I appreciate what you’re saying, although Ride1Up has always recommended professional assembly...at least since I started looking at and researching e-bike’s. One of the differences between Ride1Up and Raleigh is R1U has only been around for a year and a half. Raleigh has been building and selling bikes for decades and has an established dealer network that allows them to offer services like that. I imagine Kevin and his R1U team are far smaller and have neither the hours, nor the funds to establish a network like that. Unfortunately, the mobile assembly options they refer to their buyers either aren't available everywhere, or are booked out several weeks. Local bike shops may also be booked as this virus thing created a whole lot more interest in biking, and some are hesitant to work on e-bikes because the electronics are beyond their scope of experience. Personally, I think R1U is doing a pretty good job for being such a young company, and is putting out a superior product for the price. The mech who inspected my LMT’D and tightened the crank mouth hit the floor when I told him it was an $1800 bike. He had assumed it cost at least $1000 more by looking at everything while he was inspecting it and comparing to other e-bikes he had worked on. I have no reservations recommending R1U to anyone, although I will also recommend having paying for assembly, or at the very least make sure it’s inspected by a pro mechanic. The farther technology advances, the harder it becomes for DIY mechanics for any kind of vehicle. Hats off to Kevin and the R1U crew for continuing to listen, provide quality service, and continue to adapt as they learn.
