The Ride1Up LMT’D XR E-Bike — CleanTechnica Review
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Ride1Up has cracked the code on delivering some of the best values around in the world of electric bikes in the Core-5 and the 700 Series. With such a great track record, we were eager to spend some time with one of the company’s more premium bikes, the LMT’D. The LMT’D is billed as the bike that was built to deliver “the maximum allowable speed and performance before entering motorcycle territory.”
Its 750 watt continuous, 1,000 watt peak, MXUS motor with 100 Nm of torque definitely bumps up against the legal maximum power output for e-bikes in the US and blows away the maximum motor power limits for would be customers in the EU. It comes in a high-step frame, dubbed the XR, and a step-through frame. Both builds pack the same components and the same fully integrated 672 Wh, 14Ah Reention battery pack. We opted for the XR frame in the Sand color for our review and were pleasantly surprised at just how good its livery looked in person. Having said that, let’s cut open the box and see what this thing can do.
Disclaimer: Ride1Up provided the LMT’D to the author free of charge for the purposes of this review.
Before the bike arrived, it was clear from the specs alone that the Ride1Up LMT’D raises the bar in a few key areas. Notably, the dual piston hydraulic Tektro brakes, the 750 watt continuous / 1,000 watt peak power motor, and the Schwalbe Super Moto X tires provide a solid foundation for a high performance electric bike. On the other hand, the RST Asteria Air Fork isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s perfectly fine for the occasional burst of trail work.
When the bike arrived in Ride1Up’s typical undersized bike box, we eagerly popped the tape and started assembly. Across its range of electric bikes, Ride1Up opts to ship its bikes without the forks installed. This translates to a more compact shipping package, but about twice the amount of assembly time compared to most electric bikes.
We rate the assembly of the LMT’D as intermediate and highly recommend all but the most experience bicycle mechanics send it to a local bike shop for assembly. We’re not mechanics, but we do have more experience putting bikes together, so we took on the task head-on. It took us just over an hour to get the bike put together in preparation for its maiden voyage.
After a few hours on the charger to get its battery topped up, we hit the road for a ride around town. With e-bikes packing so much more capability to travel farther and faster, braking is foundational to our testing. Right out of the gate, the hydraulic brakes on the LMT’D were pleasantly firm and provided a rapid braking response as the dual piston calipers clamped down onto the 180mm calipers.
When blasting down the hill at the start of our testing route, the oversized 27.5″ x 2.4″ Schwalbe Super Moto X tires provided satisfying amount of traction and control. As we feathered the brakes, the combination tread engaged the asphalt and brought the speed down without breaking traction.
Heading off the paved road, the tires proved their capability on dirt. The cross tread is great for our hard packed trails here in Southern California, but owners looking to tackle softer trails or mud will definitely want to swap them out for tires with more meat on them. They’re perfect for the LMT’D as it is built to be a fully capable urban city slayer mountain bike.
Up top, the LMT’D boasts a fairly basic color display that gives you everything you need without having to carry around any extra bulk. The left-mounted buttons on the display make it easy to raise and lower the pedal assist level and hold down the + button to turn the light on. The throttle sits just under the display, ready to summon bursts of power from the motor. We love throttles for getting started after stopping and powering up small inclines.
Speaking of power, the Ride1Up LMT’D boasts a powerful 750 watt continuous, 1,000 watt peak power MXUS rear hub motor with 100 Nm of torque. As our route left the flatlands, we found the tuning of the motor to be gentle at the lower assist levels with enough nuance to make it a solid platform for casual weekend use or even for a more spirited commute.
As we neared the end of our test route, we pushed the motor to its limits, powering up 600 feet of elevation gain in just over half a mile. The motor stepped up to the challenge, summoning an impressive amount of torque and power to carry us up the hill without having to push my body to the limit. It’s the ideal test for any motor, and the Ride1Up LMT’D was more than up to the task.
At the end of our test route, we had exhausted more of the battery capacity than expected as a result of all the fun we had with the motor. In subsequent rides, we found the battery was more than sufficient to deliver pedal assist support for the 30-50 miles of range suggested by the manufacturer at the lower assistance levels.
As on any electric vehicle, the actual range you’ll get depends on rider weight, amount of assistance being provided by the motor, temperature, and terrain. This isn’t a cop-out by any means. It’s a simple acknowledgement that I can easily drain the battery by blasting around town for 15 miles on pedal assist level 5, up and down hills. Similarly, I could easily extend that range to 50 miles by keeping assist levels to 1 on one of my favorite routes up the very gentle bike path from Ventura to Ojai and back.
At $1,899, buyers should not expect a premium electric bike when considering the Ride1Up LMT’D. Premium manual bikes that don’t even have any electric assist easily push into the thousands of dollars, with some of the top end bikes pushing up and over the $10,000 mark. Having said that, the LMT’D is one of the better electric bikes we’ve reviewed in the $1,500 to $2,000 segment, even boasting components we’d only expect to see on bikes pushing $2,500.
We had a blast running around town on the LMT’D and see it as a great commuter platform with plenty of power for just about anything your commute may throw at it. For more information about the Ride1Up LMT’D or to purchase one for yourself, head over to its official website here.
All images credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
Ride1Up LMT’D XR E-Bike Specs
- Motor: MXUS 750W geared rear hub motor w/100Nm torque
- Battery: 672 Wh, 14Ah, 48V Reention Eel Pro pack w/ Samsung Cells
- Range: Up to 30-50 miles per charge
- Sensor: Cadence sensor
- Assistance: 5 levels of pedal assistance with left-mounted thumb throttle
- Class: Class 3 ebike with throttle assistance up to 20 mph and pedal assistance up to 28 mph
- Frame: Aluminum alloy
- Brakes: Tektro Orion 4-piston hydraulic calipers w/180mm rotors
- Fork: RST Asteria Air Suspension 80mm Travel
- Tires: Schwalbe Super-Moto X 27.5” x 2.4”
- Handlebars:
- ST Frame: City/Café Upright Handlebars
- XR Frame (as reviewed): 31.8mm Riser Bars, 50mm Rise
- Mechanical Drivetrain: Shimano 8-speed Rapidfire Plus w/ Altus Derailleur and 11-32T cassette
- Saddle: Selle Royal Freeway plush gel
- Seat Post: Promax 350mm x 31.6mm
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