Known Issues & Problems with Rize Bikes Products + Help, Solutions, & Fixes

[Leon S. Kennedy]

This is useful information. I was considering the Rise RX at one point, but I think I will save up for Wattwagons.

 

[WildWillie]

Leon, I actually have a RX on order. Sept. delivery. However, seriously waffling due to the latest feedback on this forum.
I can't afford a Wattwagon, but I have looked at the reviews and site with some envy.
So, at this time, I am keeping my order 'live' and crossing my fingers.

I almost ordered the Frey CC - Until I noticed the $780 shipping chages pushing the 3k price to nearly 4.

I seriously like/want the Bafang Ultra motor. Hoping all of us can collectively figure out ways to fix a few of these issues as Rize seems to have a lot of positives.

Be great to grow this community a bit more.

I would hope that others, who perhaps do NOT have issues, would also chime in occasionally to help balance out the feedback. (Believing and hoping some must be having a good experience. I mean just look at CraftyDog - Seems like they might have Rize 2 bikes in the family and the other one is doing well??)

 

[Spatzi]

Leon, I actually have a RX on order. Sept. delivery. However, seriously waffling due to the latest feedback on this forum.
I can't afford a Wattwagon, but I have looked at the reviews and site with some envy.
So, at this time, I am keeping my order 'live' and crossing my fingers.

I almost ordered the Frey CC - Until I noticed the $780 shipping chages pushing the 3k price to nearly 4.

I seriously like/want the Bafang Ultra motor. Hoping all of us can collectively figure out ways to fix a few of these issues as Rize seems to have a lot of positives.

Be great to grow this community a bit more.

I would hope that others, who perhaps do NOT have issues, would also chime in occasionally to help balance out the feedback. (Believing and hoping some must be having a good experience. I mean just look at CraftyDog - Seems like they might have Rize 2 bikes in the family and the other one is doing well??)

I can tell you that I like my rize rx Pro, in spite of having to spend more money to replace bad brake pads. The motor upgrade from a leisure to the ultra is huge, well worth the $1000 extra. I’ve ridden both bikes. The only problem is inaccurate odometer but I am trying to compensate by changing tire size from 26” to 29” which has helped even it out. You might be lucky like me, or you might have a controller problem, as was also reported here. At least we now know that while rize won’t replace bad brake pads, they will replace a bad controller.

 

[Leon S. Kennedy]

Leon, I actually have a RX on order. Sept. delivery. However, seriously waffling due to the latest feedback on this forum.
I can't afford a Wattwagon, but I have looked at the reviews and site with some envy.
So, at this time, I am keeping my order 'live' and crossing my fingers.

I almost ordered the Frey CC - Until I noticed the $780 shipping chages pushing the 3k price to nearly 4.

I seriously like/want the Bafang Ultra motor. Hoping all of us can collectively figure out ways to fix a few of these issues as Rize seems to have a lot of positives.

Be great to grow this community a bit more.

I would hope that others, who perhaps do NOT have issues, would also chime in occasionally to help balance out the feedback. (Believing and hoping some must be having a good experience. I mean just look at CraftyDog - Seems like they might have Rize 2 bikes in the family and the other one is doing well??)

Frey has a slightly lower shipping cost for slow shipping on a boat. I think it's around $550.

 

[Mr. AH]

OK. I contacted them. Seriously disappointed with their customer support. Mark insists that I have to wait for it to happen again and take a photo to prove it before they will help.

I suggested to him that that was silly because I didn't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere again before trying to remedy the matter. He told me it was their process and there was nothing he could do. I said that the only possible reason for not offering any help without a photo was because they didn't believe me. And what reason would I have to lie since I'm totally happy with the bike overall apart from this potentially serious matter.

Why have an error code at all if it can't simply be reported to them? What logic is there in making me ride it until it happens again before they offer assistance?

After a VERY long argument he said he'd get a senior tech to call me. We'll see.

I think they should get rid of Mark, seems to alienate everyone he talks to

 

[Mr. AH]

I can tell you that I like my rize rx Pro, in spite of having to spend more money to replace bad brake pads. The motor upgrade from a leisure to the ultra is huge, well worth the $1000 extra. I’ve ridden both bikes. The only problem is inaccurate odometer but I am trying to compensate by changing tire size from 26” to 29” which has helped even it out. You might be lucky like me, or you might have a controller problem, as was also reported here. At least we now know that while rize won’t replace bad brake pads, they will replace a bad controller.

I suggest go with Biktrix, their bikes cost more but have better parts and better service

 

[CraftyDog]

I mean just look at CraftyDog - Seems like they might have Rize 2 bikes in the family and the other one is doing well??)

Yes, this is true. No problems with the Leisure Step so far. However, I should add that my wife has used her's considerably less than I have at this stage.

 

[CraftyDog]

At least we now know that while rize won’t replace bad brake pads, they will replace a bad controller.

When they originally requested photo evidence of the problem, I asked them what would hypothetically happen if it was a mechanical problem that couldn't really be shown by a photo.

They stated that NO mechanical issues would be covered. So that policy is something that potential buyers should be aware of.

If you compare their warranty wording with other ebike manufacturers I would say that they are less forgiving. Understandably all manufacturers refuse "wear and tear" claims, but Rize seems to go beyond that by refusing to acknowledge defects in manufacturing unless you can prove said defect on delivery. In other words, once you've ridden it even once, they appear to refuse any claim other than electrical.

 

[CraftyDog]

I would hope that others, who perhaps do NOT have issues, would also chime in occasionally to help balance out the feedback.

To balance up all my feedback I have to say that when the bike is working I absolutely love it.

If the new controller fixes everything, and I don't have to depend on customer service, I really expect to be happy with my purchase. It seems like the bike is well built. The battery is a monster. The design and overall features suit me very well. The speed is as much as I would want to handle. The fat tires give me huge confidence on just about any terrain, Both on and off road it's tremendous fun.

 

[Mr. AH]

I have to very much agree with this. To some extent I think they DO care about the consequences of bad customer service based on some things they've said, but they simply don't know HOW to deliver good customer service. If someone at Rize was taking note of this I would recommend putting your people through some basic training on how to treat customers (which involves empathy). It would cost them next to nothing and could turn a mediocre business into a good one.

They're good at one thing for-sure, that's thoroughly convincing me to never buy anything from them again

 

[Mr. AH]

Leon, I actually have a RX on order. Sept. delivery. However, seriously waffling due to the latest feedback on this forum.
I can't afford a Wattwagon, but I have looked at the reviews and site with some envy.
So, at this time, I am keeping my order 'live' and crossing my fingers.

I almost ordered the Frey CC - Until I noticed the $780 shipping chages pushing the 3k price to nearly 4.

I seriously like/want the Bafang Ultra motor. Hoping all of us can collectively figure out ways to fix a few of these issues as Rize seems to have a lot of positives.

Be great to grow this community a bit more.

I would hope that others, who perhaps do NOT have issues, would also chime in occasionally to help balance out the feedback. (Believing and hoping some must be having a good experience. I mean just look at CraftyDog - Seems like they might have Rize 2 bikes in the family and the other one is doing well??)

FYI besides having the water-brakes now my Ultra motor is cutting-out, making weird not-good grinding noises and doing strange things, sounds like a gear is loose inside it. Since I can't fix it myself and Rize won't be helpful I'm probably looking at a large bill just to keep my new bike running. I may opt to just buy the Wattwagon motor/controller so at-least I'll be getting something better, your mileage may be different

 

[WildWillie]

FYI besides having the water-brakes now my Ultra motor is cutting-out, making weird not-good grinding noises and doing strange things, sounds like a gear is loose inside it. Since I can't fix it myself and Rize won't be helpful I'm probably looking at a large bill just to keep my new bike running. I may opt to just buy the Wattwagon motor/controller so at-least I'll be getting something better, your mileage may be different

Thanks for input Mr. AH - I am certainly observing and taking input from various persons on my decision. I did reach out to Frey to see if there is any group buys or other promo's to help with the cost. Working with a limited budget and a large motor desire here.

 

[Mr. AH]

Thanks for input Mr. AH - I am certainly observing and taking input from various persons on my decision. I did reach out to Frey to see if there is any group buys or other promo's to help with the cost. Working with a limited budget and a large motor desire here.

You might want to consider a BBSHD, almost the same performance and can be installed by yourself on almost any bike and can be moved from one bike to another. Ultra needs a custom frame built to have only that motor. Depends where you live. Ultra wins hands-down over anything in the torque department...

 

[Mr. AH]

No ebike is perfect, this is a thread dedicated to sharing known issues or problems with electric bikes from Rize Bikes as well as any help and solutions you know of. Sometimes that means a DIY fix and other times it can mean a recall, software update or part replacement by a dealer.

Please be respectful and constructive with feedback, this is not a space for hate speech. In many cases, representatives from the company will see feedback and use it to improve their product. In the end, the goal is to enjoy riding and help each other go further and be safer.

I think most of the comments now appearing here regarding Rize bikes are basically about terrible customer-service, denial and the faulty brakes continually dished-out to unsuspecting customers issue, apparently representatives from the company actually don't look at social media that they can't mediate-"out" of view, I for one would like to know exactly how many people have the bad brake pads and how-much in total it will cost them to fix, of-course people are mad and since with NO recourse from Rize will probably make worser and worser comments, since EBR gets paid by them perhaps you guys can intervene with a satisfactory solution for the bad brake pads continually being shipped...

 

[Mr. AH]

OK. I contacted them. Seriously disappointed with their customer support. Mark insists that I have to wait for it to happen again and take a photo to prove it before they will help.

I suggested to him that that was silly because I didn't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere again before trying to remedy the matter. He told me it was their process and there was nothing he could do. I said that the only possible reason for not offering any help without a photo was because they didn't believe me. And what reason would I have to lie since I'm totally happy with the bike overall apart from this potentially serious matter.

Why have an error code at all if it can't simply be reported to them? What logic is there in making me ride it until it happens again before they offer assistance?

After a VERY long argument he said he'd get a senior tech to call me. We'll see.

That Mark is a complete dick, totally unsuitable for that position (from our standpoint), I suspect he's one of the owners nephew's...

 

[Spatzi]

That Mark is a complete dick, totally unsuitable for that position (from our standpoint), I suspect he's one of the owners nephew's...

Lol! Mark is the guy they throw under the bus. He’s friendly, has a mellow, emphatic tone. Lots of regretful sounding exclamations of “I know, I know, I understand completely...” followed by a lot of “I‘m sorry, (your name here) but we can’t do anything.” He now seems to answer the phone full time. I used to talk to three different guys, but Mark has obviously been promoted to full time turtle man on account of his friendly nature and thick shell. He says your name when he picks up the phone! Don‘t underestimate the seductive power of this one small thing.

The problem is that friendliness only goes so far, until you need actual service. This is where Mark begins reading off his ‘tactic’ sheet and starts apologizing for not actually helping you. After about 3 calls of this run around, I asked to speak to his manager but he said there was no manager. I’d ask “Who owns the company?” No answer. Finally, he says, “I guess I can get ....to call you.” or “I’ll take this up with...and see what I can do.“ I never get a call back from anyone.

Now my original RIZE charger is failing. Used 4 times. From a 25% remaining charge on rx Pro 19.2 ah battery, the charger ran for over 8 hours and it still isn’t turning green. Will hit max 54.0 on a 54.6 volt battery and stop. Hits this spot Quite early (around hour 5) then slows to nothing. Guess what? MORE expenses coming. Will likely have to buy a Luna battery charger for $170 CAD.

 

[hlmax]

Now my original RIZE charger is failing. Used 4 times. From a 25% remaining charge on rx Pro 19.2 ah battery, the charger ran for over 8 hours and it still isn’t turning green. Will hit max 54.0 on a 54.6 volt battery and stop. Hits this spot Quite early (around hour 5) then slows to nothing. Guess what? MORE expenses coming. Will likely have to buy a Luna battery charger for $170 CAD.

You do realized that most, if not all, chargers do this. The last 25% take almost as long as the first 75%. Same goes with electric cars. Also not good for battery life to fully charge the battery, or leave it fully charged and not used for a long period of time. Fully charge the battery only when you need its full capacity. Best to keep batteries between 20% to 80% charge state.

 

[Spatzi]

You do realized that most, if not all, chargers do this. The last 25% take almost as long as the first 75%. Same goes with electric cars. Also not good for battery life to fully charge the battery, or leave it fully charged and not used for a long period of time. Fully charge the battery only when you need its full capacity.

Yes, I realize this. It’s a slow charger. But this is not how the charger worked on previous charges when it was green way before the 8 hour mark, at even higher drainage of only 5% left. I also know that charging to 100% is fine, if you use the bike soon after. I will have to invest in the Luna.

 

[hlmax]

Yes, I realize this. It’s a slow charger. But this is not how the charger worked on previous charges when it was green way before the 8 hour mark, at even higher drainage of only 5% left. I also know that charging to 100% is fine, if you use the bike soon after. I will have to invest in the Luna.

19.2AH battery with a 3A charger will not charge fully from depleted state within 8 hours. The BMS will likely also take additional time to re-balance the cells.

 

[Spatzi]

19.2AH battery with a 3A charger will not charge fully from depleted state within 8 hours. The BMS will likely also take additional time to re-balance the cells.

but it does. 5% left, fully charged ‘green’ and 54.6 volt in less than eight hours. I’ve monitored this.