Roadster 2.0! And other intel from Ride1Up founder

[TMH]

Not interested in this model. Underpowered, short range, limited battery,no throttle, single speed, no disk brakes. Only benefit I see is that it is light. Not sure where the market is for this model.

Well, it is the third of its type (stealthy belt drive single speed urban bike) that I know of, so the sellers apparently see a market. Potentially less of a theft target if left locked up outside. Plus will be much easier to carry up stairs to a second or third level apartment especially for students, etc., due to significantly lighter weight.

And some folks just want some level of assist, but don't want to be riding an obvious e-bike.

Me, I don't really care if someone knows that the bike I am riding is powered, so these are not for me either. I appreciate the 75-90nm of torque a nice mid-drive e-bike provides, even if I never use the top assist levels much.

 

[BigNerd]

I think this is a good model for R1U to have.

They will probably add a fat tire bike and maybe a folder in the future to cover the breadth of the low end market.

 

[TMH]

Link is live again:

https://ride1up.com/product/roadster-v2/

I wonder whether they just put it up temporarily before so that Electrek could get the info for their story? But now it should be up permanently.

My original memory was incorrect @Asher, they are selling the Roadster 2.0 in 2 frame sizes!

 

[Lumpydog]

Back up: https://ride1up.com/product/roadster-v2/

 

[Asher]

Stealth ebikes are definitely the trend ebike of late, and R has executed theirs well.

I think the bike could've been a lot more versatile with hydraulic disc brakes and more tire clearance. He was trying to hit a price point, just seems it's worth it for what, an extra $100, $150?

The fatbike market is so saturated I'm not sure it's worth chasing at this point.

 

[Zinfandel]

I would think it's going to sell very well. It seems that there's a lot of people with a 'simplify your life' attitude about bicycles out there already that could be lured to the eDark side. That's definitely a really good-looking ebike, and I'll bet being that lightweight makes a huge difference in handling.

I like the thought of hyd. discs as well. The estimated range would concern me, as I've now discovered how easy it is to put 20-30 miles on my Core5 on a sunny day. Not experienced enough to know if using a 250w motor instead could extend range?

 

[BigNerd]

I find R1U interesting. I've read many posts that say the value ebike category can't be very profitable yet it seems like this guy has been making it work and he's only been around a short time.

I agree with what someone else said about them having too many models that are similar to each other. They should probably just carry 2 of the Core-5/500/700/LMT'd models and then maybe add a folder (although it seems like Lectric has that particular segment)... or a fat-tire bike.