I was surprised when I received that email from Ride1up about requiring someone to sign off on assembly to guarantee the warranty. I too am very mechanically inclined and have done many diverse mechanical projects, most unscripted with no directions to follow. I booked an appointment with Velotooler, a company Ride1UP recommended and have to say this turned out to be a no brainer. I booked a one hour, full assembly appointment for $99. You can also book an appointment just for inspection and adjustment for $49.
Assembly was straight forward until a big problem was discovered. The aluminum derailer was bent during shipment. The bike tech, who assembles bikes often,actually had a specific tool to straighten and properly align the bracket. I would be willing to bet most of us who are very mechanically inclined would not have noticed this problem and if we had, we would have taken a vise grip or something similar to straighten the bracket. The specific tool that was used actually straightened it in both the horizontal and vertical plane with a gauge to check squareness. He also had to spend extra time adjusting the gear linkage. I cannot speak for all of the mechanics that are registered with Velotooler but my tech was a bicycle enthusiast who has traveled the world both riding and providing mechanical support.
At first I was a little put out with Ride1Up for
explaining this policy after I placed my order, but in retrospect it was the right thing to do. After all we are ordering bikes online and relying on shippers that don’t always handle packages in the most fragile of ways. Not to mention these E bikes are a costly investment and should be properly assembled and adjusted to guarantee good performance.
I highly recommend Velotooler. They have reps in most areas and they come to your house. Payment is required at time of booking but cancellations are excepted as long as it is not within an eight hour window of the reservation.