New white box bike arriving soon - just assemble or lube too?

[billium]

I have always worked on my own bikes and am soon taking delivery of a Ride1up 700 - my first bike in a box.
Assembly will be easy and I will smear dielectric grease in all electrical plugs.
Given all the horror stories here and elsewhere about stripped threads and bad motors on many brands, I am wondering if it is prudent to assume that Chinese QC is generally poor and that nothing is properly lubed - so I should check wheel and bottom bracket bearings and repack if no evidence of grease from the outside.

If high volume assembly requires grease that I suppose it is safe to assume it is there. But if not, a new dry bearing would still feel fine - for a while.

Am I just being paranoid?

 

[FlatSix911]

I have always worked on my own bikes and am soon taking delivery of a Ride1up 700 - my first bike in a box.
Assembly will be easy and I will smear dielectric grease in all electrical plugs.
Given all the horror stories here and elsewhere about stripped threads and bad motors on many brands, I am wondering if it is prudent to assume that Chinese QC is generally poor and that nothing is properly lubed - so I should check wheel and bottom bracket bearings and repack if no evidence of grease from the outside.

If high volume assembly requires grease that I suppose it is safe to assume it is there. But if not, a new dry bearing would still feel fine - for a while.

Am I just being paranoid?

Not a bad idea to check, but most bearings have factory grease.
I would recommend that you check all the bolts for proper torque... way more common to have issues here.

 

[indianajo]

There are premium brands with a separately employed QA employee in the Chinese factory. There are other brands that are cheaper where the QA checkers work for the production manager. Factories everywhere have a tradition of packing the reject bin in shipping boxes on Sunday morning 3 AM while there is a party in the break room. Quality brands have a QA manager that shows up on the floor at unexpected times, like 2nd & 3rd shift, Saturdays & Sundays. Note the fastest growing brand has 33 complaints about loose spokes on brand forum. Ride1up is so inexpensive, yes I would turn the bike upside down squirt some oil in the crank hole, and back the wheel bearings off a bit and squirt in some oil. Don't forget the headstock.
The rear axle probably comes from shimano, they have too much of a reputation to skip the lubrication.
My yubabike was perfect, with a double box and plastic foam over all the rub spots to protect the paint. Brake & shifter adjustments were perfect out of the box. I didn't do this lubrication, and 5500 miles later, no problems like worn bearings, squeaks, or loose spokes. But the yubabike cost $1500 without a motor or battery. QA can be done right, even in China. serious QA costs money. Conversely just because a brand costs more doesn't mean they spent the money on QA auditors, incoming inspections of "steel", weld testing, or anything that adds reliability to the product.