GEN3 The Stride Step-Thru 500W E-Bike + Accessory Bundle Expired

It seems that staff has taken over the edits since this went front page. Soo here is my update in comments:

Package arrived today 7/5 via FedEx
It took me about 35 minutes to assemble (I am experienced so take that into account)
*One odd issue was the derailleur protector needed to be bent outwards to allow the bike to shift into lower gears. There was a tag zip-tied to the derailleur to let you know that this step might need to be done.
*Another tip, the disc brakes cable needed to be tightened to create a better stopping power with less effort. There was no warping of rotors or any issues with brakes.

The build quality and parts were much better than I had anticipated for a $900 e-bike considering the price for a replacement battery is $350, they did a good job with the other parts to keep the price down. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Bafang motor which are high quality motors specified as well as the entry level Shimano shifter.

I had test ridden a friend's similar model (KBO Breeze) to the Stride but with a 750W motor and 50miles range, the motor was almost too powerful and the bike was heavier making it a bit unwieldy at first, I like how the 500w on the Stride doesn't make you feel unsafe as you take-off, the 750w was a bit extreme. This is our first e-bike so the 20 mph top end seemed like a good place to start. My son an my wife both tested the bike after I safety checked it and both commented on how much they liked it and it was great to se a big smile on my wife's face as she returned to the driveway after her test ride of her new bike.

KBO Breeze for comparison: https://kbobike.com/products/step...uting-bike

In Summary, at $900 I believe there are not many options in the market that will come close to the value of this bike. I am very exited that my wife will now be more willing to ride with the family when we go on bike cruises. She was reluctant to go as we (me and the boys) were 'too fast' and always felt like she was holding us up. Now we will probably be the ones holding her up

About me: I have 13 bikes at my house between my wife and children. I have been working on bikes for about 15 years as a hobby, and necessity, with my small fleet of bikes. I have bikes ranging from about $450-$5600 (Ibis Ripmo Carbon Fox Factory).

FedEx delivered the Groove today. It was packaged well (tons of foam) and there was no damage. There is some sort of adhesive on the upper rear frame I need to clean off. Assembly was straightforward. The only thing that need adjustment was the stem alignment with the front wheel. I squared it up as well as I could, but the front tire seems to be slightly out of alignment with the midpoint of the frame. Will I return it for that? Probably not, but it is a QA/QC issue I see with lower end bicycles. It's probably much more noticeable on a fat tire bike. Here are my initial impressions after the first ride.

I rode the bike 11 miles with what I think was a fully charged battery (three bars on the indicator). The terrain was a mixture of paved bike trails, hard pack rutted out off road trails, and streets. There were some hills that nearly give me a heart attack on a regular pedal bike, not that I'm in good shape anymore following the COVID weight gain.

Motor: Lots of torque. I'm no expert with e-bikes, but was impressed with the torque off the line and up hills. I've seen others upgrade the motor, but I think this is adequate. I don't see spending another $300-400 for a few more MPH (previous posted in the thread is helpful for this point too). The only disappointment I had was it couldn't throttle me up a steep section of a trail. It's a very difficult section on a pedal bike geared down, so I'm not surprised it struggled.
Fork: Adequate, but not for off road at all. I bottomed it out terribly on the hard pack trails. It will take some minor excursions on trails if you keep it under 10-12 MPH. Anything over that and it bottoms harshly. I honestly think I broke the suspension already doing 15-20 MPH on the trails.
Brakes: Awful, just awful. I followed the break in procedure and even cleaned the rotors with brake cleaner prior to riding. I'll adjust and reassess. I might also soft wheel the rotors with a die grinder and file the pads slightly if I see any glossy areas. This is a cheap upgrade if needed. The motor's speed ability is more than the brakes can handle. That's always a nightmare on a motorcycle.
Handling: This bike has a very very light front end. On the trails, I could easily pop the front tire up going over any sort of bumps or rises in the trail (not what I'd call a jump) . There are two things I will point out with this observation. One, it wheelies easier and two, it under steers. The under steer worries me on trails and it will only be worse with a rear rack installed and loaded up. On the road, its less of an issue, but it won't like a quick turn on a wet road. This handling characteristic makes sense as the bike is long and the battery and motor sit behind the bottom bracket. The Lectric XP 2.0, based on its in frame battery, likely handles more balanced. If you watch the review of a rider taking this on the mountain bike trails, I believe the challenge the rider faced was more due to the light front end than the width of the handle bars and fat tires.
Tires: Noisy as hell on pavement. I'll get slicks if I plan to commute on this bike. Decent traction off road.
Battery Life: I throttled up and down hills, PAS 5, and generally hammered on it, and returned with the display showing full battery. The on battery indicator showed two bars. I think a reasonable commute would be doable on this range without breaking a sweat.
Fit and Finish: The seat is a better stock seat than most cheaper pedal bikes I've ridden. Upgrades are a plenty. Handle bar position is pretty high for trail riding, but otherwise okay. That's just how most of these fold up bikes seem to be designed. The one nasty thing I noticed was the handle bar rocks a little bit in the top clamp. It's a fold up, so its not going to be as firmly mounted as a bolted down stem clamp. The pedals are decent BMX style metal pedals. The controls are easy to use, although the display is very basic. The brake levers seem okay, and have nice rubber inserts. The derailleur worked okay, but I noticed some racket while riding. I think the guard is pushed up against it. Nothing pliers can't fix. It shifted through the gears okay, but I only used 6 and 7 for the entire ride. The motor has the typical RC car sound, but I don't have much to compared against. I think the front chain ring is too small for a faster commute. Once you are up to 18 MPH and PAS 4 or 5, you are racing to keep the pedals turning fast enough to match the assist. The last item I'll mention is the motor controller location. It is not water resistant at all. I do not recommend riding in the rain or even through a minor puddle. The electronics will get wet. This is the biggest design flaw I noticed. The in frame battery bikes are likely much better suited for wet weather and puddles.

Would I recommend, yes, but consider what is important to you. It's a good a multipurpose bike without a major strength or weakness.

The motor controller is at the bottom end of the battery compartment. There are two small screws that hold the black plastic part that houses the contacts. Remove the screws and carefully pull the wiring out. You'll see the motor controller stuffed in there and you'll need to pull that out carefully as it's connected to the wiring harness on the side closer to the bottom bracket. Once you pull the motor controller out get enough, you can access the yellow and green cable to disconnect without needing to disconnect any other wires. You'll need to push the harness back into the tube along with the motor controller being mindful to not pinch the cables out damage the charge port. Place the black plastic part with the contacts and fasten with the screws. Note that one screw is a wood screw style thread and the other is a machine screw. Test all the functions after reassembly (charging and power on/off).