New eBike Brand. Help me with Reviews!

[AZOldTech]

Hello. I'm the owner of a new electric bike company, Ride1UP.com. I know a lot of people probably think there are already too many and what's the point... I was tired of seeing cheap junk and overpriced corperate brands. I ultimately just want to see more people biking and less people driving (I'm Dutch) .

Anyway, I want to ask the question since this site is filled with the most knowledgeable people on everything electric bike; Can you find a better bike than what I am offering for under $1000 delivered to your door?

If anyone is looking for a new eBike, please consider us. The site has just finished, and orders are ready to ship tomorrow. I could really use reviews!
Thanks for reading,
Kevin

The price is good for what you get but since you are asking for input here are my suggestions/questions:
#1 - include at least 2 bolts on the frame for a bottle holder (similar frames have it, so I don't think it would be too expensive to add at the time of production).
#2 - since you offer rack & fenders, and LCD display as options, I would suggest you add hydraulic brakes as one too. Having used ebikes with hydraulic brakes and without, especially at speeds of >20mph or greater, there is no comparison between the two; so at least you should have it as an option.
#3 - a beefier kickstand that fits in the back of the bike away from the rotation of the pedals goes a long way and it is what all your competition is offering now
#4 - I can't tell from the pictures but it looks like you only have 1 chainguard on the crank on the outside. 2 is better or even offering a full chain guard option will be best
#5 - May I ask why only 25mph and not 28mph for a true class 3? Is it the controller that is preventing the bike to be rated at 28mph on PAS? What is the controller BTW? A line item on your description about the controller will be good with number of mosfets and Amps rating
#6 - Is the rack back light also powered by the battery and is it an e-brake light (meaning does it glow brighter when you hit the brakes?)
#7 - Nowhere do I see in your listing the number of teeth on your 7 speed cassette and crank. I always look for those and I don't see them. Also maybe on the next version year model you could move to the 9 speed Shimano Altus from the 7 speed Shimano Acera you have now.

I think if you up the price $100 to include all the suggestions I made (9sp, frame bolts, chainguard, move to back beefier kickstand, better controller to support true class 3 28mph, e-brake light if it's not already), plus the option of hydraulic brakes, not only will you have a much better bike, but you can probably clean up the competition as well. And I certainly will buy two of them. So I hope your business does well.

 

[AZOldTech]

I'm glad you corrected the standover height info but color me skeptical when anyone claims that "one size fits all" when it comes to bicycle sizing. Or sizing, period.

Excuse me but RadPower (one of the very successful ebike companies) has been listing their RadRover as fitting 5.4" to 6.2" (with 30.5" stand over height) like forever. And yes, they only sell "one size fits all". And an upright bike is more easier to make a one size fits all than a more aggressive ebike like the radrover. Stand over height becomes the more critical measure, as well as min saddle height/max saddle height, of making a "one size fits all" bike.

Also, why 700c? This reduces standover clearance, especially for shorter riders.

Where did you hear that? Cause it is wrong. The wheel size has nothing to do with the stand over height. The frame top tube is responsible for the stand over height and nothing else. And you can move that top tube during the design phase as low as you need to accommodate the maximum number of people no matter the wheel size you decide to put on the bike. By the looks of the picture that Ride1Up posted, that stand over height is 28.5" which is 2" lower than RadRover's 30.5" spec of 5.4" to 6.2" people height with 26" tires.

 

[Stromer2work]

The price is good for what you get but since you are asking for input here are my suggestions/questions:
#1 - include at least 2 bolts on the frame for a bottle holder (similar frames have it, so I don't think it would be too expensive to add at the time of production).
#2 - since you offer rack & fenders, and LCD display as options, I would suggest you add hydraulic brakes as one too. Having used ebikes with hydraulic brakes and without, especially at speeds of >20mph or greater, there is no comparison between the two; so at least you should have it as an option.
#3 - a beefier kickstand that fits in the back of the bike away from the rotation of the pedals goes a long way and it is what all your competition is offering now
#4 - I can't tell from the pictures but it looks like you only have 1 chainguard on the crank on the outside. 2 is better or even offering a full chain guard option will be best
#5 - May I ask why only 25mph and not 28mph for a true class 3? It is the controller that is preventing the bike rated at 28mph on PAS? What is the controller BTW? A line item on your description about the controller will be good with number of mosfets and Amps rating
#6 - Is the back light also powered by the battery and is it an e-brake light (meaning does it glow brighter when you hit the brakes?)
#7 - Nowhere do I see in your listing the number of teeth on your 7 speed cassette and crank. I always look for those and I don't see them. Also maybe on the next version year model you could move to the 9 speed Shimano Altus from the 7 speed Shimano Acera you have now.

I think if you up the price $100 to include all the suggestions I made (9sp, frame bolts, chainguard, move to back beefier kickstand, better controller to support true class 3 28mph, e-brake light if it's not already), plus the option of hydraulic brakes, not only will you have a much better bike, but you can probably clean up the competition as well. And I certainly will buy two of them. So I hope your business does well.

Curious where you're finding an $1100 delivered to my door class 3, with integrated back light tied into the brake system and a 9 speed? or one that's even close to that price with the included (non-option) upgrades mentioned

 

[AZOldTech]

Curious where you're finding an $1100 delivered to my door class 3, with integrated back light tied into the brake system and a 9 speed? or one that's even close to that price with the included (non-option) upgrades mentioned

https://ride1up.com/bike/order
$999 for the ebikes as shown with free shipping. My suggestions were for some small (IMO $100) changes to that $999 base models. Current add-on options are for $75 more for LCD controller and $100 more for fenders & rack (my understanding is the back light comes with the rack - that's an assumption cause it could be just a reflector - but I don't know if it's an ebrake light or if its powered by the battery, which is why I mentioned it in the $100 improvements). I'd also like to see a hydraulic brake option added for users who want that.

 

[krdugger]

Hello! Thank you for the suggestions AZOldTech- They are all good ideas. We are improving the gearing, and I will be listing the teeth on chainring, and cassette asap.
1) tbh, I'm not a big water bottle guy. I bike for transportation. Not all about me tho, but since they are so easy to buy and add without bolts, we leave it clear so we can have the u-lock attachment fit there.
2) Hydraulic brakes would add $50/per unit (resell $80-fees, tariffs, profit margin). Not bad - but try the tektro aries. You don't need any more stopping power than what we have on the bike. I promise you. Hydraulic brakes feel nicer, are easier to dial in, but require more intensive maintenance when something goes wrong, and cost more when there really wouldn't be an increase over the brakes we have. I'll do some testing videos soon.
3) The kickstand we have is very beefy actually. And a mid kickstand will hold the bike through more disruption, wind, or getting bumped, than a chainstay mounted kickstand. I honestly think those look silly, but I know that is some riders preference. No idea why. Tighten your kickstand and it will never get in the way of your pedal.
4)Yes, only an outside chainguard. Does inside help for baggy pants? Or just keeping the chain on? It could be nicer to have on both sides.
5) 25mph, because realistically, the motor isn't strong enough (or geared) to add any power past 25mph, and if you're hitting 28mph, it's by your own pedal power.
6) No, that is a reflector on the back of the fender.
7) Agreed. Listing that asap. Although not sure we need 9 speeds.

If you wanted to add hydraulics, the price per bike would go up $80. The problem with adding it as an option is that we keep the bikes preassembled, which is a reason for them being affordable. If we customize brakes on every order, the prices wouldn't be possible.
The kickstand and water bottle holder wouldn't increase costs, that's just preference.

Thank you for the ideas though!

 

[ebikemom]

Integrated lights are a great safety feature, they on my "must have" list. But might they add a lot to the cost of producing a bike?

 

[DDBB]

I might have taken a chance on a $1,000 internet ordered bike. I'm still in sticker shock after what I paid for my Haibike, even with big end of model year discount. It amazes me to see 4 star reviews on amazon of total junk ebikes that are in the $6-700 range. I think a thousand dollars is a fair price for a good (not great) quality bike and components and would bring a lot more people into the happy group of ebikers.

 

[AZOldTech]

Hello! Thank you for the suggestions AZOldTech- They are all good ideas. We are improving the gearing, and I will be listing the teeth on chainring, and cassette asap.
1) tbh, I'm not a big water bottle guy. I bike for transportation. Not all about me tho, but since they are so easy to buy and add without bolts, we leave it clear so we can have the u-lock attachment fit there.
2) Hydraulic brakes would add $50/per unit (resell $80-fees, tariffs, profit margin). Not bad - but try the tektro aries. You don't need any more stopping power than what we have on the bike. I promise you. Hydraulic brakes feel nicer, are easier to dial in, but require more intensive maintenance when something goes wrong, and cost more when there really wouldn't be an increase over the brakes we have. I'll do some testing videos soon.
3) The kickstand we have is very beefy actually. And a mid kickstand will hold the bike through more disruption, wind, or getting bumped, than a chainstay mounted kickstand. I honestly think those look silly, but I know that is some riders preference. No idea why. Tighten your kickstand and it will never get in the way of your pedal.
4)Yes, only an outside chainguard. Does inside help for baggy pants? Or just keeping the chain on? It could be nicer to have on both sides.
5) 25mph, because realistically, the motor isn't strong enough (or geared) to add any power past 25mph, and if you're hitting 28mph, it's by your own pedal power.
6) No, that is a reflector on the back of the fender.
7) Agreed. Listing that asap. Although not sure we need 9 speeds.

If you wanted to add hydraulics, the price per bike would go up $80. The problem with adding it as an option is that we keep the bikes preassembled, which is a reason for them being affordable. If we customize brakes on every order, the prices wouldn't be possible.
The kickstand and water bottle holder wouldn't increase costs, that's just preference.

Thank you for the ideas though!

Thanks for your reply. Please understand that these were pick & choose, or not at all, suggestions for next year's model.

BTW, on the bolts, I'm in arizona and in the summer you better have a water bottle with you even for a 10min short trip to the grocery store. Also here we have lots of thorny xeroscape plants around so an air pump and a flat repair kit is a must. Cause it isn't "if" you will need it it's "when". So mounting bolts have multiple purpose and they can't possibly cost more than $1 if you do them during production. As I said, maybe a suggestion for next year.

On the issue of brakes I understand were you are coming from, from a business stand point. However being an avid road biker myself and having a road bike with mechanical disc brakes and a road bike with hydraulic disc brakes, I prefer using the hydraulics every time. But you are right that you want to get good dependable hydraulic brakes not just the cheapest of the lot. Cause even though hydraulics are a closed end system (meaning keep away dirt, mud etc.. unlike mechanical brakes), if you get bad ones that require constant maintenance like bleeding or worse, you could end up getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do to fix it.

On the issue of a back light, does the Bafang controller have one of the octapus cables that comes out of it to connect to a back light? Cause clearly some other bikes have it and I wonder where do they hook it to be able to work with the light button of the LCD display. So I would think that must be a standard setup of every Bafang controller, no? So shouldn't getting a real back light and connecting it to the controller make the 2 lights come on the same time?

TIA.

 

[ebikemom]

It amazes me to see 4 star reviews on amazon of total junk ebikes that are in the $6-700 range

Reviews are often written when someone first gets a product. They don't show the test of time. Amazon doesn't send out requests for review updates, which it would do if it really wanted customers to get longer-term product life and usefulness information.

If a product doesn't last well, some may think "Well, it was cheap, so I got what I paid for." So, the high reviews can relate to the fact that the product works well at first, and not give much information about longer-term prospects for the product. This isn't just about ebikes, but all sorts of product reviews online. My dad bought one of those cheap Amazon bikes, and is happy with it. He is a very light user (a couple of miles per day, when the weather is good). The bike is working for his purposes, and he's an engineer so has no problem fixing stuff that comes up.

 

[DDBB]

Biggest complaints I've read about the cheap ebikes on Amazon are lack of parts for repairs and poor battery cycle life.

 

[krdugger]

Thanks TIA. The front headlight is integrated, and the main reason we don't have the integrated taillight is cost and customization. Since the rack is an optional upgrade we have trouble routing the wires if buyers elect not to get the rack. It adds a small amount to the cost. Not much. The front integrated headlight was an easier answer and of course we opted for it. Will be using an integrated tail light in the future though.

Agree about the brakes. I know hydraulics are nicer to use for sure. Though it's important to note that not all mechanical's are made the same. Some are okay.

We are also selling insulated panniers with the rack soon, so you'd be able to carry all your repair parts, pieces, and even a 6-pack of "waters".
-Kevin

ps. ebikemom. Do you know of any other channel to reach out to EBR for a product review? I've been trying for quite a few months now..

 

[AZOldTech]

Thanks TIA. The front headlight is integrated, and the main reason we don't have the integrated taillight is cost and customization. Since the rack is an optional upgrade we have trouble routing the wires if buyers elect not to get the rack. It adds a small amount to the cost. Not much. The front integrated headlight was an easier answer and of course we opted for it. Will be using an integrated tail light in the future though.

Agree about the brakes. I know hydraulics are nicer to use for sure. Though it's important to note that not all mechanical's are made the same. Some are okay.

We are also selling insulated panniers with the rack soon, so you'd be able to carry all your repair parts, pieces, and even a 6-pack of "waters".
-Kevin

ps. ebikemom. Do you know of any other channel to reach out to EBR for a product review? I've been trying for quite a few months now..

Thanks Kevin. BTW, my name isn't TIA. TIA stands for Thanks In Advance. Thanks.

 

[krdugger]

Thanks Kevin. BTW, my name isn't TIA. TIA stands for Thanks In Advance. Thanks.

haha. Sorry. I never use that acronym >_<

 

[ebikemom]

ps. ebikemom. Do you know of any other channel to reach out to EBR for a product review? I've been trying for quite a few months now..

@krdugger , perhaps @Court has a place on the forum where he describes how he chooses bikes to review. I will ask him about that. I will also send you a private message with Court looped in.