Best bike experience!I’m an active person that has been training and participated in various triathlons, 70.3 IM, century rides and with turning soon 61, decided it’s time to find an alternative e-Road or Gravel bike that gives me the boost when I needed but still lets me enjoy being active in group rides with others w/o feeling completely exhausted when joining faster rider groups.I spent a good amount of time before Thanksgiving to look at various brands and options in the market and there are plenty to choose from.I liked a lot of the options but my budget was not to spend $5k or more on a nice carbon e-bike.I count myself very fortunate that I landed on the Ride1Up website, when I found the CF Racer1 e-road or gravel bike model.I was skeptical as I have never heard about them before and I have been riding many different brands from Specialized over Trek, Canyon, Cannondale, Obrea, Scotts to name a few. So my quality and ride expectations were high and after a first test ride (I’m fortunate to live in San Diego where the Ride1Up HQ is), I was more than impressed. Jonathan and Rudy were both super helpful, very knowledgeable and made me very comfortable with the Ride1Up CF racer bike and brand experience.Fast forward, giving the incredible price at no noticeable shortcuts on the bike quality and bike components, I was sold and decided to order online the CF Racer1 (still unsure if I go for the Road or Gravel bike version). The final tipping point for me to go with the gravel version was additional YouTube reviews that I found and Jonathan’s input saying the gravel doesn’t really give any disadvantage over the road version (1mph faster) but gives the rider the benefit of both world, using as a road or gravel bike depending on the terrain and riders like.Delivery experience:I can’t say I was more impressed and delighted with the solid shipping and out of the box experience. The bike was in miraculous condition and the assembly was fun and easy for my daughter and son to help.I was impressed how everything was perfectly tuned, and the small size fits me perfectly (I’m 5.4). I love the color and it looks amazing in sunlight. The only thing I noticed was a small chain rattle noice when shifting in lower gears. I could have tried to adjust the rear derailleur myself but decide to call and bike instead to Jonathan at the Ride1Up store, who was more than happy to check and realign.Riding experience:I went for my first ride with my wife (very strong rider that usually rides +200k/Randonneur) and boy was I happy how the bike performs and fits me. I love how smooth the transition is from biking with your own strength to using the pedal assist.We went for a 45miles bike ride with some +2k elevation (one short stretch 20%) and I used exactly just 1/2 of the battery and could easily see myself riding 90 miles before using up the battery. Even without the pedal assist the bike runs so smoothly (thx to the gravel tires and carbon frame) and fast!Given my riding style is still very involved, some others might see a shorter range but I felt not exhausted at all and still got some good exercise and a lot of fun factor out of my first ride ;)I can’t wait to go on my next ride and although this is the longest review I have ever written I wanted to share this very positive experience and help others that maybe unsure as I was to feel very comfortable with buying the CF Racer1 bike.Job well done Ride1Up and big compliments to the San Diego Ride1Up team Jonathan and Rudy - you guys rock!Sizing: I’m 5.4 feet, 138lb and this small size bike fits me like a glove. I did minor adjustments to the seat height and moved a little forward.I have some tips for improvements (like other professional reviewers pointed out) I.e. location of the push buttons, adding an easy cable disconnect for the motor to help with flat tire repairs in the rear.
