Buying Ride 1 Up bikes online

[wings02]

As with most expensive and sophisticated products purchased online, there is a degree of uncertainty of support from the company where the product was purchased. After a good amount of research and personal dealings with Bike 1 Up, I do have confidence in their E-bike support. I am sure they will be there when/if I need support. My question for Bike 1 Up customers is how effectively was the company able to respond and rectify issues that customers had with their E-bikes. Their products seem very well designed and engineered, but like anything else, problems can arise.
I would like some input from forum members concerning this topic. Thank you!

 

[Prone2wander]

My 700XR arrived a week ago and the motor didn't work. They shipped me a new controller and it arrived today. The video they suggested wasn't enough to allow me to connect the new controller so am waiting on a reply from them for some help. They have been fast to respond so I am not too worried about it but I would like to ride my bike now. I guess it was my turn but problems like mine don't seem to happen very often.

 

[Asher]

Spammer

 

[TMH]

Spammer

Nah, just trying to get the most and quickest assistance for his question by posting if different sub-forums, maybe catching a different audience in each.

 

[wings02]

Not a nice reply Asher. Ordered the bike about an hour ago!
Thanks for having my back TMH!
Your comment was spot on!

 

[wings02]

 

[TMH]

Congratulations on your new bike!

I had not previously contributed to this thread as my experience with a R1U 700 was to put it together and it has worked perfectly since. So no specific experience with dealing with R1U to resolve any issues.

I will say that the R1U 700 assembly was a little more complicated than other e-bikes I have received as it also required installing the front fork. All others have had their fork in place and you just install the front wheel. But I've had experience installing forks on acoustic bikes in the past, so no big deal. And anyway on all bikes I have to assemble, I like making sure that the headset is properly tensioned and the bearings properly greased anyway. If you feel uncomfortable about this, just find a LBS that can check your final assembly and make any final adjustments. Not all will want to do this, but you will be able to find at least one and the job should be reasonably priced.

Have fun!

 

[Lumpydog]

Image of purchase receipt

Awesome! Another LMT'd buyer. I'm along for the ride with you. Congrats.

With regard to Ride1Up support - do a search for "Ride1Up" (not "Bike1Up"!) on YouTube. There are a lot of videos from new owners. A few had issues but the majority did not. The few that had issues - I think you will find they had a positive experience in resolving them.

There is a known issues thread stickied at the top of this forum. Read that.

These bikes seem like a solid buy.

 

[CashMoney]

Ride1up has always responded quickly to my emails (usually less than 12 hours). I had a few minor issues. The tail light was cracked upon receipt, and they sent me a new one right away. A bolt was stripped and they helped me fix that, and they helped me get the brake cut-out switch sorted out.

 

[Lemond]

My experience with my 700XR was similar to the positive experiences stated above. Assembly was more involved than some bikes, but I have been wrenching on bikes for years so this was a non-issue for me. I had several questions and got almost immediate response to my e-mails from R1U. The written instructions plus the many online video's make it an easy project for anyone with a little mechanical aptitude. R1U's recommendation to hire a bike mechanic if you are unsure is a good one; their (R1U's) prices are good enough that even if you pay a guy $100 to assemble it, you are still getting a great bike for the money.

I was commuting about 100 miles per week on my bike for the 3 weeks that I had it prior to the lockdown, and really enjoying it; getting about 50 miles per charge. Currently it's just being used a couple of times per week for "sanity rides," but when things get back to normal (well, whatever "normal" will mean in the future) I will get back to serious miles and may get a second one (700ST) for my wife....

 

[Asher]

R1U's recommendation to hire a bike mechanic if you are unsure is a good one;

Lol what they actually say

"We require proof of assembly, or a post-assembly check by a professional bike mechanic for your warranty to be upheld."

 

[Lemond]

Lol what they actually say

"We require proof of assembly, or a post-assembly check by a professional bike mechanic for your warranty to be upheld."

Yep, I didn't see that part. I do not speak for R1U, but in my experience that is not the case. The warranty covers manufacturing defects not assembly errors, and when it appeared that I had a clear manufacturing defect they were not hiding behind that clause (thus I didn't know it existed). They were very helpful and responsive and we were able to troubleshoot and correct without requiring part replacement, though they were quite willing to send parts without proof of velotooler. That clause helps protect them from rookie assembly errors. Maybe it was evident from my inquiries that I knew what I was doing; perhaps if I sent them an e-mail that said that "I need a new wheel because the lever thingy doesn't clamp the wheel tightly in the slot thingy" they would have rightfully cited that clause and sent me to a mechanic.

They are responsive and helpful and want happy customers, like any good business. But, they also have to protect themselves, like any good business.

 

[jweis]

Have emailed a few times to get some answers to questions. Never had to wait longer than about 12 hours (even on the weekend) for a response.

 

[Lemond]

My 700XR arrived a week ago and the motor didn't work. They shipped me a new controller and it arrived today. The video they suggested wasn't enough to allow me to connect the new controller so am waiting on a reply from them for some help. They have been fast to respond so I am not too worried about it but I would like to ride my bike now. I guess it was my turn but problems like mine don't seem to happen very often.

Please post after you've replace the controller; I would like to know what's involved. If the new controller comes with the wiring attached, then it would seem like a big job to fish the wiring through the frame. If you need to wire the existing harness into the motor, then it would appear that you would need to take the (old and new) controller apart, which seems.....questionable.

 

[BillyKidd]

That is one thing that I am watching. These manufactures are pushed to get bikes out the door. I am wondering how much quality assurance is being observed during this quick turn around time.

 

[Prone2wander]

Please post after you've replace the controller; I would like to know what's involved. If the new controller comes with the wiring attached, then it would seem like a big job to fish the wiring through the frame. If you need to wire the existing harness into the motor, then it would appear that you would need to take the (old and new) controller apart, which seems.....questionable.

Well the new and old controllers were slightly different but not enough to be a problem. There are a lot of wires and it is important you attach them correctly. Everything is a quick connect so no soldering. The red, blue, and yellow wires on the controller connect to the same colored wires on the bike. You then have 5 wires with each having a unique connector so no way of connecting them wrong. Then you have 5 two prong connectors on the controller but only 4 on the bike. You can mess this up so disconnect and connect them one at a time. I failed to do this carefully so had to do it trial and error and you have to totally put everything back together before you can check if it works. The two prong connectors are for the lights and brake assist, 2 for each. I hope this helps.

 

[Prone2wander]

Well the new and old controllers were slightly different but not enough to be a problem. There are a lot of wires and it is important you attach them correctly. Everything is a quick connect so no soldering. The red, blue, and yellow wires on the controller connect to the same colored wires on the bike. You then have 5 wires with each having a unique connector so no way of connecting them wrong. Then you have 5 two prong connectors on the controller but only 4 on the bike. You can mess this up so disconnect and connect them one at a time. I failed to do this carefully so had to do it trial and error and you have to totally put everything back together before you can check if it works. The two prong connectors are for the lights and brake assist, 2 for each. I hope this helps.

Oh the controller connections are all together just below the battery. You have to unscrew just two screws to get to it. No fishing of wires but you will have to cram them in a bit when putting it back together.

 

[Jduster]

Purchased a 700XR 5/25/20 patiently waiting for delivery. was just told their is a 3 week delay, hopefully it will be here the middle of July

 

[GenXrider]

Lol what they actually say

"We require proof of assembly, or a post-assembly check by a professional bike mechanic for your warranty to be upheld."

I'm not liking that requirement. I've been working on bicycles since I was a kid, and I've rebuilt car engines, motorcycle engines, installed car alarms, remote starters, furnace heat exchangers, and countless computer services. And to top it off, all 3 bike repair shops I know in my area closed in the last year or two. Looks like a two hour round trip to the closest one if they would even do this. I'm not in a big city.

 

[wings02]

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.