It used to be that an electric bike was a big ticket purchase, with prices for new e-bikes up there with an okay used car. But San Diego-based Ride1UP has changed that with a range of electric bikes that’s priced between $1,095 and $2,295.
That’s partly down to availability of electric bike motors and batteries at more realistic prices as global demand for e-bikes has increased, and partly down to Ride1UP’s lean production and delivery model.
Take Ride1UP’s top spec $2,295 Prodigy electric mountain/city bike. It’s due for release in 2022 with pre-orders opening this summer and uses a motor and battery system from leading German brand Brose, which also kits out e-bikes from major brands that cost many thousands of dollars more.
A range for all users
Ride1UP makes electric bikes for city life as well as those wanting to get further afield. It offers most models with the choice of step-thru frames, for easy mounting and dismounting, or with a crossbar.
A robust frame and quality components make for an affordable e-bike that’s built to last
Most of Ride1UP’s bikes feature an internal battery, which sits in the frame. That makes for cleaner lines and fewer places for dirt to accumulate. All-weather rideability is enhanced by fenders and lights, and many of the e-bikes in the range have a rack out back to help carry luggage.
You’ll often find lower priced e-bikes from other brands have a short range and limited assistance, which makes them less useful when you want to go further or when you need to travel up hills. Frames can be iffy too, with an uncomfortable ride or low rigidity.
Ride1UP wanted to change that and design a range of e-bikes that was durable and had the performance that would make you want to continue to use them. That includes a quality alloy frame and, on many models, a suspension fork. There are name brand components from the likes of Shimano and Tektro and quality tires and disc brakes.
All the models have a powerful motor, with 750 watt 48 volt hub motors specced on most, which can power the e-bike up to 28mph. There’s good range too from battery options rated as high as 17.5Ah, which should give you between 35 and 70 miles between charges. Ride1UP’s e-bikes have sophisticated control software with bar-mounted displays, often color, which let you choose assistance level and see available charge and range.
That’s performance that makes Ride1UP’s e-bikes a viable alternative to an automobile for commuting and trips around town. Ride1UP’s aim is to encourage riders to swap to their electric bikes for many journeys, saving them money, helping to reduce emissions, improving the communities where they live and often allowing faster door-to-door journeys.
Roadster V2 gives you street style with covert assistance
Ride1UP has some cool designs, like its single speed urban fixie-style Roadster V2 with a belt drive - another feature that a few years ago was prohibitively expensive. At 33 pounds the Roadster V2 is impressively light so you can carry it up stairs and into buildings with ease.
You can get on a Ride1UP Roadster V2 for only $1095 and with a myriad of other choices that are easy on the eyes and the wallet, there is no wonder why Ride1UP has caught our attention. Feast your eyes on another popular model, the Core-5 priced at $1195.
Meanwhile, the new Prodigy has the performance from its Brose motor to match MTBs from leading brands, its 90Nm of torque as powerful as any to get you up and over serious climbs.
Lean production and distribution
Ride1UP has shaved cost from its sales model as well. Rather than selling through bike shops, which add a substantial mark-up to an e-bike’s sticker price, it sells direct to you via its site.
Ride1UP has sweated the details, designing its packaging so that it skims under the delivery companies’ oversize package limits. That leads to lower distribution costs, so Ride1UP is able to offer free delivery within the lower 48 states from its Nevada warehouse. It will ship to Alaska and Hawaii, too, for $190 or to Canada and Mexico for $100.
To make it easier to buy its bikes sight unseen, Ride1UP offers a 30-day free trial period and a one-year warranty. The company offers comprehensive US-based customer support by phone, by web chat and by email, with an online knowledge base to help you find answers to common queries. There’s 0% finance on offer to help close the deal.
