Ride1UP Roadster V2 Review: The Commuter E-Bike That Zips Under The Radar

The Roadster V2 is an e-bike from Ride1UP, that has been designed with the urban commuter in mind. For the most part, this electric bike looks like just like any other stylish non-electric commuter bike.

It’s only when you start to unleash the e-bike’s full pedal-assist speed, while effortlessly cycling uphill that onlookers (and other cyclists that you pass) may start to realize that this is no ordinary bike – this is a stealth commuter ebike.

In this Ride1UP Roadster V2 review, I’m going to share my experiences riding this ride1up electric bike, give an overview of its key features, what makes it stand out from the competition.

I’ll also share where you can buy it with some advice on sizing, and finally my review summary with pros and cons and a score out of 10.

Keep reading to the end of this post where I’ll answer some FAQs and leave you with some more photos of this beautiful commuter ebike to drool over.

Within the next couple of days, I will add be a hands-on video review demonstrating the ebike’s acceleration, top speed, and a walk-through of the features and how the handlebar digital dial works.

To read our other electric bike reviews go here: Trail & Kale eBike reviews. Grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy this in-depth Ride1UP electric bike review.

Ride1UP Roadster V2 Review: Table of Contents

• What’s it like riding the Ride1UP electric bike?
• Key features
• More about the ‘Gravel Edition’ of this bike
• Where to buy the Roadster V2 commuter ebike
• Hands-on video review
• Roadster V2 Review summary
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Image gallery

What’s it like riding the Ride1UP Roadster V2 eBike

My first experience with an eBike was with the Rad Power Bikes eBike, the RadRunner. That experience put a huge grin on my face; it was so much fun and a truly exhilarating experience.

That first eBike ride set me on a path to review other electric bikes to see how the experience could differ from frame to frame, motor to motor, and wheel to wheel.

Skip forward to today, where I have the pleasure of reviewing the Ride1UP Roadster V2, a totally new electric bike riding experience for me due to the style of the bike.

This is a commuter e-bike that better resembles a standard bicycle that isn’t motorized in any way.

In fact, I’d go as far as saying that the Roadster V2 is a bit of a stealth eBike because the battery and motor are so well hidden in the 6061 Aluminum Alloy Frame (the 36V battery and electric components are integrated into it).

The motor is also joyously quiet, and the digital handlebar dial is so compact that it’s nice and discreet.

There’s no throttle on this e-Bike, which means the only electric boost you get comes from peddle-assist, meaning you have to be pedaling to get the motor to kick in. You can also ride it without any assisted power.

The Roadster V2 has a great riding experience when cycling on flat roads with 0% gradient, and downhills, but can provide a challenge when an uphill gradient surpasses 10 percent or so.

This is because the bike only has a 64/20T Single Speed Toptrans Belt Drive – or in layman’s terms a single gear bike with 64 teeth in the belt drive, and 20 on the rear cog.

What is a single-speed bicycle, and what are their advantages/disadvantages?

Single-speed bikes are really good for certain situations (and riders), but they also have some disadvantages when compared to geared alternatives.

Having only a simple gear operating on a simple mechanism makes them generally cheaper than geared bikes.

They also use fewer components which means there are fewer parts to break and wear out. This means fewer repair costs over time.

Single-speed bikes are generally the better option if you like a challenge and are happy to have to pedal with more power (and with a lower cadence) when gradients show up.

They are also more lightweight than geared bikes which makes them easier to maneuver on plain roads, and also easier to transport when you need to carry the bike onto a bus, train, or up to your work office.

Electric bikes are generally much heavier than non-motorized bikes, so anywhere there is an opportunity to reduce their weight, this is a good thing.

The disadvantages of single-speed bikes are that they cannot be pedaled efficiently due to their single gearing range.

That makes it harder for cyclists to maneuver around tight corners or cycle uphill. They are also limited in top speed due to the single gear being a limiter of sorts.

This is not to be confused with a fixie bike or ‘fixed gear’ bike where the pedals spin regardless of whether or not you are pedaling.

This is often problematic for riders so I’m thankful that the Roadster V2 is not a fixie!

BUT WAIT – Ride1UP has got around those disadvantages by adding a geared hub motor to do all the hard work for you when you need it.

The Roadster V2 really does have the best of both worlds when it comes to a lightweight design, a fixed gear riding experience on the flats with or without the assisted power, and then the geared motor to help you maneuver around tight corners, or ride uphill.

My experience so far with this Ride1UP model has been great – the bike holds battery charge well, is very responsive, easy to use, lightweight, and a lot of fun to ride.

That last point being one of the most important, in my mind.

The 36V 7.0ah Samsung 35e Cells battery lasts for a very long time (read on for more details on battery life, mileage, and charge time), and for daily usage around town, I haven’t been left worrying that I need to charge the battery.

A lot of the time I find myself using the pedal assist setting of 2 or 3 (it goes up to 5), as I find it’s a good balance between me wanting to do some exercise (without getting sweaty), and getting more than enough speed that feels like I’m respecting other bike path users when I pass them, by not riding too fast.

I mention being courteous because the Roadster V2 is a Class 3 electric bike, with pedal assist up to 24 mph – which is pretty fast when riding on flat roads/bike paths.

To learn more about electric bike laws around the world, and to see what power/speed options are allowed in your country, read this helpful Wikipedia article.

Speaking of speed, how well does the Roadster come to a standing stop? Well, even though the ebike doesn’t have disk brakes (it uses Tektro R315 Dual Pivot rim brakes) – it stops remarkably well when I need it to.

This I’m sure is in part due to the lightweight nature of the bike.

What’s the riding position like?

The Ride1UP Roadster V2 has a great riding position that is especially comfortable when using it as a commuter bike with a full backpack on your back.

There are two different frame sizes available, and as a quick way to know which one is for you, go for the 58cm frame if your height sits between 5’8″ and 6’3″.

For reference, I’m 5’8″ tall and have the 58cm frame in matte black. If you’re shorter than 5’8″, then go for the 52-inch frame.

The Ride1UP Roadster V2 product page has full details on things like handlebar height, reach, maximum/minimum seat height, stand-over height, and seat tube length.

The saddle is soft and ergonomic enough for your rear end not to feel sore after longer rides, which is important because as this bike does not have any suspension on it.

You can adjust the saddle up, down, forward, and back, as you would expect.

The handlebars can also be adjusted up and down, so this should give most people enough flexibility to get a riding position that works well for them.

Watch my video below to get a better understanding of what the ride position is like – and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more eBike and outdoor gear reviews you can trust.

I don’t have any accessories for the Roadster V2 yet but the phone mount looks like it would be useful to have, in case you need to quickly access your smartphone for a call, or you are using it to follow directions for example.

Other nice-to-have accessories would be lights, fenders, and a kickstand.

Are the handlebars comfortable?

Considering the simple handlebar design, they are pretty comfortable. I mean there’s no ergonomics here but the pattern on the rubber grips does make the handlebars, very grippy, and padded to the touch.

How stable is this electric bicycle when riding off-road?

Yeah, don’t go buying this bike expecting to have an enjoyable ride off-road because that’s just a unicorn you’re never going to catch.

But that’s ok, this commuter bike wasn’t designed for off-road use, and that should be obvious from the lack of gears, suspension, and fat tires.

If however, you’re looking to ride on a lot of gravel, then I definitely recommend going for the Roadster V2 ‘Gravel Edition’.

This alternative to the standard Roadster V2 features lower gearing (and a slightly lower top speed) to reduce the chances of spinning out when accelerating, a single-speed Gates belt drive, Tektro disc brakes, and WTB gravel tires.

Is the electric motor noisy?

The motor is super quiet while riding but not silent, no electric bike is, especially an electric bike that has a peak power of 500w.

To get an understanding of the level of noise, check out my video at the bottom of this review.

Key features and specifications that matter (and some that don’t exist)

1. It doesn’t look like an e-bike, and its relatively lightweight

As mentioned briefly earlier, the Roadster V2 really doesn’t look like a typical electric commuter bike – AND I LOVE IT FOR IT!

Having a discreet electric commuter bike is in my opinion, a fairly untapped market when it comes to real contenders.

So when an attractive stealthy commuter bike like the Ride1UP Roadster V2 comes along, for a smidge over $1000 I might add, suddenly my attention is caught.

E-bikes are notoriously more attractive to bicycle thieves, so the less you can make a bike look like an e-bike, the less likely you’ll be a target to the common street thief.

The bike itself only weighs in at 33lbs (and can take a total weight capacity of 275lbs), which to me is very impressive because most of my electric bike experience to date has been with more bulky-style bikes which are considerably heavier.

Check my video review out for a demonstration of me lifting the bike, if you have no reference point to how much 33lbs is.

Lightweight bikes have the advantage of being able to pick them up easily when mounting them, or lifting them onto public transport for example.

2. Battery power and life

You can get a lot of usage out of the Roadster’s 36V 7.0ah Samsung 35e Cells battery.

It takes from 2-4 hours to charge up the battery and you can typically go 20-30 miles on one charge, depending on rider weight, terrain, incline, and level of power assist being used.

The battery doesn’t appear to be removable, so that means you’ll either have to charge your Ride1UP Roadster V2 in the garage, or carry into your house and charge it there. Just as well it’s a lightweight bike, eh?! 🙂

3. The LCD display panel

The LCD display is a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I love that it’s discreet and super simple to use but on the other hand, the small display also means there are small buttons.

These buttons can be a little tricky to locate on the fly while riding, especially if you’re wearing gloves during colder riding conditions.

My other issue is that there is no backlight on the display, so you’re a bit stuffed at night.

Oh, and if you tend to wear polarized sunglasses, they will completely wipe out the display when you look directly at it, meaning it will appear as though it is switched off.

It is super simple to use, however, which is nice especially if you’re new to electric bikes.

It has 5 levels of pedal assist which you cycle through with the up and down buttons, and it will tell you your speed, and how far you’ve gone. Oh, it also tells you how much battery you have left.

There’s also a tiny bell next to the digital display to alert other road or cycle path users that you’re about to zip past them. 😉

4. 4x Features that I wish the bike would ship with.

I don’t ask for much, and although the Roadster V2 is very reasonably priced for what you get, I would still like to see the bike ship with the 4 following features – who knows, maybe this will become an option for the Ride 1UP Roadster V3.

1. A kickstand – This would be all kinds of useful to have.
2. Lights – Having the bike ship with lights already connected up to the battery would be great.
3. Fenders – these would be great for riding in the wet so that I don’t end up covered in dirt. I guess Ride1UP must be encouraging its Roadster riders not to ride in very wet conditions, even though the bike is water-resistant, rated to IP65.
4. A backlight on the LCD screen – so that I can see things like the remaining battery charge, and the assist level I’m using while riding at night.

The Roadster V2 has a Gravel Edition – Here’s what you need to know about it

For those who are interested in a slightly more off-road version of this bike, the Roadster V2 Gravel Edition is the best choice – although it’s not designed for true off-road use, it will make riding on gravel much safer, and enjoyable.

The Gravel version of the Roadster v2 features lower gearing, a single-speed Gates belt drive, Tektro disc brakes, WTB gravel tires, internal Samsung Cells, a compact LCD display, and a fully smoothed alloy frame. Oh, it’s also $200 more expensive than the standard version.

Ride1up.com

$1,345.00 out of stock

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Where to buy the Ride1UP Roadster V2 Commuter ebike

You can buy the Roadster V2 directly from ride1up.com for $1,045, which I think is excellent value for money for an electric bike that offers all that this one does.

If you ride a lot in urban environments and are looking for an ebike that offers great speed, good hill-climbing ability, and a stealth look that won’t draw attention to your bike then you really can’t go wrong with the Roadster V2 commuter ebike.

Ride1up.com

$895.00 out of stock

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Video review

Roadster V2 Review Summary

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Frequently asked questions

Image Gallery

I hope you enjoyed this Ride1UP review, if you have any questions for me about the bike, please leave them in the comments below. Happy riding!!