[jmatero]

Mine was just delivered!

 

[skelem]

Mine was just delivered!

Please give us some first impressions

 

[jmatero]

Some first impressions. The tires are tall and soak up the bumps well and the seat is very comfortable. Like all Harley-Davidsons, the paint is spectacular. I have a Tesla Model Y in white and it matches that color almost exactly. One thing you don't see on the website is that the Speed includes a graphic under the clear coat on the top of the frame that includes the model name. (See attached pic).

I'll start off by saying the delivery was a little odd. FragilePak gave me a window of 8am-12pm and said they would call 30mins before delivery. They will stay for up to 10 minutes and move the box into the first room in your house or into your garage at which point you sign for delivery. I was home all day... no call, no knock at the door, no doorbell. I just happened to go outside to get the mail and found the box in the driveway, in plain view from the street, in front of my garage door. Never even signed for it. I gave Serial 1 and FragilePak feedback.

That said, the box was pristine with the exception of one end that looked slightly pushed in. When I removed the top, the rear fender was contacting the box so was all scuffed and the rear fender rack had paint rubbed off on both sides down to metal. The fender was also off-center so it was touching on side of the frame, with a big gap on the other. It was also not mounted straight in the rear by the rear lights but that was an easy adjustment. Also found the handlebars were not perpendicular to the front wheel but that was an easy adjustment. Other than that, everything was packed perfectly and there was no other damage to the bike.

I suggest you download the latest version of the owners manual from Serial 1 and follow those instructions vs. the YouTube video. There are minor changes to the instructions not mentioned in the video:

1. The included torque wrench is different and much harder to see. It is made of metal, however, so it may be more robust in the long-term.
2. My bike came with 2 pairs of coded keys (4 matching keys in total). Nice!
3. Front and rear tires were virtually flat and the threaded collars on the valve stems were almost completely unthreaded. FYI, the recommended tire pressure is 30psi.
4. The wheel reflectors are of a different design and are attached to a spoke in the center, and then by screws/clamps at either end. Oh, and you only get one shot at positioning those reflectors. Make sure they are exactly where you want them because once you twist the fastening center screw, it's locked in place for good.
5. While the box was designed to be a stand in order to attach the front wheel, the weight of the bike proved too much. The box collapsed and I ended up placing it on a dirt bike stand.
6. Attaching the front fender/rack was the most time-consuming part of the assembly. The instructions and video don't share that there is only one way to get it between the forks. I would advise you to protect the inside of the forks because when the fender is in the right position to be bolted into place at the top, the four fender arms contact the forks and can easily scratch them. In addition, it is close to impossible to use the included torque wrench or multitool to cinch the bolt down. There is not enough space to get more than maybe 1/16th of a turn at a time.

Once fully assembled, I took a good look and it's just a beautiful design. The pictures don't do it justice and it's hard to mistake it for another bike. I also have a Specialized Turbo Como ebike and the quality is outstanding. Comparing the two, there are a few things I saw that Serial 1 can improve upon:

1. The charge port rubber cover needs a rethink. I understand that it is mounted low and needs to seal in order to protect the port but I don't see this staying in place after more than a couple of charges.
2. The battery keyed latch is not spring-loaded: you twist it fully to unlock the battery, and to reinsert it, you'll need 2 hands... one to turn the key to lock and the other to press the battery down hard in order for the lock to engage.
3. The battery has a large gap around it and can be moved easily left/right so if you have OCD, insert it straight when you lock it down! LOL
4. I also don't think the glovebox door will stand up long term. The rubber key cover won't lay flat after opening it twice and it's held on at the top by a rubber strap.
5. The bell is a joke (that's not limited to Serial 1.... it's all bikes)
6. The weight of both bikes is about the same but when lifting the bike, the Serial 1 is very tail-heavy while the specialized was so balanced you could lift it with one hand. I'm assuming the Enviolo automatic rear hub is the culprit.

I feel like all I've done is whine about what's wrong up to now but there's one more thing I want to mention you may want to look into when yours arrives. That's the Enviolo automatiq app. If you don't know already, the Enviolo shift hub in the rear wheel has a lighted button and built-in bluetooth. You can pair the hub to your phone and adjust the cadence, shift speed, update firmware, and even put the bike in manual mode and manually shift into 9 different "virtual gears" right from the app. The reason I'm mentioning this is because I found on my first ride, the bike wasn't shifting into a high enough "gear" so I was constantly pedaling at a super high rate but not getting above 15-18mph. It also seemed to be constantly trying to find the right ratio. So, I installed the app, paired the bike to the phone, and was immediately prompted to update the firmware, and then recalibrate the system (pedaling with no power assist for about 20 seconds), which I did. Unfortunately, there was no change in the operation of system so I reached out to Serial 1 and they advised me to adjust the app settings to COMFORT shifting vs SPORT and reduce the cadence from the default 75 to 60. This transformed the bike. I assume the reduction in cadence will reduce milage, but for me it's worth it. It's a joy to ride now.

I'm very happy I went with the medium frame. I'm 5'9" and could have gone large, but the medium feels just perfect. And did I say the metallic white paint is SPECTACULAR?

I contacted Serial 1 support about the fender issues and they assured me it would be addressed!

 

[jmatero]

Another quick update. Serial 1 support was fantastic at addressing this. They already sent out a replacement rack/fender.

 

[FrankPaolino]

The unpacking was exactly what I found, especially the “freewheeling” experience until I paired with the enviolo and adjusted the cadence.

when you areout for a ride, tell me if you can get to 28 mph (be careful, that is very fast). Support said there are no known isues, but I couldn’t get past 24 mph and I was pedaling like I was being chased by a bear. They recommended that I shut off the motor at 24 mph and if I immediately slow down, then I am in fact getting power. I am going to test that today and will report back.

 

[jmatero]

…tell me if you can get to 28 mph (be careful, that is very fast). Support said there are no known isues, but I couldn’t get past 24 mph and I was pedaling like I was being chased by a bear. They recommended that I shut off the motor at 24 mph and if I immediately slow down, then I am in fact getting power. I am going to test that today and will report back.

I have yet to find anyone online able to get above 23 or 24. My Specialized will hit 28 easily in the highest gear and boost settings. I suspect that if I return the cadence to the stock 75, manually set the gear to 9 and pedal in boost, I’d probably hit 28. Honestly, on every ride I’m questioning what the point was of going with the Speed if just getting to 20 is such a chore.

 

[Gman]

I was able to easily get the Rush/CTY up to 20 MPH when I test rode it at the dealership. I should have my bike by the end of this month and will be testing as well. Agree with the assessment, I went with the speed specifically for the Class 3 designation. I have to believe the motors are plenty powerful enough (from what I read on the Brose website), so it might just be software / CVT issue?

Brose ebike drives

 

[jmatero]

Yes, my speed is not working like the one I demoed. I was on the speed demo and within 5 minutes got on my phone and ordered. I have yet to read a review of the speed from an owner happy with how it’s setup out of the box. Be interesting to know what the enviolo settings were on the demos.

 

[skelem]

Could you open a case with support and see what they say?