The Ride1Up doesn't just look good – it looks sweet. The matte black frame and gum-wall tires hit me right in the kid-feels. It just needs an old milk crate zip-tied to the cargo rack and it'd look perfect.
To start, it wasn't just me testing the ebike. "Wifey," as I call her, has much more experience riding ebikes than I do (and is more opinionated than I am? Am I allowed to say that?), and I have a friend who rides almost daily on her uber-expensive, carbon fiber setup but has somehow never ridden an ebike before. I've smooshed our combined thoughts together into this review.
The Prodigy V2 has some solid tech in it for a US$2,000 (normally $2,495) machine, starting with the heart of it: a 36-volt Brose mid-drive motor. The German automotive supplier company has been around for a while and is well known for its reliable, smooth, quiet, and powerful mid-drive motors. The Prodigy V2 does not disappoint in that department, cranking out 66 lb-ft (89 Nm) of pedal-assist fury – but quiet enough that you can barely hear it while you hamster away at the pedals.
Though, there is a slight "quirk" when shifting gears that takes a little bit of getting used to ... The Prodigy V2 uses a shift sensor that briefly cuts power to the motor when you change gears on the 9-speed Shimano cassette to alleviate wear and tear on the drivetrain. How/why? Well, the motor pumps out about 380% more torque than what you're likely capable of – it's like strapping a pro-level sprinter to your pedals with no off switch. That kind of hard-hitting toque just wants to break chains and shear cogs, so taking the load off while shifting keeps that from happening. It's a bit annoying when you're pedaling uphill and need to downshift, but better than snapping chains, for sure. There's always a price to pay for big torque numbers like that, I suppose.
Another feature that's pretty nifty for a relatively inexpensive ebike is air-charged fork suspension. Not something normally seen at this lower price point. It can be tuned to match your weight and riding style simply by increasing or decreasing the air pressure. It has a suspension lockout too, if that's what you're into. With minor adjustments, we found that it soaks up bumps adequately up front with its 100-mm of travel, but the bike is still a hard-tail, so don't expect a plush ride if you're on cobblestone streets or anywhere in Louisiana, really.
The V2 comes equipped with 27.5-inch wheels shod in Maxxis Rekon Race, 2.25-inch wide, gum-wall rubber (I love gum-walls, did I mention that?). Not quite a full mountain-bike-type setup, but fantastic for grip on and off road. "Better than expected," was the consensus when talking about grip levels on gravel and compact sand.
The four-piston Tektro Orion 4P hydraulic brakes on 180-mm rotors will get you stopped in a hurry. Both front and rear brakes have great feel on the levers, too. No cable-pull brakes for this ride. While the Tektro might not be a particularly high-end brake setup, it still performs wonderfully, and replacement pads can be found for around 20 bucks.
The bike is offered in both chain and belt-drive setups, with the belt paired to an Enviolo CVT hub for seamless ratio changes. We tested out the old school chain-drive on the XR frame version, so I haven't a clue what the belt drive is like, though I'm pretty curious. There's also an ST frame with a lower top tube for easier step-through on both the chain and CVT variants.
The saddle and seating position were the areas of the bike we unanimously agreed could be better. The pedals sit pretty much under you, which is fine for short cruises, but could be set further forward for better ergonomics. And while the stock Selle Royal Viento saddle looks good, it won't win any comfort awards. It's just good enough on shorter spins, but the wifey says it's flat-out terrible – too hard, too narrow, too uncomfortable. My cyclist-friend wasn't impressed either, mostly with the lack of enough adjustability. Perhaps more adjustability on the seat to move it further back would fix all those issues. Realistically, swapping out for your preferred saddle is something most people are going to do anyway, so this isn't really a deal-breaker.
A quick look at the numbers:
- Brose mid-drive motor with 66 lb-ft (90 Nm) of torque
- Four assist modes: Eco, Tour, Sport, Boost
- Chain or belt drive w/ Enviolo CVT option
- 504-Wh battery
- 30–50-mile (48–80-km) range depending on mode and terrain
- 28-mph (45-km/h) top speed
- IP65 rated
- Front air suspension (100 mm of travel)
- Weight limit: 300 lb (136.1 kg) rider + 40-lb (18-kg) cargo rack
Range and modes:
I think Ride1Up may have been a bit conservative with its range estimates. The bike has over 60 miles (97 km) on the ODO now, and based on start/finish battery levels while testing it out, it seems like the bike will easily hit more than the claimed 30-50 mile (48–80 km) range on a single charge ... at least out here in the flatlands, and depending on your strength, weight and level of assist, of course. Maybe more like 40-70 miles (64–113 km) of range in our tests.
Tour is the sweet spot for cruising while still feeling like you're getting your heart rate up. Sport adds some punch, and Boost is where the bike really takes off and makes you feel heroic. Boost makes the 58-lb (26.8-kg) beast feel light – perfect for hammering a headwind, sit-n-spinnin' some hills, or pulling away from a stop sign with traffic on your tail, honking at you. We saw a top speed of 29.5 mph (47.5 km/h). Eco has its place, if only to simply offset the bike's heft while getting you to your far away destination.
Handling is quick but stable at all speeds. Wifey was confident enough to ride hands-off without it feeling sketchy – something she doesn't generally do.
The bike has an integrated taillight that stays brightly lit at all times – and honestly looks really good – but does not indicate when you're braking. The 80-lux (~300-lumen) headlight is adequate – a bit too spotlight-ish and not a far enough throw, but it gets the job done if you're out and about in the dark. If you're a frequent night rider like I am, just chuck a Knog Blinder on it (which is what I did) and you're pretty much set.
The only consistent gripe about the whole bike, outside of a sore bum, was the on/off switch on the little 1.5-inch display – it's a bit awkward and small and lacks enough texture to easily feel with a bare hand, let alone with a gloved hand. You just have to know exactly where it is, as it's not visible from the cockpit, to long-press it. How long? We're not sure, as it seemed pretty inconsistent in the duration it took to turn it on. Otherwise, the screen has all the information you could ever want or need, from state of charge to speed, cadence and more. It also has Bluetooth, though there's no companion app for the Prodigy V2 … maybe it's a future project? I'd very much like to have stats on my phone or maybe a Bluetooth lockout feature like my scooter has.
Charging isn't the quickest either. The 2-amp charger is going to take you about 7-8 hours to top off the battery from dead. So if you've got a proper commute that's going to kill your battery, you'd better get it charging ASAP if you want a full battery for the ride back ... and as the ebike is a bit of a tank without power, it's not something you'll prefer to pedal unassisted for long. But that's kind of the point of an ebike, right? Something that takes the load off for you.
It's not perfect, but it nails all the essentials: a reliable, quiet mid-drive motor, legit brakes front and rear, beefy wheels and tires, and a fairly relaxed and comfortable riding position. That seat though ...
My cyclist friend says she rides for cardio, so she's not planning on switching to electric any time soon. But she did say, "when friends or family come out, no one wants to ride with me ... but having this bike means they might want to and they can keep up. That alone makes it worth a spot in the garage."
If I could change one thing about the bike, I'd slap a throttle on it. After all, who doesn't want a cheater button now and again and just let the motor do all the work for you? But then it wouldn't be a Class-3 bike anymore, would it?
Ride1Up has a range of bikes from cafe and beach cruisers, carbon fiber racers, Class-2 Monkey-style bikes to retro offroad dirtbikes and everything in between. Or as Tom Segura would say, "...BIKES!"
Source: Ride1Up Prodigy V2
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