Ride1Up Roadster V2 Gravel Edition Review

[@glenburr6755]

Most thorough review on this bike that’s out there. Great job.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thank you

[@j.brenes4861]

Great review. Looking forward to an update video.

[@gpeaes]

Please please please be sure to do a video when you experiment with gearing. I would like to find that sweet spot, at around 90rpm cadence on flat pavement/gravel, but don't need the bike to be doing 20ish+ mph. I would much rather be around 16-18mph and extend the life/range of the battery and keep it for when I really need it, like steep hills... Plus being able to actually use the bike with a dead battery would be nice, as it sits now it would probably be pretty difficult...

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

We definitely are no strangers to pedalling this bike with a dead battery. Gotta push the limits ;) We were able to comfortably pedal at ~16 mph on flatter terrain, the bike is so light that it really isn't too burdensome to pedal with it off.

[@Wayshwing-fw2lk]

Yep, the 63T chainring is a bit too tall I think. I replaced mine with a 55T, and went with a 115T belt from Gates.

[@jlp-mtb1391]

I love this bike. I’ve had this bike for over a year now and it’s my favorite one to ride. Unfortunately, my version doesn’t have throttle, but i’m ok with that. Super smooth and quiet (with 0 PAS).

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Oh cool. Ya it is a new feature. I don’t food myself using it much at all.

[@weakbruteforce]

Yes, i have the V2 (non-gravel) as well and I love that bike. I'm thinking about upgrading as mine also doesn't have the disc brake.

[@troywalt4834]

I feel like it is the perfect bike for commuting, it's cheap, great comfort, good power, lightweight, very safe because of the gravel tyres, battery cannot be stolen, no maintenance needed, very minimal wear and tear of parts because of belt drive.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Totally agree

[@stkyfngez]

This bike would be perfect with gears in my opinion. It’s hard to find a good comparable e-bike that has a: throttle, gears, and a decent top speed.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Very true, we have grown fond of the simplicity of it. That being said a Velotric T1 ST (aside from the throttle) may be worth taking a peak at.

[@benvernick]

Great review. I’ve had my eye on this gravel version for some time now. I live in a very flat urban environment so it sounds like the gearing would be just fine for me. This will be my first e-bike and I’m looking for something simple and fun that I can also use as a commuter and is also stealthy since theft in certain areas is another concern I have. Do you know if the throttle comes standard? It doesn’t say anything about it on the website and that was the one thing that i really wanted on this bike. Seems like some people have them and others don’t? I’m going to email them and find out. Also need to know the dimensions of the smaller frame they don’t have that listed either. I’m 5’8 but have a short inseam. Great review, I just subscribed!

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thanks for the sub! The throttle does come standard on the Roadster. As mentioned in the review its such a smooth and easy pedaling bike we forget the throttle is even there 99% of the time. They have great customer service, we've called a few times and always gotten through and had great conversations that led to all the answer to any question we presented. At 6' tall on the Large, if you have a short inseam I would consider the smaller frame for sure. But again a call in to Ride1Up will give you even further insight from the horses mouth. Good luck and if you do end up placing an order it always helps us out when people use the links from our video descriptions. Thanks and happy riding!

[@richarde1355]

I live in the PNW, and hilly elevation changes are common. A chainring change is a given. I am super unfamiliar with belt systems; how difficult is it to change out the chainring and the belt? Great informative video! Looking forward to seeing your modifications and fine-tuning.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thanks! It’s a relatively easy process and gates is a great resource to show you how and what options you’ll have.

[@vulcan4d]

Can we get a comparison between this and the Thunder 1 ST with gravel tires? I would really like to see how the drives and sensors make a difference in riding on gravel and uphill.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thanks for the thought, we've mentioned before it would be a pretty unfair comparison between this bike and the thunder, theres just so many difference between them. But a long term review might just be in store to answer some questions we've been seeing! If you're serious about long days in the woods, although the roadster has been a blast, having gears and a longer range on the thunder is very comforting when going out.

[@mikejames7684]

Can you link that State storage pouch?

[@johnharvey3744]

Would love to have this bike

[@BlazinBlades]

Love this bike! Your link is to the standard bike, no gravel edition to be found on their website😮

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

It is in the color options, you have to click the second color opting for "Gravel Gray"

[@BlazinBlades]

@@ElectricBikeJournal ok 👌

[@wolffkurt]

I've had this bike 6 months and love it, but I've weirdly had 7 flat tires so far. (With my previous bike, I had none for 20 years.) I swapped in a Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire on the rear, and got 2 flats in 2 weeks on that tire. My ebike shop is stumped, and sadly it makes me hesitant to ride the bike anymore. Any thoughts on flat tire issues?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Well that’s no good. Out of the gate I had a couple flats but they were 100% rider related. Road debris. We would suggest replacing the rim strip if you haven’t and making a pass with emery cloth to make sure there are no burrs.

[@leviwanner4834]

Great review, what size frame is this? I had heard in a previous video that you are 6'! Trying to size this up for purchase!

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Thanks, this is one is a size large.

[@drill_fiend1097]

After seeing some dropbar conversions I am little intrigued with this bike. Mech brake and no shifter means it will be easy to turn one of these into a stealthy drop bar gravel bike. Is the reach too far, or would it be a fair game if I buy smaller size?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

For the low cost investment, its definitely worth it. I'm 6' and the reach is just right.

[@drill_fiend1097]

​@@ElectricBikeJournalI see. Another change I would make if I ever get one of these would be changing calipers to something like TRD Spyres. I heard these use a single piston, and I personally rode and felt that single piston brakes are sketchy.

[@vanonnen9259]

mud guards? kick stand?

[@mogulmayhem]

I live on a 10 mile loop to town. It has three 1 mile climbs that I can normally do sitting down. Will I get sweaty in the summer if I ride this uphill? Or the does the motor really provide a silent "wind"?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Hey there. Well based off of your existing capabilities it will definitely make those climbs easier. Without knowing the grade, its hard to say. I the comparison video of this bike and the Velotric T1, there is some good climbing performance for reference both on paved and gravel.

[@gpeaes]

A 24t rear cog should lower the gearing and you may be able to get away with using the stock belt. Any way you can test this? A 24t rear and 60t front ring would be perfect, I think. It would drop the speed at 90rpm from about 21.3mph to 18.6mph... It's also within 1 tooth size of the stock belt. edit: I think my speeds above are off, FYI

[@SimonBrowneNZ]

Exactly Grant. 60t front is the “issue” in my opinion. 3 to 1 is very high; and painful when the battery runs out ( as you say later). Using the Gates calc and 24t rear with 50 front and a new belt would be a huge improvement for the average rider, I reckon. The calculator is very good at allowing you to change any variable - front, rear, or ratio and belt length for your specific chain stay distance to give a wide variety of options. FYI I opted for a front wheel motor and left my belt with 8 speed internal gear hub intact. 118/46/24 1.77 are my numbers. It works very well - totally silent too.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Hey guys, great input. We most definitely will be testing out different gearing ratios to find a happy medium (stay tuned). That being said, the Roadster being Class 3, and a PAS to 28mph, to take advantage of that hire speed support (if that's what the rider is looking for) the ratio really is optimum for that to maintain a good cadence. For us, we're more interested in bottom end power especially for those hills and if we're pedalling 20mph with a good cadence that'll be a great compromise.

[@SamAminisam]

How would you compare the ride1up gravel with the thunder ST? Say if you put gravel tires on the ST? My main concern is with the torque sensor on ST compared to this one? It sounds like you want to keep this one compared to the ST?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Both would be a great option. At close to the same weight, the Thunder has some details to consider like: gears, Apple Find My, and a torque sensor drive system. We will have both bikes for a while and continuing to find our pro's and cons between the two.

[@connorsmith5958]

It would be amazing if you did a comparison video of the two as there isn’t one yet on the internet! Love the content!

[@michaelkincaid855]

Between this and the baby maker v2 which would y’all get?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Well, since a Baby Maker hasn't made it's way to us, I guess we'd go with the Roadster since that's what we have plenty of experience on.

[@stevelouie5928]

Sure took them forever to release this bike. I've heard about this bike for what feels like 2 years.

[@jadamane]

What size handle bars you get for swap out length and width

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

We recently switched to the passchier gump 760 and love them. That being said bar width is a very personal preference, we prefer slightly wider around 740-760 is what we typically run on flat bar gravel.

[@jadamane]

I want to switch the stem/clamp too one that’s longer is 24.5 the same as the 31.8? What is your viewpoint on this

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

31.8 is the clamp size for the handlebars we ended up using for the Passchier handlebars we currently have on the bike, with a RaceFace Turbine 100mm length stem. If you haven't settled on a stem or bars, look into handlebars that you like their shape and find a stem accordingly. It's partially visual preference with some differences in feel.

[@paperdrop7602]

What’s the range with throttle only?

[@ditto1958]

It doesn’t have a throttle. It has pedal assist. The motor doesn’t work unless you pedal.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

On the contrary it does have a thumb throttle. I haven't exclusively done a range test with just throttle.

[@jmjaplit]

My Gravel is coming tomorrow and I see you have a bike stand there...can you please recommend one? Thanks in advance!

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

I wouldn’t quite say it’s a bike stand. Just a shortened tent pole that goes from the ground to a place on the frame. It’s not attached or anything. A stock works too. Are you looking for an attached kick stand?

[@jmjaplit]

@@ElectricBikeJournal Yes, attached kick stand that'll fit this Gravel. Thanks!

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Oh you're looking for a universal kickstand, they clamp around the chain stay. May we ask the appeal or need for a kickstand?

[@jmjaplit]

@@ElectricBikeJournal I have a Trek Verve 2 that never had a kickstand and kinda tough when you take a breather from a trail biking and nowhere to lean your bike to. It's just me. 😀

[@jmjaplit]

Any link for that bike bag? 😊

[@HBTLions]

How did you guys stand it here I don't see a stand?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Sorcery 🧙‍♂️

[@leightyrrell5449]

Stick lol

[@eliteteam6096]

Hows the throttle on this bike?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

It works just as it should, a slight delay to kick in, but nicely located and semi integrated into the display. That being said one of our testers says they forgot it had a throttle lever and didn't even notice they weren't using it. So it sounds like it pedals very well and for those looking for a throttle lever its a bonus.

[@ditto1958]

Oops my bad 😢😇