are a couple of builds including an HD cargo bike.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Further off the Forked-up fork. Good builds do not necessarily look ugly, unlike many retail and online bikes. I do agree that the supplier is highly important. Is that Rolex from China the real deal? Here are a couple of builds including an HD cargo bike.

Where did you source the carrots from?

 

[harryS]

I bought this IZIP threadless 1-1/8 fork a month ago on ebay for $39.99 shipped. DIsk brake compatible and steel. Steerer stem is 10.0" long. Similar color too.

26" iZip Rigid 26" MTB Bike Threadless 1-1/8" Fork Blue Disc NEW | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 26" iZip Rigid 26" MTB Bike Threadless 1-1/8" Fork Blue Disc NEW at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[PedalUma]

Like the "milk" splashing on the Cheerio's box cover is actually glue water, the carrots are rubber for the photo shoot. I took a leak though because it looked like a good spot for it. The leaks are local organic. I couldn't restrain myself.

 

[EpicTwiglet]

Well to finish this saga, I did what pretty much all of you said. Told them to give me a new fork or take the bike back.

Apollo told me to just get the bike shop to bend the fork into the right position, which seemed wild to me. I don’t know a lot but I’m pretty sure aluminum should not be bent after tempered.

This is what they said….

 

[Taylor57]

I never thought any electric bike had a good resale value due to the unknown condition of the battery. It is easy to ruin one from neglect. The advantage of a kit bike is that the battery is cheaper to replace from multiple sources.

I agree. The unknown about the battery and also the fact that most warranties dont transfer drives resale down big time. Especially on rear hub internet bikes. ( I have 3!)

 

[rich c]

Haha, I'm convinced most members here are retired multi-millionaire bankers.... So often the answer to any problem is to chuck loads of money at it...

When you reach the ages of most of us on here, you'll find that 90% of all problems are solved that way. Call a plumber, that's chucking loads of money at just a clogged drain. Life is funny this way. Making good life decisions and saving money into retirement is bad?

 

[harryS]

Ride1up is crazy. You just don't go down that path where you tell customers to weaken their bikes. This is not like spreading a fork a few mm to slip in a slightly wider hub axle. You have to bend it a lot more than the few mm it is off to get it to stay. And then consider that it already got bent more than a few mm to cold set it in its present state. It's already been weakened.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Why you haven't opened a dispute with your credit card company for a refund is beyond my comprehension.

 

[Dallant]

Why you haven't opened a dispute with your credit card company for a refund is beyond my comprehension.

Would’ve been my immediate move after reading their ridiculous response.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Would’ve been my immediate move after reading their ridiculous response.

I'm all for giving a merchant more than a chance to make things right. But by the third volley you typically know where you stand... and I don't let people waste my time.
With a LBS backing your claim, you would have been done by now.

 

[m@Robertson]

Agreed with all above. Ride1up's position is dangerous and irresponsible. RUN don't walk to the phone and dispute the charge. Don't bother with wasting any more time/effort trying to work with them. My bet here is they are playing you. Playing for time so you miss any refund window you have.

There's no way a company does this that doesn't have a flood of these kinds of complaints and they are past the concept of customer satisfaction and are just stalling and trying to survive.

 

[EpicTwiglet]

I do feel bad, I wanted to avoid any drama and just get the fork fixed but it seems this is not happening. They sent me another email today saying they will send me a BLACK fork for my BLUE bike in 2 months.

Disputed the charge as everyone has recommended

 

[Dallant]

I do feel bad, I wanted to avoid any drama and just get the fork fixed but it seems this is not happening. They sent me another email today saying they will send me a BLACK fork for my BLUE bike in 2 months.

Disputed the charge as everyone has recommended

Best of luck. I would never give them access to a credit card of mine.

 

[haneyrm]

Does anybody know how this issue was finally resolved or if it was resolved at all?