In case you can’t discover it, construct it. That’s the mantra Kevin Dugger lived by when he based Ride1Up in 2018. Rising up in a Dutch family, Dugger found the deserves of biking from a younger age. That have paid dividends in school, the place the Political Science main repaired previous bikes to make ends meet.

After numerous hours within the storage, Dugger realized to tell apart high-quality elements from cut price basement bits. Looking the marketplace for an inexpensive but premium electrical bicycle, Dugger quickly realized that bang-for-buck not often goes hand-in-hand with top-of-the-line. So, the enterprising fanatic leveraged his mechanical know-how to construct his first e-bike. That maiden prototype gave rise to Ride1Up, and the San Diego, California-based model continues to raise its merchandise to at the present time.

From the minimalistic Roaster to the versatile Prodigy, Ride1Up’s lineup affords intensive choices – all for below $2,500. That price-conscious vary already boasts its fair proportion of commuters, cruisers, and metropolis bikes, so the startup lately skilled its scope on the favored moped-styled e-bike class. Ride1Up isn’t treading calmly both, coming into the uber-competitive area with the closely armed REVV 1. However can the rookie outing show fruitful for the agency? We spent a month with the REVV 1 to search out out simply that.

Class Conventions

Most e-bikes of the REVV 1’s ilk borrow from basic bike design; particularly, Sixties café racers. Ride1Up falls headlong into the timeless type with the REVV 1. Whether or not it’s the double-cradle body, the flat bench seat, or the fuel tank-shaped battery pack, the mannequin’s silhouette is unmistakably moto. Even slotted facet panels tie the REVV 1 nearer to its stylistic supply materials. The e-bike doesn’t simply draw from motorcycling’s design nicely for its aesthetics, although.

Ride1Up additionally readies the REVV 1 for the street with a spherical LED headlight, standalone entrance blinkers, and indicators built-in into the taillight. Although a lot of the class’s rivals favor a thumb throttle, a twist throttle honors genuine bike operations. The REVV 1 even goes so far as to undertake a tachometer-style watt meter inside its 3.5-inch reverse LCD show.

Beneath all that moto-informed type, the REVV 1 adheres to e-bike conventions. That features a 52-volt, 20-amp-hour Samsung energy cell that Ride1Up claims nets 30-60 miles per cost. The Full Suspension variant (accessible in Onerous Tail trim as nicely) buttresses its alloy tubular body with a preload- and rebound-adjustable, double-crown fork and a rebound-adjustable DNM AOY-38RC rear shock. Ride1Up then shods the mannequin’s six-spoke solid wheels in CST Scout all-surface tires and outfits the lot with four-piston disc brakes.

In all, the REVV 1 ranks as a handsomely geared up e-moped, however the mannequin’s stout construct high quality additionally leads to a 93-pound curb weight.

May over Matter

All that weight positive doesn’t carry nicely up flights of stairs, however on the go, the REVV 1 makes use of its poundage to its benefit. From velocity bumps to potholes, from pavement to patches of sand, the hefty e-bike plows by practically all terrains. Given the accessible floor clearance, relaxed ergonomics, and restricted wheel journey, I wouldn’t counsel venturing onto real single-track routes. Nonetheless, the mannequin assaults bike-path-adjacent trails with aplomb.

The REVV 1’s stocky stature steamrolls all minor inconsistencies and slight undulations whereas the appropriately sprung suspension absorbs hard-edged hits with nary a chatter. Regardless of its mighty mass, the e-moped can also be keen and able to launch off all curbs and platforms. Count on to generate appreciable momentum to get the bike airborne, however its DNM monoshock virtually ensures a clean touchdown upon landing. For all the advantages of the REVV 1’s burly construct, that further weight additionally presents drawbacks in different arenas.

Joni Mitchell as soon as famously crooned, “You don’t know what you’ve obtained ‘til it’s gone.” That’s the case relating to the REVV 1’s electrical propulsion. With pedal help and the twist throttle on the rider’s beck and name, the e-bike boogies with the very best of them, effortlessly sustaining its 20-mile-per-hour velocity restriction. As soon as that juice runs out, although, each ounce of the mannequin’s 93 kilos slows the trip to a crawl. That snail’s tempo solely decelerates additional when encountering even the slightest incline.

Sadly, the REVV 1’s hill-climbing woes aren’t restricted to pedal-powered ascents both. To maintain the mannequin from surpassing its Class-2 velocity restrict, Ride1Up applications the drivetrain to neuter energy to the again wheel upon descent. Nonetheless, the system doesn’t reapply the wattage as quickly because the rider begins scaling the following incline. As a substitute, the REVV 1 awaits a dip in velocity earlier than kicking again into gear. On one event, the speedometer plummeted from 24 mph to 13 mph – successfully scrubbing off all my downhill momentum – earlier than pedal help aided my final uphill gasp. The e-moped could also be sluggish on the uphill uptake, however it will possibly additionally get forward of itself as nicely.

Two Steps Ahead, One Step Again

To launch the REVV 1 out of the beginning blocks, Ride1Up tunes its 750W motor to ship 95 Newton meters (70.1 pound-feet) of torque. The issue is the REVV 1 pours on all that pull on the slightest tug of the throttle. Pedal help ranges 5 and 4 produce an identical impact, sending the e-bike jolting ahead away from a cease. Happily, settings 3 by 1 spare your neck muscle mass with progressively smoother torque utility. That multi-level pedal help could counsel various vary figures, but every setting primarily alters acceleration.

All 5 profiles arrive on the REVV 1’s 20-mph velocity restrict; they simply get there at totally different charges. Because of this, ranges 3 by 5 return related mileage. Until intersections dominate your route, most customers received’t profit from the eco-minded settings both. On common, the LCD sprint reported that I traveled 24 miles earlier than draining the 994-watt-hour battery. Which will appear modest for an influence cell of that dimension, however keep in mind, it’s pushing practically 100 kilos of metallic and 165 kilos of man. So as to add to the issue, the REVV 1’s odometer additionally sells itself brief.

After driving my customary testing route, the e-bike’s journey meter logged simply 17 miles. A fast examine of Google Maps later confirmed that my journey truly spanned 26 miles. Making use of that algebraic components to my 24-mile common pushes the REVV 1’s single-charge vary nearer to 35 miles. That complete higher aligns with Ride1Up’s claimed vary (although it doesn’t practically fulfill the 60-mile max). On one other notice, the show’s distance dissonance doesn’t bode nicely for adventures off the overwhelmed path. For that motive, I clung to well-tread trails, particularly with the sprint’s lopsided battery energy estimates.

The REVV 1’s easy but efficient LCD display screen positions the remaining cost icon within the top-right nook. With 5 bars comprising the readout, I anticipated every bar to characterize 20 p.c of the battery’s capability. Suffice it to say, I assumed mistaken. After clocking 20 miles (in keeping with the show), solely two cost bars disappeared. To my shock, the third and fourth bars solely accounted for 2 miles every whereas the ultimate bar began blinking after lower than one mile. In fact, the REVV 1’s skewed mile measurements don’t assist its argument on this case, however homeowners ought to pay attention to the quark earlier than setting out on longer journeys.

Conclusion

Even with these detractions, I totally loved my time with Ride1Up’s REVV 1. Positive, the downhill-to-uphill energy administration, odometer, battery meter, and restricted vary go away a lot to be desired. However, on the flip facet, I usually ignored these foibles because of the enjoyable issue alone. The mannequin’s sturdy construct high quality and full suspension dealt with each wheelie, bounce, and skid I may throw at it. To that impact, the REVV 1 is right here for a great time, not a very long time (distance not period).

Beginning at simply $2,395, that’s on no account a nasty factor. Ride1Up’s vary is already chockful of sensible commuters. These in search of a greater steadiness between enterprise and pleasure, between work and leisure, will gravitate towards the REVV 1. Sure, the mannequin stumbles in particular areas, however Ride1Up definitely upholds its bang-for-buck mantra with the freshman entry. We hope the model additional refines the REVV 1 with future generations, nevertheless it ought to maintain its personal within the cluttered e-moped section for now.

Purchase:

Ride1Up solely sells the REVV 1, or any mannequin for that matter, on the corporate’s web site. Every unit arrives partially assembled and requires about an hour of set up time. Whereas the REVV 1 goes head-to-head with different moto-inspired e-bikes just like the lately reviewed Super73 S2, PEDAL Electrical’s AWD III and Juiced Bikes’ HyperScrambler 2 occupy the identical worth vary.