Which is better? Rad Power Bikes or Ride 1 Up?

[aj_preller]

I have been interested in buying an E bike recently and I am wondering which is the best bike for a cheaper price? I am interested in:
Ride 1 Up 700 Series XR
Ride 1 Up 700 Series ST
Rad Power Bikes Rad City
Rad Power Bikes Rad City Step Thru

If someone could please help me and tell me which pick they would recommend as the most powerful, sleek, and enjoyable bike I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[gkgeiger]

I own 2 Rad City step thru’s that I keep at my place in FL. They are great. With that being said, I have 2 700ST’s on order for my place in OH. I think they are better looking, have better brakes, have better forks, and I like the wheel size better. Oh, and they are faster (class 3). That’s my opinion.

 

[Browneye]

We prefer a larger wheel on a bicycle. Any bicycle. I've ridden a city and it's a really nice little bike. But I admit, I have not ridden the R1U. I have ridden the Aventon though, and we like larger wheels. I know, I said that twice, for a reason. LOL

I think the ride bikes are backordered....better check.

 

[rich c]

I own 2 Rad City step thru’s that I keep at my place in FL. They are great. With that being said, I have 2 700ST’s on order for my place in OH. I think they are better looking, have better brakes, have better forks, and I like the wheel size better. Oh, and they are faster (class 3). That’s my opinion.

You've ridden a 700 ST?

 

[aj_preller]

I own 2 Rad City step thru’s that I keep at my place in FL. They are great. With that being said, I have 2 700ST’s on order for my place in OH. I think they are better looking, have better brakes, have better forks, and I like the wheel size better. Oh, and they are faster (class 3). That’s my opinion.

Thank you for your help. I was wondering about the how tall is too tall for the step thru? I am 5’7” with at inseam of 31.5” and on the site it said I am to tall to be comfortable? If you could explain how you feel about this, that would be great.

 

[CashMoney]

My wife has a Ride1Up 700 ST (step-through) and I have a 2017 RadCity 16". The Ride1Up is definitely the better bike. I'm 5'-9" with about a 32" inseam and I can ride the 700 ST comfortably. I don't see anything on the Ride1Up website that says 5'-7" is too tall for the step through.

 

[gkgeiger]

You've ridden a 700 ST?

I have not ridden a 700 ST. My Rad City has a 14" seat tube, the 700 has a 16" tube. I am 6' with a 32" inseam, it will work as is and if not I can make it work.

 

[gkgeiger]

I have been interested in buying an E bike recently and I am wondering which is the best bike for a cheaper price? I am interested in:
Ride 1 Up 700 Series XR
Ride 1 Up 700 Series ST
Rad Power Bikes Rad City
Rad Power Bikes Rad City Step Thru

If someone could please help me and tell me which pick they would recommend as the most powerful, sleek, and enjoyable bike I would greatly appreciate it.

Too many choices in your poll. You first have to decide if you want a ST or SO, then decide which make. Browneye, yes the bikes are on B.O.

 

[ElevenAD]

ride 1 up looks better on paper but its a small new company, Rad has solid CS.

 

[AHicks]

First thought, if you ride this bike for a bit and realize it's just totally wrong for some reason (any reason), which do you think might be easier to sell without loosing your shirt?

Just looking at the specs, it's hard not to like the 700 better. If for no other reason than I am a big fan of the gear driven rear hub vs. the direct drive in the City.

My vote, the 700.

 

[Asher]

I'd also check out the Aventon Level if there's a nearby dealer.

 

[rich c]

I have not ridden a 700 ST. My Rad City has a 14" seat tube, the 700 has a 16" tube. I am 6' with a 32" inseam, it will work as is and if not I can make it work.

I thought you must have ridden one since you pointed out the better points.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Looks like the Aventon Level is $100 more expensive and inferior to Ride1Up.

The Ride1Up has 500W nominal, 1000W max motor with 22A controller.
The Aventon Level has 500W nominal, 750W max motor, and they do not reveal the controller specs but I assume it is similar to Rad Power's 15A controller.

I don't think there is any contest between the Ride1Up and Rad Power.
However, the Rad Power has 35A aftermarket controller option. However, that would add well over $200 to the price, even more if you're looking for hydraulic brakes.
I think Ride1Up is best bang for buck.

Well, you will be pleasant surprised by the bikes I am designing
My company will go live in late August or early September and I am currently testing few different prototypes and configurations.
Just to give you a hint:

52V, 17Ah battery
40 A controller
Magura hydraulic brakes
Torque sensor (this is the hardest part - I have tested 5 different ones but tuning them and getting the reliability is tough)
Air suspenion
Schwalbe supermotoX tires

All of this for $1900.

I have not spoken about it because I wanted to field test everything for 3000 miles before starting the production. But, it will be a very compelling case

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I'm asking because 52V x 40A is quite a bit.

While this is a lot of power, the nominal output will be around 750W.
A well-tuned 750W motor with the right controller will be VERY powerful. Peak wattage can be around 1500W or more. At that power level, everything needs to be beefed up.

But, it is totally possible to manufacture a kickass bike for under $2000 and so far it's been an interesting challenge.

I am of the belief that it is always better to under promise and over deliver. So, I will share more details as I near the completion of my testing sometime soon.

 

[AHicks]

While this is a lot of power, the nominal output will be around 750W.
A well-tuned 750W motor with the right controller will be VERY powerful. Peak wattage can be around 1500W or more. At that power level, everything needs to be beefed up.

But, it is totally possible to manufacture a kickass bike for under $2000 and so far it's been an interesting challenge.

I am of the belief that it is always better to under promise and over deliver. So, I will share more details as I near the completion of my testing sometime soon.

MAC and/or GMAC options PLEASE!

 

[trainman]

I'd buy a ebike for it's factory support and the reviews on them, including Court's reviews. I purchased two Rad Mini's and couldn't be more pleased with them. You need to make your own decision on what ebike you want and live with what decision you made. Asking others to make the decision for you and pick one would probably not work out for you because you did not do your homework and arrived at your own decision of your choice, thus the choice of ebike could be made without all the important info needed. Remember all poster on this forum post in favor of the ebike they purchased and may not give a bad review on there purchase, people don't want to let you know they made a bad choice.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

MAC and/or GMAC options PLEASE!

MAC is a good option. Bafang motors are found variety of bikes.
This will not be either one of those but built by a company that caters to worldwide market and has solid reputation.
My goal is to offer a thru-axle hub motor so removing the rear wheel can be as easy as mid-drive options.

Once the COVID-19 insanity is over, I will be traveling to Asia to work with battery suppliers to build a high-quality one so I can offer 3yr warranty on packs.

 

[AHicks]

I think that would go over less than $2000 mark.

Maybe. Nobody says there's just going to be one model with no options, no?

 

[Alex M]

You first have to decide if you want a ST or SO, then decide which make.

Yep.
Also, test-ride.
Ride1up looks more elegant, regardless of specs. RAD looks kinda crude. Though tastes differ.
Aventon might pleasantly surprise you, being lighter and more "foot-forward" position than the other two. Another thing going for Aventon is that they do have dealers, while the other two - don't. If you are good at troubleshooting, dealer is less important.

 

[Asher]

The $1500-2000 class 3 commuter ebike segment is getting very interesting, finally getting the volume of offerings it deserves. For 2 years it was really just Juiced, but now we've got Level, Ride1Up, possibly Vanmoof ($2k ebike in June, not sure if class 3) and Ravi, all within a 6-12 month span.

I really hope this segment goes big. Less and you make some serious tradeoffs, especially on mechanical bits and battery size, and pricier bikes aren't much better unless a lot pricier (usually $1000+ more)