phoenixtoohot
Well-Known Member
Take your time and remember: "Indecision is the key to flexibility".
Ride1up core 5 or Radmission 1?
- Thread starter cldlhd
- Start date
We have a Ride1up 500 and an Espin Sport, both new. They are both good bikes. If you want an integrated battery I think the Espin Sport is a better deal for the money compared to the Core5. I like the suspension fork for uneven pavement, as well as other features, better battery, hydraulic brakes, lights, rear rack etc. The suspension fork adds a little to the weight. The fenders come with the bike but you can leave them off.
And now they are tempting me even more with an additional $50 cut in the premium package deal during early bird.
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/espin-nero.35765/post-306480
Well it doesn't look like I'm going to be ordering the 700 tonight anyway so I have time to change my mind. I realize it's a bit more expensive but on the aesthetic side I do like the look of the frame and the color of the 700 better. It also looks like the cables and hydraulic lines are a little more neatly routed.Other than that I like the idea that it has nine levels of assist as opposed to five, from what I read it has better tires and I'm not sure if this is true but I heard the Espin requires you to pedal before the motor can kick in assistance. If that's true it's not really a big deal to me though. Whether or not that's worth the extra money it's hard to say.
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It was that the Espin Sport throttle doesn't work in PAS 0.
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/aventon-level-vs-ride1up-700.31927/post-305897
I would also go with the 700 over the Sport despite the higher cost. Wider tires, more assist levels, programmable assist levels, higher top gear (11T cog on cassette vs. a lower top gear 12T), water bottle cage bosses, throttle works in PAS 0, and prefer the look. I would even go with the R1U 500 over the Sport.
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/aventon-level-vs-ride1up-700.31927/post-305897
I would also go with the 700 over the Sport despite the higher cost. Wider tires, more assist levels, programmable assist levels, higher top gear (11T cog on cassette vs. a lower top gear 12T), water bottle cage bosses, throttle works in PAS 0, and prefer the look. I would even go with the R1U 500 over the Sport.
Yeah originally I was only looking to spend around $1,000 and I thought the Core5 looked nice but the more I think about it I'm probably going to keep this thing for a long time so if there are some things I like better I figure it's worth a few hundred extra bucks. The only negative is I guess with e-bikes it's like all tech newer better versions will come out 6 months after you buy yours and with battery prices going down they're liable to be cheaper but that's the way it is.
TMH
Well-Known Member
Also, living with any specific e-bike you get to know what you really like and want in your next e-bike, and the one after that...
The R1U 700 was the first 'do everything' e-bike I bought in January of this year after having sold our previous bikes (10 year old Pedegos).
But after that (and a better understanding about how e-bike technology had improved over the years) our little e-bike fleet just grew and grew.
But it is good that you have chosen a bike and will now be ordering it (when the web site works). Being out and riding is the most important thing, being such a benefit to both physical and mental health during these COVID times!
Thanks, plus even when I don't feel like riding it I'm going to have to more often because my wife is skeptical that I'm going to take it out as much as I say....
If you don't mind me asking how do you like the 700? It does look a little heavy on the specs but I'm going to be mostly riding on suburban streets not trail riding much. Plus I'm 6'2 inches tall and 220 lbs.
If you don't mind me asking how do you like the 700? It does look a little heavy on the specs but I'm going to be mostly riding on suburban streets not trail riding much. Plus I'm 6'2 inches tall and 220 lbs.
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TMH
Well-Known Member
Fact #1: Riding e-bikes is FUN, and you will likely want to ride your new bike A LOT. I used to love riding acoustic bikes, doing daily conditioning rides and weekend fun rides on both the dirt and the street. Riding centuries was a lot of fun, at that time. Then riding acoustic bikes became more work than fun (getting old is not for the weak!). But with our e-bikes, we ride them daily, and look forward to our rides every day. We still ride pretty hard (lower levels of assist) most of the time, but that pedal assist is just addicting and the joy of wind in your hair never gets old.Thanks, plus even when I don't feel like riding it I'm going to have to more often because my wife is skeptical that I'm going to take it out as much as I say....
If you don't mind me asking how do you like the 700? It does look a little heavy on the specs but I'm going to be mostly riding on suburban streets not trail riding much. Plus I'm 6'2 inches tall and 220 lbs.
We like our 700, but its life with us started out with one big issue. I had bought the bike for myself, and I'm 6'4" tall and weigh about 245#. We waited the couple of days for delivery and when I eagerly opened the box I found that they had shipped a step-thru instead of the standard diamond frame I had ordered. (BTW I did not order the bike directly from R1U, but from one of their dealers).
The dealer was very apologetic, acknowledged their mistake and immediately said that they would pay to have it shipped back. But at this time there were no bikes with step-over frames in stock. Whereas I was going to use the 700 myself and get a step-thru 500 for my wife, I just decided that my wife would ride a 700 instead and I would get something else.
At my height, the step-thru 700 was almost impossible for me to ride. R1U specifies on their site that the bike is good for folks up to a max height of 6'2" tall. The swept back bars were in almost constant contact with my knees while riding, but I did get a few test rides on the bike to let me know that it seemed well designed and very functional.
At first my wife did not like the riding position of the 700 at all. But she likes to ride rather aggressively and I took the chance and ordered some inexpensive straight bars off Amazon. Those straight handlebars made all the difference, and my wife now loves the bike. It is one of 2 bikes she has with a throttle. She almost never uses the throttle as we ride for exercise, but she does appreciate when she has it just to get going after a stop at the bottom of a hill.
We've had zero issues with the 700 other than the one which seems common on all new e-bikes: the spokes were tensioned pretty softly and needed to be tightened up after a few rides. But as I say, this is by no means specific to R1U bikes, and is just something which needs to be dealt with early in the life/use of pretty much any new bike. And it is something which I feel comfortable doing myself - to the point where I actually ordered a wheel truing stand recently.
Is the 700 unusually heavy? Not in my opinion, not for an electric bike with a substantial battery. All e-bikes are heavy, and although some are heavier than others, the only time one really notices it would be when getting the bike onto a rack (or in our case, into the bed of a truck), or when climbing up stairs with one. Heavier bikes are actually much more stable when riding on the street, and they don't cause the rider to put in any more effort due to the motor assist.
In the end, the 700 doesn't get as much use (isn't actually in the normal weekly rotation of the e-bikes we ride) since it is an "all 'rounder" and we have since purchased more specialized bikes for specific tasks. We have thinner tire road bikes where we clip in and do our harder conditioning/training rides. We have fat tire bikes for cruising around less maintained trails, or the neighborhood on days where we just want to take an easy recovery ride. And we have trekking bikes which we have set up for longer rides, or for running errands to the market, hardware store or bank.
We've chosen to go with more specific tools for specific jobs (my investment guy recently called me an 'accumulator', which is a very accurate assessment of me
). The 700 could do all of these jobs just fine, but there is that old saying about a "jack of all trades, but a master of none." Plus it is really cool to be able to say "what bikes do we feel like riding TODAY", and have a choice.That is why I alluded in the above post to the fact that the 700, while being a very good bike, will likely not be your last e-bike purchase. Plus it is always nice to have an extra e-bike around for when friends/family visit, and the 700 is a fantastic bike to give someone their introduction to e-bikes. It is docile, well mannered, well designed and very functional.
So far after testing out e-bikes for the first time at our house, my brother has purchased a Juiced RipCurrent S, my sister an NCM Aspen, and my sister-in-law is smitten with a Haibike Trekking.
I confess to not being quite that avid of a rider, I've been getting into it a little more but mostly it's just a ride with the family. I'm also looking to get exercise with it but I actually feel the motor might get me more of that as I'll be out on it more often. Like I told my wife I like the idea of being able to go on a much farther ride, which is more interesting, knowing that if I'm beat I have the motor to help me home or make the ride a little easier. I also plan on using it to go to work when the weather permits and I get up and get ready early enough, that's the part she's most skeptical about by the way.... I get the point of Jack of all trades but that's kind of what I'm looking for, something I can go out for a ride on when I just want to enjoy it, get a little exercise and also use it to go back and forth to work. I can see how there would be better bikes for people who do a lot more hardcore training. I haven't done a ton of work on bikes but I'm pretty mechanical, I've worked on cars, basically rewired my entire house, redone all the plumbing etc So I think if I get into it I'll be all right there. Thanks for the detailed post
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TMH
Well-Known Member
Your logic is accurate and the 700 will fulfill your needs just great. And I believe (although I don't have kids and am now retired so I don't have the same family/work time commitments you have) that you will find yourself wanting to get out and ride your e-bike often.
If I could have only one e-bike it would definitely be a multi-purpose bike like the 700, and that was my original intent when I started out getting a replacement for our old Pedegos earlier this year. Of all the bikes in our stable, our Haibike Trekking 7.0's would be the last ones we would ever sell. And although these are of a different base design with mid-mount motors, etc., they are ultimately very similar in form and purpose to the R1U 700.
If I could have only one e-bike it would definitely be a multi-purpose bike like the 700, and that was my original intent when I started out getting a replacement for our old Pedegos earlier this year. Of all the bikes in our stable, our Haibike Trekking 7.0's would be the last ones we would ever sell. And although these are of a different base design with mid-mount motors, etc., they are ultimately very similar in form and purpose to the R1U 700.
Well I'm hoping I'll be happy with it although it looks I'll have to wait almost 2 months to find out. The only thing that bums me out is the idea that I have to find a bicycle mechanic for the warranty to be valid. There used to be a bike shop near me but they closed down and is now a pharmacy. So there's really not one that nearby. I've been watching some videos like how to straighten out a bent disc and stuff like that so it looks like this might be an opportunity to buy some new tools! You have to forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject but when you were talking about tightening The spokes I imagine you could tell they are loose just by testing them with your hand for slop and just tighten them on the bike but the purpose of the truing stand is so you don't over or under tighten certain ones and get the wheel out of round?
BigNerd
Well-Known Member
I think a mobile bike service like Velotooler or Velofix will satisfy the warranty requirement. You may want to inquire with R1U about that.
TMH
Well-Known Member
Loose spokes can be felt by hand, and also the wheel will start to make some 'creaking' noises. Spoke tightening can effectively be done without a truing stand. Of course you will need the wheel to be off the ground, so you will typically either want a bike repair stand or have the bike inverted ('Handlebar Jacks' are convenient and relatively inexpensive: https://www.handlebarjack.com/ ). And, of course, the appropriate spoke wrenches.
I have lots of bike specific tools I have kept from my acoustic days. But I have never before had a truing stand, and with a small fleet to maintain I felt it was about time.
Watch some internet videos about spoke tensioning/wheel truing. Go slow, don't adjust too much at one time, and always adjust alternate spokes going to both sides of the hub.
They've actually been mentioned a couple times by another Ride1UP customer, who used them, and he had also stated that R1U recommended them, so it sounds like safe bet. Maybe about $50 for inspection, $100 for assembly.
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