New Yukon 750 Set-Up by LBS

[SteveADV]

I'm going to order a Yukon 750 and have it shipped direct to a LBS for set-up. Based on what I've read the set-up sounds pretty straight forward but I think establishing the relationship is worth it. Plus I'll be buying a few accessories including a rack from the LBS.

The owner of the shop said while they don't stock any ebikes (although he owns one) they can provide service and quoted me $85 for set-up. Any tips on what he should look for as far as the Yukon 750 is concerned?

 

[Poletramp]

Your Yukon will already be set up they do it before shipping . Only thing you have to do is install handlebars which is quite simple they even supply a multitool to do it with and charge your battery . Save the setup fee and get more accessories . Establish your relationship buying your accessories.

 

[SteveADV]

Yeah the bikes appear to be set-up well upon delivery. But set-up is not the only reason I am shipping to my LBS. For me, $85 is cheap "comfort" insurance, plus I wanted to support the store. Not to mention that I probably would not recognize an issue in the unlikely event the bike/bike components have any. But I get where you are coming from and appreciate your response.

 

[rich c]

Most LBS have you come back within 30 days to make sure all adjustments are correct and nothing has loosened after being tightened into the paint or powder coat. I would save your first visit until you get 100 miles on it, but I think you have your mind made up. Same thing goes for accessories. It's a unusual rider who knows everything they want to do with a new bike before they ride it. Put that 100 miles on and see how you like to mount, where the best seat position is, etc.

 

[SteveADV]

Most LBS have you come back within 30 days to make sure all adjustments are correct and nothing has loosened after being tightened into the paint or powder coat. I would save your first visit until you get 100 miles on it......

My LBS did say to come back for a no charge check-up. I'm a motorcycle guy and pretty much expect a shakedown cruise on this bike to be worthwhile. At least that's been my experience with motorcycles over the years. Thanks for the 100 mile advice. Hopefully, it won't take me long to get there. The bike prep on this thing at the distribution center must be pretty doggone great. Not the least bit unhappy to say it sounds like my set-up plan is overkill.

 

[SteveADV]

Ordered the Yukon 750 Ltd April 6th. Delivered to a local Cleveland, Ohio area bike shop May 1st. By the time I saw it the shop owner had it up on a work stand. And, yeah, it's a good sized bike.

He was going to look it over that afternoon and asked if I minded if he rode it (he has a mid-drive as one of his personal bikes). "Of course not" I told him. "Have at and make any accessory suggestions you think would be worthile."

Later that day he called me and suggested I take the rest of the day off and get over there to ride the bike. He and his guys all road it and said it was a blast!

I stopped by that evening to get it to ride the 8 miles back to my house. Although we could not get the rear light to work (Voltbike is sending me a replacement) everything else was in pretty good shape (slight brake and chain adjustments). He said the quality control at the manufacturer must be pretty great.

I ended up riding the bike almost 30 miles that night. Didn't take too long to figure out how to maximize gearing and peddle assist. While it didn't make it up a super steep incline leading up to my driveway without a lot of 1st gear peddling effort, over all, in the relatively hilly area I live in the bike did the job. I also found myself looking for grassy off road places to ride through.

I would give the bike an A+ for its first test.

 

[SteveADV]

I should add, for what it's worth, that I probably would not ship to a bike shop if I had it to do all over again. At least not a Voltbike with the way they pre-inspect. This afternoon I'll adjust the handlebars to make the reach a little more upright and take off the rear light to test power supply. I'm thinking there must be a loose connection rather a bad light because the bike came out of the container in such good shape and I feel pretty confident they would have had it working before shipping.

 

[gepinniw]

I’ve had my Yukon for three years, and it still runs great. Have fun and ride safe!

 

[SteveADV]

Thought I'd write a brief update....I am starting to figure out what this eBike (and, I guess biking) thing is all about. At first I found myself trying to go fast (I'm a motorcycle guy). That was ok. I could easily go 20+mph on the Yukon. Lately, I've found myself going slower and enjoying the ride more. Often, I find myself heading out to the garage and just jumping on the Yukon for a quick ride around our little community. It's pretty cool and this coming from a guy that doesn't write about this stuff.

And yesterday, my 1up bike rack was delivered. Haven't installed it yet, but the quality looks top notch. Starting to look like my original plan of traveling with an eBike on the back of the Jeep for exploring is gonna work out.

 

[Paul Dubs]

I have been looking for my first ebike for weeks now! I can't decide between the Yukon 750 Limited, Rad Rover, or Biktrix Juggernaut. Any suggestions on that? My question for you SteveADV is how did you get the blue accents on your Yukon??? I love the blue but don't see it as an option on Volts page. Did you get to pick that? Thanks.

 

[SteveADV]

Hey Paul,

I chose the Yukon because it seemed like a good bang for the buck, I am 6'2" and wanted the 20" frame, and because they answered their phone and answered my questions. Biktrix was also on my short list, but I may have had trouble reaching them. I am ordering a Radcity for my wife, so nothing against the Rad Power people.

Yeah, the blue accents on the Yukon are pretty cool, but I didn't get to choose.

FWIW, it sure seems like there are a number of great ebikes out there. I am not interested in doing any mechanical work but certainly could have done the assembly of the Yukon myself. Fact is, I was disappointed the dealer did not fix the one glitch I had (rear light not working) especially because it was such an easy fix. I may try another dealer to assemble the Radcity, but will likely do it myself.

It requires a little larger budget, but have you considered a mid-drive? The Yukon is great, but thought I would through that in there just to add to the confusion?

 

[Paul Dubs]

I have considered a mid drive and actually thought it might be better given my size and weight. I also love the torque mid drive offers as i do like the quickness and the extra pulling power for hills and beginner level trails! I was reluctant due to me being a newbie to ebikes and the understanding that mid drive require more knowledge and care. In your opinion would you say that is true?

 

[SteveADV]

I am by NO MEANS an expert, but I don't think a mid drive would require more skill. Maybe less because they are more bike-like in weight and handling. As an example, the Specialized Turbo Como is hugely comfortable (for me anyhow; 6'2", 210 lbs, 69 years old), very easy to ride, weighs about 20lbs less than the Yukon, and seems to have the kind of torque more knowledgeable people talk about in a mid drive even though it only has 3 or 4 power assist settings. I test rode one just a couple times and did not have a hub drive to compare it to nor had I ever owned an eBike at that point, so my opinion as to torque comparisons could be way off.

If I had it to do over again would I buy a mid-drive or a hub drive?? Not sure. I'd have to test ride the mid drive again. The Yukon gets me up all but the steepest hills fairly easily without a huge amount of effort. Actually have not walked it up a hill yet except for the time I ran out of juice near my home but have had to work pretty doggone hard standing on the pedals a couple times. It is also good off road on grasslands with those fat tires. The turbo como I test road up grassy hills did great, too. A couple times I certainly would have benefitted from a mid drive's torque, but a couple trade offs would be the higher $ and no throttle (although I rarely use the throttle on the Yukon). The more I think about it, the more I think you might be right about a mid drive requiring more knowledge about gearing. The hub drive's throttle makes it easy to get started even if you stopped in a higher gear. Then again, there is not much of a learning curve in these things. Figuring out gearing is pretty straight forward.

Hmmmm....I might be talking myself into another Turbo Como 2.0 test drive.? In any event, I am glad I bought an eBike. Big fun.