I received my LMT'D on Monday. I'll post my experience here over time and answer any questions as I can. I'll start with my experience ordering/receiving and cover the assembly process. I'll add updates on what it's like to ride as I get out and use it.
Quick background on me - because it provides context. This is my first ebike. You can read in the "New LMT'd - who's in" post about why I chose the bike. I'm 52 years old. I'm 5'10" and 180lbs. I bought the bike to get around my small town, which is very congested traffic-wise but distance-wise, everything is close and is more or less bike friendly. It's often easier to get around by bike and I live by the ocean so biking vs driving is a major upgrade.
I ordered the bike within the first day of it becoming available on May 28th and received my order confirmation with a projected shipping date of early June. On June 5th I received an email saying the bike would ship June ~10th. So far so good! But, June 10, 11 and 12 came and went with no update on shipping/tracking, while others that ordered their bikes well after me received tracking details. I reached out to Ride1Up to ask what was up - and they were honest that there was a mixup. Some early orders got skipped in error. The net-net of it was, I received my bike one business day later than I would have - a Monday instead of a Friday on the East Coast. I point this out because Ride1Up is a small company that is growing fast. You get a very competitive product at a MUCH lower price - expect to trade that off with a little bit of patience and flexibility.
The bike arrived and I inspected the box for damage. It was intact with a few superficial marks but no punctures or signs of abuse. The package comes with one external strap to keep the box together. My opinion - they could use two - the side with no strap had the bottom flap beginning to give way.
Opening the box, and pulling the bike out by myself was pretty easy. The bike was well protected. On initial inspection, no damage incurred during travel. As I unpacked it, I couldn't find any damage/marks. Awesome.
Fit/finish - the bike was perfect out of the box. Two other boxes contained the charger and pedals/bottle holder/reflectors. I’ll point out that the online pictures make the bike color look almost tan - in person it’s a light mat gray.
The bike came with no tools. I think that's fine and frankly did not expect it. But - here is what I would recommend having on hand when you receive your LMT'D:
- Allen wrench set - from memory I needed a 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm sized Allen wrench. You can use a very basic Allen wrench set from your local hardware store but I'd recommend getting this torque wrench set if you're not going to get your local bike shop (LBS) to assemble.
- Wire cutters or robust scissors - to cut all the cable ties.
- An adjustable wrench - or set of spanner wrenches (for the pedals)
- Screw driver - Phillips or Slot - for the reflectors
- Acetone or brake cleaner or rubbing alcohol to clean the brake rotors.
- A clean rag or two
- Bike/air pump
The instruction manual needs a little updating - it appears to be the 700 or 500 series instruction manual with the front page altered to show the LMT'D - that's fine and most of the instructions still apply - but the listed torque settings all conflict with the torque settings labeled on the actual bike. More about this in a bit.
I started by cutting free the front tire. Be careful not to touch the brake rotor (You don't want oil or crud on it if you can help it - it will contaminate the calipers). Then I cut the front fork and the handlebar free. Fitting the front fork into the head tube was easy. The YouTube assembly video for the 700 is a good reference. It sounds like they will be posting a LMT'D assembly video soon. Make sure the cables are routed on the left side (as you sit in the seat) of the head tube.
As mentioned, the manual seems a little "mailed in". When it comes to torque settings, there were conflicts between the manual and what was printed on the bike... Manual: "Stem/Steerer Clamp" 8-9nm. "Handlebar Clamp" 8-9nm". BUT, it was printed on the bike "5nm" and "5-7nm" respectively. I went with what was printed on the bike. Same issue with the seat clamp: Manual says single saddle clamp bolt 16-17mm but on my LMT'D there are two saddle clamp bolts marked 12nm... Again, I went with what was printed on the actual parts. Torque settings matter a lot - especially with aluminum parts. Ride1Up should update the manual or align what is printed on the parts to the manual.
After getting the forks installed and the handlebars installed, it was time to inflate the tires. They take 30-55lbs - I put them at a 45lbs and they are plenty hard. Next I used acetone to clean off the rotors. They had a lot of oil and crud on them. Rotors need to be free of that stuff or they won't work as designed. Brake cleaner, acetone or rubbing alcohol will work. Clean the rotors off - both!
Next, installed the front tire. Pretty easy - getting the rotor into the calipers took a little trial and error but not to hard. Then - I put tire skewer in with the pointy end of the cone springs toward the tire and the clamp opposite the rotor side. Done. Time to use the kickstand and remove/cut off the rest of the packaging (which I left on to protect the bike as I worked on assembling it). The next step was to wind the cable wrap/cable covers around the brake and throttle/display cables.
This brings me to my only real issue with the bike so far - it's not major but Ride1Up should consider addressing this in future bikes: The cables enter the frame through an oval cutout on the underside of the downtube and exit the frame near the cranks through a similar cutout on the lower underside downtube. The cutout is wide open and has no grommet or protection from the elements which poses two problems: 1) Wire and hydraulic tubes are exposed to the sharp frame edges and 2) Easy water ingress point. Problem 1 is compounded by the fact that right where the cables enter the frame - the outer cable covering ends, exposing the internal colored wires - my LMT'D came with super fragile wires hanging out and exposed to potential damage from the sharp frame edges. See the pictures below. My solution was to use the cable wrap and run it over the exposed cables and push it into the frame so they are somewhat protected, But, the hydraulic brake cable is still up against the sharp edge of the frame... that feels like a future problem/accident. Problem 2, water ingress, is going to be compounded by the lack of fenders (which I prefer) but without them, any water spray from the tires is going to go right into the frame where the electronics/controller are... no way around it. The 700 comes with a nice rubber grommet where the cables enter the frame...
Next stop - removing the battery and getting it charging. The keys were hanging off the handlebars. Getting out the battery was as simple as turning the key. Popped right out. The battery, like the rest of the bike is beefy/substantial and feels very solid. Using the charger, the DC 2.5 port on the battery is behind a rubber cover that pops up and then rotates out of the way like the arms of a clock - don’t fold it back, rotate it. After 3-4 hours the charge indicator turned green, indicating full charge.
With the battery charging, it was time to put on the pedals, I couldn't find the marking on the pedals of left/right per the manual, but the left pedal should tighten counterclockwise and the right pedal should tighten clockwise. The pedals are actually pretty nice. I was going to replace them but they have a nice/wide base with good cleats to prevent your feet from slipping off.
Next - I installed seat/seat-post. Check. Then on to getting the display tilted properly - along with the left thumb throttle angle (mine was a little higher than I wanted). I then went over and checked the tightness of every screw/bolt. I was glad I did as some were a little loose. I found that the cap on the front shocks marked “air” was loose and needed tightening/securing.
All-in-all, a pretty easy build. Ride1Up could do a better job with the manual to make it more accurate to the specific bike. I completed my bike yesterday - and left the battery to charge overnight. This bike is really nice - way nicer than expected. I know I nit pick here/there - again, tradeoffs (and feedback for Ride1Up)! Today I installed my accessories and took it for a spin. I'll report back on the accessories soon and the ride experience once I get more miles.
Quick background on me - because it provides context. This is my first ebike. You can read in the "New LMT'd - who's in" post about why I chose the bike. I'm 52 years old. I'm 5'10" and 180lbs. I bought the bike to get around my small town, which is very congested traffic-wise but distance-wise, everything is close and is more or less bike friendly. It's often easier to get around by bike and I live by the ocean so biking vs driving is a major upgrade.
I ordered the bike within the first day of it becoming available on May 28th and received my order confirmation with a projected shipping date of early June. On June 5th I received an email saying the bike would ship June ~10th. So far so good! But, June 10, 11 and 12 came and went with no update on shipping/tracking, while others that ordered their bikes well after me received tracking details. I reached out to Ride1Up to ask what was up - and they were honest that there was a mixup. Some early orders got skipped in error. The net-net of it was, I received my bike one business day later than I would have - a Monday instead of a Friday on the East Coast. I point this out because Ride1Up is a small company that is growing fast. You get a very competitive product at a MUCH lower price - expect to trade that off with a little bit of patience and flexibility.
The bike arrived and I inspected the box for damage. It was intact with a few superficial marks but no punctures or signs of abuse. The package comes with one external strap to keep the box together. My opinion - they could use two - the side with no strap had the bottom flap beginning to give way.
Opening the box, and pulling the bike out by myself was pretty easy. The bike was well protected. On initial inspection, no damage incurred during travel. As I unpacked it, I couldn't find any damage/marks. Awesome.
Fit/finish - the bike was perfect out of the box. Two other boxes contained the charger and pedals/bottle holder/reflectors. I’ll point out that the online pictures make the bike color look almost tan - in person it’s a light mat gray.
The bike came with no tools. I think that's fine and frankly did not expect it. But - here is what I would recommend having on hand when you receive your LMT'D:
- Allen wrench set - from memory I needed a 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm sized Allen wrench. You can use a very basic Allen wrench set from your local hardware store but I'd recommend getting this torque wrench set if you're not going to get your local bike shop (LBS) to assemble.
- Wire cutters or robust scissors - to cut all the cable ties.
- An adjustable wrench - or set of spanner wrenches (for the pedals)
- Screw driver - Phillips or Slot - for the reflectors
- Acetone or brake cleaner or rubbing alcohol to clean the brake rotors.
- A clean rag or two
- Bike/air pump
The instruction manual needs a little updating - it appears to be the 700 or 500 series instruction manual with the front page altered to show the LMT'D - that's fine and most of the instructions still apply - but the listed torque settings all conflict with the torque settings labeled on the actual bike. More about this in a bit.
I started by cutting free the front tire. Be careful not to touch the brake rotor (You don't want oil or crud on it if you can help it - it will contaminate the calipers). Then I cut the front fork and the handlebar free. Fitting the front fork into the head tube was easy. The YouTube assembly video for the 700 is a good reference. It sounds like they will be posting a LMT'D assembly video soon. Make sure the cables are routed on the left side (as you sit in the seat) of the head tube.
As mentioned, the manual seems a little "mailed in". When it comes to torque settings, there were conflicts between the manual and what was printed on the bike... Manual: "Stem/Steerer Clamp" 8-9nm. "Handlebar Clamp" 8-9nm". BUT, it was printed on the bike "5nm" and "5-7nm" respectively. I went with what was printed on the bike. Same issue with the seat clamp: Manual says single saddle clamp bolt 16-17mm but on my LMT'D there are two saddle clamp bolts marked 12nm... Again, I went with what was printed on the actual parts. Torque settings matter a lot - especially with aluminum parts. Ride1Up should update the manual or align what is printed on the parts to the manual.
After getting the forks installed and the handlebars installed, it was time to inflate the tires. They take 30-55lbs - I put them at a 45lbs and they are plenty hard. Next I used acetone to clean off the rotors. They had a lot of oil and crud on them. Rotors need to be free of that stuff or they won't work as designed. Brake cleaner, acetone or rubbing alcohol will work. Clean the rotors off - both!
Next, installed the front tire. Pretty easy - getting the rotor into the calipers took a little trial and error but not to hard. Then - I put tire skewer in with the pointy end of the cone springs toward the tire and the clamp opposite the rotor side. Done. Time to use the kickstand and remove/cut off the rest of the packaging (which I left on to protect the bike as I worked on assembling it). The next step was to wind the cable wrap/cable covers around the brake and throttle/display cables.
This brings me to my only real issue with the bike so far - it's not major but Ride1Up should consider addressing this in future bikes: The cables enter the frame through an oval cutout on the underside of the downtube and exit the frame near the cranks through a similar cutout on the lower underside downtube. The cutout is wide open and has no grommet or protection from the elements which poses two problems: 1) Wire and hydraulic tubes are exposed to the sharp frame edges and 2) Easy water ingress point. Problem 1 is compounded by the fact that right where the cables enter the frame - the outer cable covering ends, exposing the internal colored wires - my LMT'D came with super fragile wires hanging out and exposed to potential damage from the sharp frame edges. See the pictures below. My solution was to use the cable wrap and run it over the exposed cables and push it into the frame so they are somewhat protected, But, the hydraulic brake cable is still up against the sharp edge of the frame... that feels like a future problem/accident. Problem 2, water ingress, is going to be compounded by the lack of fenders (which I prefer) but without them, any water spray from the tires is going to go right into the frame where the electronics/controller are... no way around it. The 700 comes with a nice rubber grommet where the cables enter the frame...
Next stop - removing the battery and getting it charging. The keys were hanging off the handlebars. Getting out the battery was as simple as turning the key. Popped right out. The battery, like the rest of the bike is beefy/substantial and feels very solid. Using the charger, the DC 2.5 port on the battery is behind a rubber cover that pops up and then rotates out of the way like the arms of a clock - don’t fold it back, rotate it. After 3-4 hours the charge indicator turned green, indicating full charge.
With the battery charging, it was time to put on the pedals, I couldn't find the marking on the pedals of left/right per the manual, but the left pedal should tighten counterclockwise and the right pedal should tighten clockwise. The pedals are actually pretty nice. I was going to replace them but they have a nice/wide base with good cleats to prevent your feet from slipping off.
Next - I installed seat/seat-post. Check. Then on to getting the display tilted properly - along with the left thumb throttle angle (mine was a little higher than I wanted). I then went over and checked the tightness of every screw/bolt. I was glad I did as some were a little loose. I found that the cap on the front shocks marked “air” was loose and needed tightening/securing.
All-in-all, a pretty easy build. Ride1Up could do a better job with the manual to make it more accurate to the specific bike. I completed my bike yesterday - and left the battery to charge overnight. This bike is really nice - way nicer than expected. I know I nit pick here/there - again, tradeoffs (and feedback for Ride1Up)! Today I installed my accessories and took it for a spin. I'll report back on the accessories soon and the ride experience once I get more miles.
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