Prodigy available for pre-order

[GenXrider]

Out-of-stock, orders are expected to ship in January.

Prodigy - Ride1Up | Mid-Drive Electric Bike

The ultimate riding experience. With it's ultra-refined Brose control system, the Prodigy will take your riding to the next level with 15mph

ride1up.com

One example of the various models/colors of Prodigy:

That cool color scheme costs extra. Video that shows the color changing:

https://www.facebook.com/ride1up/posts/1276180716110362

This is the mid-drive teaser model referred to in this older thread:

Ride1UP Mid Drive Teaser

Hey folks, Kevin, the owner of Ride1UP, recently posted a couple of photos teasing the latest mid-drive bike to be introduced later in 2021, initially without any additional details. I thought I'd share the photos here with you as well. Product page: https://ride1up.com/product/prodigy/...

electricbikereview.com

 

[teskow]

I kind of expected a whole lot of chatter here when the Prodigy became available to order. Yesterday I ordered one. Damn January is a long way off to wait.
I am hoping it is every bit as good as it sounds by the specs and what the pro reviewers opinions say it will be.
I had to return a powerful mid-drive bike because of the erratic power delivery and kind of noisy motor.
I am trusting the reviews regarding the quality of the Ride 1 Up Prodigy bicycle components, power delivery smoothness and quietness of the Brose motor is as good as they say.
I like smooth power delivery and silence.

 

[HairyKnuckle]

I like those two things also in an ebike and noticed the pre order page opened up yesterday. When I first entered the order process it appeared a Coupon code was required so I emailed Ride1up asking for the code. They informed me there was not a code and later in the day I was able to get past the coupon code box. I don't know if it was related to my browser or not.

A month or so ago I was ready to buy this bike when it became available, but it is now $100 more than what it was estimated to be released at. More if you opt for the upgraded color. Plus my current ebike developed some issues recently that raised the maintenance costs in the first 11 months of my original Rideup bike purchase. I want to find a mid drive bike with minimal maintenance costs and a longer warranty. I feel that type of bike may cost more initially but will pay for itself in the long term. Ride1up now has extended warranties that can be purchased with the new bike model but the costs are really high. And I found a lot of "Did you try this and have this rebuilt" from support when trying to get a part replaced under warranty.

I am hoping electrek or another reviewer does a review on this bike and the other two bikes on my list soon so I can make a decision and get a bike ordered for next spring.

 

[Asher]

If someone from Ride1Up is reading this, your extended warranty page is ambiguous. It isn't clear whether the 2 year warranty adds 1 year or two years to the default 1 year warranty. I'm 95% sure it's the former but it's sloppy to not make it absolutely clear. https://ride1up.com/product/extended-warranty/

I had notified Ride1Up earlier about them posting two different prices on two pages for the same Prodigy model, and it went uncorrected for months, despite them acknowledging it, not exactly a ship-shape operation lol.

Also, Brose warranties are reportedly two years, and the Prodigy has a Brose motor, but it only has a 1 year warranty like the rest of the bike... Either Ride1Up is getting a discount for shaving off a year of warranty, or... they just don't want to offer the OEM warranty??

Lastly, the idea of Ride1Up offering a premium bike is laughable considering the abominable 'support' they offered in this thread, where they refuse to replace a dangerously defective part.

Bike arrived with a broken derailleur hanger and bent fork, Ride1up says tough luck. Thoughts?

If all else fails you could put on a nice used steel fork from a dump or junkyard. These are more comfortable than aluminum. It just needs posts for discs.

electricbikereview.com

Given the warranty/support issues alone, I would suggest giving a hard pass on this bike as a pre-order. Maybe after some people have gotten their hands on it and reviewed it, but even then the quality of Ride1Up support issues remain.

IMO, the best value in Class 3 mid-drive commuter e-bikes for now is the Yamaha Civante, if you have a dealer near. $3400, 3 year warranty, variable sizing, top notch electric drivetrain, retailer support, oldest name in e-bikes. It is more of a road bike though, with thinner tires and drop bars.

 

[teskow]

I was so trusting of the pre-reviews I was reading regarding the higher quality bicycle components the Ride 1 Up Prodigy would sport. Premium? Not the brakes anymore.
All the pre-reviews spoke of the nice upgraded parts the Prodigy would have. Not so sure that came to fruition though.
I ordered immediately as the Prodigy became available. I should have looked closely at the site and spec list because they don't sport the 4 piston brakes that were expected. Not sure the tires will be the same quality either. Look at the spec sheet verses the picture. On top of that the price went up $100.00. I have purchased 2 other e-bikes from California dealers and didn't have to pay sales tax either. Has something changed? I was told something about the volume of sales controlling it.
Darn it is a long way till expected delivery and who knows what other components will change. If they are changed will they be too higher or lower quality components.?
As stated a good point is if Brose has a 2 year factory warranty then why only one on the Prodigy. Something doesn't compute. Maybe the motor is 2 year but if it is it doesn't state it.
I too thought the extended warranty is overly pricy. For that kind of $$$ one can replace a fair amount of components.

 

[Asher]

I was so trusting of the pre-reviews I was reading regarding the higher quality bicycle components the Ride 1 Up Prodigy would sport. Premium? Not the brakes anymore.
All the pre-reviews spoke of the nice upgraded parts the Prodigy would have. Not so sure that came to fruition though.
I ordered immediately as the Prodigy became available. I should have looked closely at the site and spec list because they don't sport the 4 piston brakes that were expected. Not sure the tires will be the same quality either. Look at the spec sheet verses the picture. On top of that the price went up $100.00. I have purchased 2 other e-bikes from California dealers and didn't have to pay sales tax either. Has something changed? I was told something about the volume of sales controlling it.
Darn it is a long way till expected delivery and who knows what other components will change. If they are changed will they be too higher or lower quality components.?
As stated a good point is if Brose has a 2 year factory warranty then why only one on the Prodigy. Something doesn't compute. Maybe the motor is 2 year but if it is it doesn't state it.
I too thought the extended warranty is overly pricy. For that kind of $$$ one can replace a fair amount of components.

Good catch on the brakes and tires. They list lower quality Maxis tires, but show the Schwalbe ones in the picture, more sloppy work. Not exactly confidence inspiring.

 

[GenXrider]

The price didn't go up on the XC that I posted above. It was always about $2300. The additional cost is optional with the special color. The tires were always Maxxis as well. I don't think the extra year of warranty is worth it.

Kevin stated in the other thread that the Brose motor has a 2 year warranty - I noticed that as well.

For the most part, Ride1Up support gets very favorable feedback, so don't let one person's complaint worry you. Of course, I admit that I have never had to use their support as my 700 series has worked flawlessly to this point. I have no complaints or regrets so far and would make the same choice if I was purchasing today since the Prodigy isn't yet available.

 

[Asher]

The price didn't go up on the XC that I posted above. It was always about $2300. The additional cost is optional with the special color. The tires were always Maxxis as well. I don't think the extra year of warranty is worth it.

Kevin stated in the other thread that the Brose motor has a 2 year warranty - I noticed that as well.

For the most part, Ride1Up support gets very favorable feedback, so don't let one person's complaint worry you. Of course, I admit that I have never had to use their support as my 700 series has worked flawlessly to this point. I have no complaints or regrets so far and would make the same choice if I was purchasing today since the Prodigy isn't yet available.

Yes, for the Schwalbe tire switcheroo, that was on the XR/Stepthru model.

As for support, the issue I flagged was not so much a problem of one report of a defective bike - sure, we can't assess defect rates from one incident. The issue was in how they handled it, where even one incident can be illustrative of corporate policy, provided the poster didn't misrepresent what happened. This forum will capture only a tiny sliver of these, so it's unlikely it's the only such occurrence. (Eg the Juiced forum here used to be quite lively, and Juiced has sold far more bikes since, but Juiced discussions, like much of the internet, has moved from forums to Facebook.)

 

[GenXrider]

Here's the post where Kevin said the Brose motor will have a 2 year warranty.

Ride1UP Mid Drive Teaser

I bought 2 LMT'D bikes in December 2020. The main reason I bought them for me and my wife is we both had cadence sensors bikes before and we wanted the torque sensors because it was a more fun and realistic biking experience, where it felt like the rider was in control of the bike instead of the...

electricbikereview.com

 

[Asher]

All my criticisms aside, I hope this bike sells in such large quantities that it breeds copycats, because it is such an eminently practical setup with the lighter weight, mid-sized tires and rigid fork, that no one else is selling.

 

[GenXrider]

Kevin from Ride1Up stated yesterday that they might release a Prodigy with a belt drive and IGH for $100 to $150 more.

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www.facebook.com

 

[Asher]

Here's the post where Kevin said the Brose motor will have a 2 year warranty.

Ride1UP Mid Drive Teaser

I bought 2 LMT'D bikes in December 2020. The main reason I bought them for me and my wife is we both had cadence sensors bikes before and we wanted the torque sensors because it was a more fun and realistic biking experience, where it felt like the rider was in control of the bike instead of the...

electricbikereview.com

The product page still says 1 year warranty.

 

[GenXrider]

The product page still says 1 year warranty.

Looks like the 2 and 3 year warranties cost extra - shown when checking out.

1 year warranty - Free
2 year warranty ($398.65)
3 year warranty ($680.05)

 

[Asher]

Looks like the 2 and 3 year warranties cost extra - shown when checking out.

1 year warranty - Free
2 year warranty ($398.65)
3 year warranty ($680.05)

Nice catch. Hard to tell if this is just sloppy on their part and the Brose has a complimentary 2 year warranty, or if they are actively reducing the standard warranty period. I've never seen the latter before, usually it's just 'X years/lifetime warranty on fork and frame, manufacturer specific warranty on parts (typically 1-2 years)'

 

[onlineaddy]

Kevin from Ride1Up stated yesterday that they might release a Prodigy with a belt drive and IGH for $100 to $150 more.

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www.facebook.com

That's the Cafe Cruiser, not the Prodigy.

 

[GenXrider]

That's the Cafe Cruiser, not the Prodigy.

That is absolutely incorrect. The Cafe Cruiser is very different from the Prodigy pictured and discussed here, and it doesn't have an IGH or belt drive, and that's not the bike Kevin (Ride1Up owner) was talking about in the thread I liked to that you quoted me on. I posted another thread here after Kevin mentioned the Cafe Cruiser, before it was ever shown on their website. Here is the thread I started about the Cafe Cruiser back in October. But, it's since become available for order per your own link.

A New Ride1up Model is Coming

The Ride1Up Product Team is working hard to finalize the next addition to the Ride1Up lineup. Shipping expected to start January 2022. Additional spec and details to follow in the upcoming months... - Custom cruiser style alloy frame w/ cafe handlebars - Comfortable upright riding position -...

electricbikereview.com

 

[onlineaddy]

That is absolutely incorrect. The Cafe Cruiser is very different from the Prodigy pictured and discussed here, and it doesn't have an IGH or belt drive, and that's not the bike Kevin (Ride1Up owner) was talking about in the thread I liked to that you quoted me on. I posted another thread here after Kevin mentioned the Cafe Cruiser, before it was ever shown on their website. Here is the thread I started about the Cafe Cruiser back in October. But, it's since become available for order per your own link.

A New Ride1up Model is Coming

The Ride1Up Product Team is working hard to finalize the next addition to the Ride1Up lineup. Shipping expected to start January 2022. Additional spec and details to follow in the upcoming months... - Custom cruiser style alloy frame w/ cafe handlebars - Comfortable upright riding position -...

electricbikereview.com

View attachment 112798

Your link takes you to this post on Facebook:

 

[GenXrider]

Your link takes you to this post on Facebook:

The link is not to the first post in that thread, it is to the post that states, "I would like a mid-drive, carbon gates belt, with a geared rear internal hub." That is not in reference to the Cafe Cruiser. The post of mine above from Oct 23rd that you initially replied to was me posting about what "Kevin" had stated in that linked thread, that they might release a Prodigy with a belt drive and IGH for $100 to $150 more. So, if you scroll down from the linked post, you will see Kevin's post in that thread, which refers to the Prodigy, not the Cafe Cruiser.

The Cafe Cruiser is NOT a Prodigy version, IGH, belt drive, or Brose based system, so that is not the bike Kevin was talking about in his post above, that I referenced in my Oct 23rd post above. It's in regard to Prodigy, not Cafe Cruiser. I've never seen Kevin state that they were considering a version of the Cafe Cruiser with any of those things.

 

[Jimmy666]

First review of the Prodigy I have found https://electricbikereview.com/ride1up/2022-prodigy-xr/

 

[Asher]

First review of the Prodigy I have found https://electricbikereview.com/ride1up/2022-prodigy-xr/

All in all seems like a very positive review (though I didn't watch the ride portion of the video).

Seems like a good match up against the upcoming Yamaha Crosscore RC which costs ~30% more but has 2 additional years of warranty support, and is potentially available locally.

If I had one, I'd probably upgrade the saddle, grips, seatpost. Maybe take the fender and rack off.

Even while direct sales ebikes have proliferated, the options for an unsuspended class 3 commuter model have been pretty slim. But you can find tons of toy fatbikes and minibikes... I hope this one does well and attracts more competition. I had a Juiced CCS a while back but the design is dated, heavy and the brakes are cheap.