Hello everyone! My name is Gil and I am a nurse that lives in the Los Angeles Area, I bought an electric bike to start commuting to work a couple days a week. I will be updating this thread periodically regarding my Ride1up City500e.
This is my review of the first 100 miles.
My daily commute to work is about forty miles round trip from my home to my office. An average trip taking my car is about forty five to fifty minutes a day, by taking my bike it takes approximately sixty five minutes. The transition from car to bicycle has been amazing, although i have only commuted 3 times to work I can already tell that my attitude is different when I arrive to work.
I chose the Ride1up based off of the price alone, I got in to the e-bike market with a budget of $1500. After searching I narrowed my choices down to the Ride1up, Aventon Pace500e, and the Rad City. Of all three bikes the Ride1up was the most appealing due to its low introduction price and great online presence by Kevin the owner. I was hesitant to spend too much money because I have never bike commuted and I had never ridden so many miles in one day. I did not want to invest too heavily into something for it to only sit in my garage if I wasn't physically up to riding.
So, the bike...is amazing, please take this with a grain of salt because I have only ridden one other e-bike (Aventon Pace 500e) but it does everything as promised. Being out on the street truly experiencing what Los Angeles has to offer is great. There are some many things you do not see in the cage of the car that you see on a bike. The bike has enough power for my portly frame and I have no issues with getting the bike going even if I am in the highest gear at a stop light. I purchased the extra charger so I have one in my home and one in my office. I do need to charge the bike for each leg of my journey. I have modified a few things to my bike out of personal preference, I chose an aftermarket rear rack because the factory one was sold out, changed the cafe bars to riser bars, and used some spare MTB pedals I had around the house.
Pros:
Cons
Not a “pro” or a “con”
So, depending on the response of this I will write another 1 month and 6 month follow up and review of the bike. I am going to upgrade the freewheel and front chain ring sometime this month and I will provide a follow up post with the results. This bike is great for someone entering the world of E-Biking and for the price and customer service I would definitely recommend it.
Is it a Specialized Turbo Vado killer? No.
Is this a bike that you can happily ride to work without spending three to five thousand dollars? Yes!
This is my review of the first 100 miles.
My daily commute to work is about forty miles round trip from my home to my office. An average trip taking my car is about forty five to fifty minutes a day, by taking my bike it takes approximately sixty five minutes. The transition from car to bicycle has been amazing, although i have only commuted 3 times to work I can already tell that my attitude is different when I arrive to work.
I chose the Ride1up based off of the price alone, I got in to the e-bike market with a budget of $1500. After searching I narrowed my choices down to the Ride1up, Aventon Pace500e, and the Rad City. Of all three bikes the Ride1up was the most appealing due to its low introduction price and great online presence by Kevin the owner. I was hesitant to spend too much money because I have never bike commuted and I had never ridden so many miles in one day. I did not want to invest too heavily into something for it to only sit in my garage if I wasn't physically up to riding.
So, the bike...is amazing, please take this with a grain of salt because I have only ridden one other e-bike (Aventon Pace 500e) but it does everything as promised. Being out on the street truly experiencing what Los Angeles has to offer is great. There are some many things you do not see in the cage of the car that you see on a bike. The bike has enough power for my portly frame and I have no issues with getting the bike going even if I am in the highest gear at a stop light. I purchased the extra charger so I have one in my home and one in my office. I do need to charge the bike for each leg of my journey. I have modified a few things to my bike out of personal preference, I chose an aftermarket rear rack because the factory one was sold out, changed the cafe bars to riser bars, and used some spare MTB pedals I had around the house.
Pros:
- Design-Though it has been pointed out many times, this is a chinese off the shelf design, but that does not mean its not a nice looking bike. I constantly get complimented on the looks and the grey and brown color way is very nice.
- Power-I weigh in at a hefty two hundred pounds, and this bike is never lacking in the power department. It quickly accelerates off the line via throttle or pedelec and can keep up with traffic until max speed is reached.
- Battery life-Off of a four hour charge running the bike at PAS 7-9 (11 miles of my commute @ PAS 9) I am able to reach a maximum distance of 23 miles to a full drain. This is consistent regardless of head/tail wind, elevation change of ~400 feet, and my weight. The four hour charge is important because some days I only work half day in my office.
- Ergonomics-I found this bike to be extremely comfortable even regardless of sizing (see my cons list), The included saddle is very comfortable and the city bars allowed my sitting position to be upright with little strain on my back, palms and shoulders.
Cons
- Sizing-This bike is sized for a variety of heights ranging from 5’4 to 6’1, as a result the frame itself is large with a dropped top tube to allow a range of standover heights. Although I am 5’9 I found that my inseam (28.5”) to be barely long enough to make the bike comfortable. The size of the bike as well makes it a behemoth to try to carry up the stairs in my office and to navigate the tight hallways.
- City Bars-Included are swept back cruiser style bars that make the bike very comfortable to ride over a long distance, but are not as nimble to use for tight navigation and passing between vehicles (not recommended). The riser bar also allows for more agressive and “aero” riding when very windy.
- Gearing-My bike is part of the second iteration that included the freewheel upgrade that is supposed to provide better cadences at higher speeds. This is true I am able to reach speeds of 24-25 mph I do find myself spinning the cranks like a mad man at the higher speeds.
Not a “pro” or a “con”
- Brakes-The braking system on this bike is adequate, though not much of a con I felt it needed to be addressed. I have had to grab the brakes for an emergency stop on two occasions and both times the brakes performed admirably saving me from hitting the car. My only gripe is they do not provide the same confidence that hydraulic disc brakes give, is it a deal breaker. No not one bit.
So, depending on the response of this I will write another 1 month and 6 month follow up and review of the bike. I am going to upgrade the freewheel and front chain ring sometime this month and I will provide a follow up post with the results. This bike is great for someone entering the world of E-Biking and for the price and customer service I would definitely recommend it.
Is it a Specialized Turbo Vado killer? No.
Is this a bike that you can happily ride to work without spending three to five thousand dollars? Yes!
