First E-Bike: Ride1Up Turris?

[xc rider]

if you leave a locked ebike out of your sight in san fran for more than 20 minutes or so, you probably should consider your bike disposable.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

if you leave a locked ebike out of your sight in san fran for more than 20 minutes or so, you probably should consider your bike disposable.

I agree. It’s nice to have a good lock, but where you lock the bike also matters. High visibly areas with possibly a camera in view would be best.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I agree. It’s nice to have a good lock, but where you lock the bike also matters. High visibly areas with possibly a camera in view would be best.

It's essential to have a good lock. Can't count on passersby to intervene or even call the cops. Several videos on YouTube showing folks stealing their own bikes next to very busy city sidewalks with no one batting an eye.

The old joke is that your best defense is to lock up next to a much nicer ebike.

Some locks claim to be angle grinder-proof now. I'd look into that.

 

[xc rider]

Cortiz, I've never ridden the Turris or any other cadence bike before. I suspect the only difference with a cadence sensor would be how the power ramps up from a stop. If you're stopped AND in a high power level when you start peddling the cadence system will ramp up to that high output causing a surge of power that could be prevented (to a degree) by soft peddling from a start with a torque system. That might be welcomed on a busy sidewalk etc. Others can correct me if Im leaving something out. Also the turris has a geeky one piece crank arm and spindle assemble while the lmt'd does not, and the turris may get updated soon or dropped from the line entirely. I think R1up should drop the turris from the line and offer the lmt'd in a trail edition with no fenders, no lights and off road tires for $150 less. And source a plus/minus stem on all their bikes and for the love of Pete determine the minimal length of hoses, wires and cables required. but thats just me..

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Cortiz, I've never ridden the Turris or any other cadence bike before. I suspect the only difference with a cadence sensor would be how the power ramps up from a stop.

By no means the only difference. In most ebikes with simple cadence-sensing assist, the power delivered is all or nothing regardless of assist level. Changing level only changes the forward speed at which the assist cuts out.

That has huge implications for many aspects of the riding experience beyond starting out. After testing 5 different simple cadence-sensing ebikes, I can assure you that overall power controllability will suffer with that approach. May work for some, but definitely not for me.

Ride1Up and other manufacturers claim to have come up with more sophisticated versions of cadence-sensing assist, but I've seen no end-user reports on how they actually ride.

Can't overemphasize this: The only way to truly understand the difference between torque- and cadence-sensing assist is to test both for yourself and see which one meets your needs.

 

[xc rider]

i don't think its the case with the turris, Im pretty certain its the same as the lmt'd where you can program any amount of power you want per level. one can find the details in the "display" section under manuals.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

i don't think its the case with the turris, Im pretty certain its the same as the lmt'd where you can program any amount of power you want per level. one can find the details in the "display" section under manuals.

Maybe so, but to repeat, the only way to know how Ride1Up's "advanced" cadence-sensing compares with torque-sensing in the saddle is to test both.

If you read between the lines on the Turris and LMT'D product pages, doesn't sound like Ride1Up considers them equivalent riding experiences.

Just to make sure the OP's aware, simple cadence-sensing hardly deserves the name. True cadence (RPM at the crank) is never measured. The only thing detected and acted upon is the simple presence or absence of crank rotation.

 

[Cortiz108]

Exactly. The good news: If you have the time, going a mile out of your way to go around a hill or find a route up that's not too steep is no big deal on an ebike.

Which brings me to ebike exploring. You're gonna have fun poking around SF on an ebike. Going an extra mile to check out something that catches your eye is also no big deal. And if you run short on time, you can just up the assist to get home faster with the same amount of exertion.

Good luck.

Thanks! It's a great city to explore and this seems the idea way to do it.

Yup, what he said! Parking is a joke with an ebike. You will find yourself exploring. Only thing that you'll have to do is buy a good lock. Security is the most important part of ebike ownership, especially if exploring unknown areas. Pick a lock for the level of security your area requires, or go up a level and get the best you can afford. Wait, security and a good helmet. I learned the hard way when I fell off my ebike. I still have the bald spot from hitting my head and I broke my favorite pair of glasses. Helmet and lock or lock and helmet. Pick both!

Yeah, I was thinking two locks, actually - one for front and one for back. Maybe even a third for when I have the dog trailer. And definitely a helmet, too I've been fortunate enough that I've never had an accident on a bike, but have seen a couple that were horrific.

I just need to prepare myself for sticker-shock, between the dog trailer, the locks, and the helmet.

 

[Cortiz108]

Cortiz, I've never ridden the Turris or any other cadence bike before. I suspect the only difference with a cadence sensor would be how the power ramps up from a stop. If you're stopped AND in a high power level when you start peddling the cadence system will ramp up to that high output causing a surge of power that could be prevented (to a degree) by soft peddling from a start with a torque system. That might be welcomed on a busy sidewalk etc. Others can correct me if Im leaving something out. Also the turris has a geeky one piece crank arm and spindle assemble while the lmt'd does not, and the turris may get updated soon or dropped from the line entirely. I think R1up should drop the turris from the line and offer the lmt'd in a trail edition with no fenders, no lights and off road tires for $150 less. And source a plus/minus stem on all their bikes and for the love of Pete determine the minimal length of hoses, wires and cables required. but thats just me..

I'm not sure about that because the Turris was only recently upgraded. They seem to be pushing it pretty hard. I'm glad for the fenders, lights, and hybrid-type tires,a actually.

I will have a second look at the LMT'D before ordering... though I'm not sure what you mean by "a geeky one piece crank arm and spindle assemble" or why that's a bad thing? (sorry if that's a dumb question)

Maybe so, but to repeat, the only way to know how Ride1Up's "advanced" cadence-sensing compares with torque-sensing in the saddle is to test both.

If you read between the lines on the Turris and LMT'D product pages, doesn't sound like Ride1Up considers them equivalent riding experiences.

Just to make sure the OP's aware, simple cadence-sensing hardly deserves the name. True cadence (RPM at the crank) is never measured. The only thing detected and acted upon is the simple presence or absence of crank rotation.

For whatever it's worth, their sales guy on the phone made it seem like there wasn't a huge difference in the riding experience. I might call them back for more clarity on that. He was really helpful which was encouraging from a customer service perspective. He also said the Turris is fine on hills, but I don't know what he considers hilly.

 

[xc rider]

the chainring on the lmt'd is bolted to the crank spindle, meaning you can easily change it, not a big deal at all. best of luck with your decision.

 

[CodyDog]

Can't overemphasize this: The only way to truly understand the difference between torque- and cadence-sensing assist is to test both for yourself and see which one meets your needs.

This is solid advise! I have had both Torque and Cadence sensing bikes and to me, they're night and day.

 

[xc rider]

another difference between the two, is you can soft peddle the lmt'd thus slowing down, something not possible with the turris without completely stopping the peddles. which could be much welcomed in a city environment. And I remember someone saying its nicer if your trying to match the speed of another rider.

 

[Cortiz108]

Okay, I'll try to find a torque sensor bike to try out. The couple of times I rode a friend's RadBike with cadence I didn't have any issue, though since it was the first time I'd ever ridden an e-bike I was just enjoying the novelty of it and didn't really pay attention.

 

[Cortiz108]

This afternoon I had the opportunity to ride a Veloctric Discover 2 750w with a torque sensor, immediately followed by Veloctric Discover 1 with a cadence sensor and 500w. My verdict is that although they're different, I didn't immeasurably prefer the D2. I did have to change the PAS more on the D1, and at higher speeds I didn't seem to have much choice other than to ghost pedal. But it wasn't a huge enough difference to me that I feel I need to spend an additional $300 (or in the case of the Velotrics, a whopping $600). Especially considering that Ride1Up customer reviews affirm their claim that their cadence system doesn't cause surges the way others do.

True, the D1 felt more like an electric moped or scooter, but to me that added to the fun of riding it. The D2 just made me feel like a more powerful cyclist than I really am . Even though it was only 500w, the D1 seemed zippier and able to get to get to higher speeds more quickly. That actually felt safer because I feel like I'd be able to respond to dangerous situations more quickly (also being used to riding a 170 scooter). It might just be these particular models, but the throttle on the torque sensor bike had a noticeable lag.

So.... Turris it is!

 

[xc rider]

should be fun, let us know what you think with a detailed review in the r1up sub forum

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

This afternoon I had the opportunity to ride a Veloctric Discover 2 750w with a torque sensor, immediately followed by Veloctric Discover 1 with a cadence sensor and 500w. My verdict is that although they're different, I didn't immeasurably prefer the D2. I did have to change the PAS more on the D1, and at higher speeds I didn't seem to have much choice other than to ghost pedal. But it wasn't a huge enough difference to me that I feel I need to spend an additional $300 (or in the case of the Velotrics, a whopping $600). Especially considering that Ride1Up customer reviews affirm their claim that their cadence system doesn't cause surges the way others do.

True, the D1 felt more like an electric moped or scooter, but to me that added to the fun of riding it. The D2 just made me feel like a more powerful cyclist than I really am . Even though it was only 500w, the D1 seemed zippier and able to get to get to higher speeds more quickly. That actually felt safer because I feel like I'd be able to respond to dangerous situations more quickly (also being used to riding a 170 scooter). It might just be these particular models, but the throttle on the torque sensor bike had a noticeable lag.

So.... Turris it is!

Glad you got a chance to do some meaningful testing. Good luck with your Turris!