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Some observations

Started by JedidiahStolzfus, August 07, 2022, 07:45:13 AM

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JedidiahStolzfus

I do like my RR2, but I don't believe that the company is as innovative or plan things on their bike as well as they should.
The frames themselves, are well designed, and they seem strong, although heavy.  But that's ok, I bought mine to as a tool, a cargo bike to go shopping and survive the rigors of being hauled all over the place.
But, there's some issues that I think all their designs are going to have over the years.  One is the lack of stress relief on the wiring at the controller.  Those wires are stretched and bent too tight in that space.  That's eventually going to lead to wear and broken wires inside the insulation.  They only needed 1/2 or 1" more to make it better, but I'm sure the bean counters decided that saving those couple of pennies was better than building a long term reliable product.
Availability of spare parts in the next few years.  If they're cutting staff now, while people are still buying bikes like crazy it doesn't bode well for the long term.  If you guys haven't already started sourcing spare parts, do so now.  Especially the parts that you know you'll need, brakes, rotors, tubes and tires.  Source controllers and displays well.  If they go under you'll be needing to buy a new controller that's compatible without cutting into the wiring harness.
Leaving the charger plugged in past full charge.  If it's still supplying voltage once the light turns green, it ain't much.  I haven't measured to see if there's power there or not, but what I noticed today when recharging in the vehicle off the inverter is that once it got to full charge, it stopped drawing lots of current from the inverter.  The charger is still using power, since the LED is lit, but it doesn't seem to actually send anything to the battery.  I'll measure it when I get home today.
The default starting torque from the factory is dangerously low.  When trying to cross busy roads, you need that torque and speed to get you going quickly.  The torque provided by RP is too low, and it relies too much on pedaling to accelerate.  It doesn't need to be bumped up much, just a bit more would be helpful especially on heavy bikes such as these.  With the 35A controller installed, the torque is better tuned to a fast start.  I feel safer trying to get across intersections now.
Possibly more to follow.

Tree

Quote from: JedidiahStolzfus on August 07, 2022, 07:45:13 AM
I do like my RR2, but I don't believe that the company is as innovative or plan things on their bike as well as they should....

If they're cutting staff now, while people are still buying bikes like crazy it doesn't bode well for the long term. 

on the first point, you're forgetting this is a budget bike company.

on the second point, nonsense. What they are doing is exactly what most businesses do to survival in down economies. They'll lay people off, then they'll slowly refill those positions if they're needed, then more layoffs, and so on and so forth.

saying that a reduction in staff during a boom period is ebike buying is an indicator that a company is in trouble is to ignore history and a good deal of the economics of business in general.

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