Ride1Up adds throttle to its popular low-cost electric bike
Unlike in much of Europe and Asia, electric bikes sold in the United States can benefit from the inclusion of a hand throttle, which allows riders to power an e-bike’s motor without pedaling. These make up the vast majority of e-bikes in the US, and now the value electric bike maker Ride1Up is bringing that throttle to one of its only e-bikes that was missing one: the Ride1Up Roadster V2 Gravel Edition.
At just US $1,095, the Ride1Up Roadster V2 is perhaps one of the best deals on a belt-drive electric bike anywhere in the country.
When its upgraded Gravel Edition launched after the original bike’s release, the new version saw improved brakes and a higher quality Gates carbon belt drive added, though the price walked up a couple hundred bucks to accomodate the higher quality parts.
Now it looks like the company has made one more key addition to the Ride1Up Roadster V2 Gravel Edition: a thumb throttle.
The added throttle is likely an optional accessory that can be added or removed, so those that prefer to pedal or keep their e-bikes in pure Class 3 mode (the bike tops out at 24 mph or 38 km/h) can do so. And of course the throttle can simply be ignored as well by those that prefer using pedal assist most of the time but relying on throttle backup for extra steep hills or getting rolling on inclines (this is a single speed e-bike, after all).
The throttle-enabled options looks to be a bit pricier at US $1,345, though this is still one of the most affordable Gates belt drive e-bikes anywhere on the market. Those Gates belts are prized for their long lifespans, silent operation, maintenance-free use and higher average lifetime efficiency than chains.
The lightweight 33 lb (15 kg) e-bike comes in two frame sizes (small and large) to accomodate more riders. The Roadster V2 Gravel Edition offers a sporty ride stance, gravel-ready tires and Tektro mechanical disc brakes.
The 350W motor (500W peak) is matched with an equally modest 36V 7Ah battery for 25 Wh of capacity. It’s not a particularly large battery, but it fits the lightweight and efficient design of the bike. On moderate pedal assist, riders can expect 30 miles (48 km) of range, though high power riding will drop that range. Throttle-only riding will also tax the battery more quickly. A second auxiliary battery can be added though, mounting like a water bottle on the frame and doubling the bike’s range. The bike is so light and easy to ride though that pedaling without any battery power is still quite easy.
Along with the throttle, Ride1Up has launched a new colorway option for the Roadster V2 Gravel Edition known as Stardust.
It’s been a big year for colorway updates from e-bike brands, many of which have focused on launching smaller updates to existing models instead of rolling out new models – though Ride1Up has bucked that trend with several new model releases recently.
Himiway also launched new colorways, though with state-centric themes for California and Florida. Rad Power Bikes saw new color options for the RadRunner, and Ampler Bikes just launched new limited edition pink and blue e-bike colorways as well. Some brands like Electric Bike Company have gone all in on colorways, offering to paint e-bikes literally any color in the rainbow for their customers.
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Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
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