R Martin Limited R10
03-08-09, 12:43 AM
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R Martin Limited R10
Has anyone had any experience with this bike
It seems reasonably priced and decent quality
I'm looking for electronic "assistance" to increase my riding range, I don't need to go 30..40..MPH nor do I have the desire to build my own.
Any info would be appreciated
https://www.rmartinbikes.com/R10_electric_bicycle.html
It seems reasonably priced and decent quality
I'm looking for electronic "assistance" to increase my riding range, I don't need to go 30..40..MPH nor do I have the desire to build my own.
Any info would be appreciated
https://www.rmartinbikes.com/R10_electric_bicycle.html
03-08-09, 10:29 AM
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Hi MTek.
Im not particularily a fan of coiled suspension, unless its on a true downhill MTB, because when I ride on my coiled I just bounce up and down (wasting a lot of my forward energy/momentum). For the price I do not really like this bicycle, but that Is just my opinion (and its greatly biased on the suspension).
A few other options I would check out are the IZIP enlightened series. They placed the battery in the actual downtube of the bike. The downtube is below your center of gravity (making handling easier), its a hardtail (no rear suspension), and has disc brakes. These bikes also have a crank assisted motor like the R10. Another thing you may like is that the mountail trailz and trailz have a 24 speed gearing whereas the R10 seems to only have 7 speed.
https://www.izipusa.com/
they lowered the price on the mountain trailz, not sure why (maybe an 08 model?):
https://www.izipusa.com/11-izip-mount...tric-bike.html
trailz:
https://www.izipusa.com/8-trailz-enli...rder-now-.html
If you currently own a bike and enjoy it. Then you can get a kit for it. Bionx is perhaps the best e bike kit out there and I am going to be making a purchase on one soon.
Anyways. Good luck on your decision, when you make it let everyone know and post some pictures please.
Im not particularily a fan of coiled suspension, unless its on a true downhill MTB, because when I ride on my coiled I just bounce up and down (wasting a lot of my forward energy/momentum). For the price I do not really like this bicycle, but that Is just my opinion (and its greatly biased on the suspension).
A few other options I would check out are the IZIP enlightened series. They placed the battery in the actual downtube of the bike. The downtube is below your center of gravity (making handling easier), its a hardtail (no rear suspension), and has disc brakes. These bikes also have a crank assisted motor like the R10. Another thing you may like is that the mountail trailz and trailz have a 24 speed gearing whereas the R10 seems to only have 7 speed.
https://www.izipusa.com/
they lowered the price on the mountain trailz, not sure why (maybe an 08 model?):
https://www.izipusa.com/11-izip-mount...tric-bike.html
trailz:
https://www.izipusa.com/8-trailz-enli...rder-now-.html
If you currently own a bike and enjoy it. Then you can get a kit for it. Bionx is perhaps the best e bike kit out there and I am going to be making a purchase on one soon.
Anyways. Good luck on your decision, when you make it let everyone know and post some pictures please.
07-08-09, 11:22 AM
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R10 from r martin bikes
I really don't know anything about the R10 electric bike. What I do know is from my recent 8 months experience in dealing with r martin bikes in Austin, TX, is that R Martin Bikes do not stand behind their product(s), and they are not responsive to their customers. I have sent back my battery twice because the first one would not take a charge, and the second battery they sent fell apart. I have tried to contact them regarding at least three times regardingthe status of the second battery which they have had for more than a month and I yet to get a response from them. I would think twice about purchasing a bike from them.
07-09-09, 01:23 PM
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If customer service/support are important to you, spend some time looking around to find someone who is able to build you a kit-based bike on a solid, proven platform. That is - start with a bike you like and have it converted by a kit dealer who does install work AND stands behind their conversions with a warranty. Win, win, win! 
10-13-09, 05:26 PM
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I just got the r10 martin and its sweet it takes a little bit of assembly tires handlebars etc but with it charged it is an easy and smooth ride the only down side if you loose your battery power its kinda difficult to pedal it only has 7 gears unlike your conventional 18 on the upside it ships really fast about 2 to 3 days for me (austin texas to northern washington) but all in all its a sweet bike!
10-18-09, 02:05 PM
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R Martin R10 is a great bike and support has been excellent
I saw someone post about having a battery problem and said they don't stand behind their products. I must disagree. The fact that they sent a new battery shows that they take care of their customers. These are expensive to replace. I am not sure how a pack can fall apart unless it is dropped or abused somehow. These guys will work with you if you work with them. It is a two-way street.
I had a minor problem with a connector on my battery pack and they paid to have it shipped back, fixed it, and returned it in a week or so. They offer toll free phone support and have real live techs that help you. I could not be happier with the R10 and the support.
So about the R10. It is really powerful. The first ride is amazing. After you pedal for just a second, the motor kicks in in power assist mode. You have 3 levels of assist so you can control the amount of power the motor delivers. You can ride along at 20 mph with only light pedaling in level 3. I use level 1 or 2 in crowded areas and sidewalks so I don't zoom up too fast on people.
On one of my first rides, I was at a stop light at the bottom of a hill. There were 3 other bikes at the light and the riders were all younger and in better shape then me. When the light changed, I was off and up the hill way before the others. Everyone wanted to check out the R10 at the next light.
There is a throttle so you can ride along without pedaling on level ground. The bike will do about 20 in 7th gear like this. You can also start pedaling whenever you want while using the throttle or not. It is really flexible and fun to ride.
This is a great bike for recreation or commuting. I looked at and tested electric bikes that were hundreds or thousands of dollars more. The R10 is by far the best deal.
Here is where I got it: www.electricbikedistributor.com. They also have some dealers now so you can test them if there is one near you.
bikelec
I had a minor problem with a connector on my battery pack and they paid to have it shipped back, fixed it, and returned it in a week or so. They offer toll free phone support and have real live techs that help you. I could not be happier with the R10 and the support.
So about the R10. It is really powerful. The first ride is amazing. After you pedal for just a second, the motor kicks in in power assist mode. You have 3 levels of assist so you can control the amount of power the motor delivers. You can ride along at 20 mph with only light pedaling in level 3. I use level 1 or 2 in crowded areas and sidewalks so I don't zoom up too fast on people.
On one of my first rides, I was at a stop light at the bottom of a hill. There were 3 other bikes at the light and the riders were all younger and in better shape then me. When the light changed, I was off and up the hill way before the others. Everyone wanted to check out the R10 at the next light.
There is a throttle so you can ride along without pedaling on level ground. The bike will do about 20 in 7th gear like this. You can also start pedaling whenever you want while using the throttle or not. It is really flexible and fun to ride.
This is a great bike for recreation or commuting. I looked at and tested electric bikes that were hundreds or thousands of dollars more. The R10 is by far the best deal.
Here is where I got it: www.electricbikedistributor.com. They also have some dealers now so you can test them if there is one near you.
bikelec
10-18-09, 02:20 PM
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ABout the Izip Enlightened bikes
I just saw the post recommending the Izip bikes. I have first hand experience with the Trailz Enlightened. First of all it does not have a crank motor. It has a small hub motor spoked into the rear wheel. The batteries down the tube are ok but unfortunately, they are only 24v. There is no throttle and I suspect it is because there is not enough battery power.
I bought one of these and had to return it after a week. It was ok on flat ground but would NOT climb hills. It felt like you were getting no assistance.
Besides that, it was overpriced in my opinion. It did not work for me at all.
bikelec
I bought one of these and had to return it after a week. It was ok on flat ground but would NOT climb hills. It felt like you were getting no assistance.
Besides that, it was overpriced in my opinion. It did not work for me at all.
bikelec
10-19-09, 06:55 AM
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Martin R10
I just got my R10 last week. I am still trying it out, testing it on hills, etc. I must say that after riding it for a week, it does have good acceleration. The bike handles well and is fun to ride. I am still trying to get used to the 3 different levels of pedal assist. The throttle power is good and the gears work well. The battery charges well also. The only problem I had was during the assembly. There were no owners manual included in the box. I called RMartin and they promptly emailed me the manual. No problem. I had looked at and tested another bike, but I like the R10 better. So far I am happy with my purchase.
Curt
Curt
10-19-09, 07:00 AM
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R10 Front Light
Bikelec:
I am enjoying the R10. Did your R10 come with lights? Mine has front & rear lights. The front light is decent, not great. I think the light could have been better mounted. Unless i am wrong, it just slides into its mount. I would replace the light but it has the battery meter on it, so I am kinda stuck with it.
Are you having any trouble with the front light sliding around on the mount)?
Thanks, Curt
I am enjoying the R10. Did your R10 come with lights? Mine has front & rear lights. The front light is decent, not great. I think the light could have been better mounted. Unless i am wrong, it just slides into its mount. I would replace the light but it has the battery meter on it, so I am kinda stuck with it.
Are you having any trouble with the front light sliding around on the mount)?
Thanks, Curt
10-23-09, 08:44 AM
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R Martin R10 console
Curt,
Yes, mine has the lights. I also added a Planet Bike LED that R Martin has on their accessories page here: www.electricbikedistributor.com/accessories.html.
The light/console that comes with it is an LED but does not flash. That's why I added the extra light for more visibility.
The light/console has a tab that holds it in on the base. Mine wasn't locking in place that well so I used a hair dryer to heat up the tab on the base and then raised it up a bit. It works great now. You also have the on/off switch on there so you really can't take it off.
bikelec
Yes, mine has the lights. I also added a Planet Bike LED that R Martin has on their accessories page here: www.electricbikedistributor.com/accessories.html.
The light/console that comes with it is an LED but does not flash. That's why I added the extra light for more visibility.
The light/console has a tab that holds it in on the base. Mine wasn't locking in place that well so I used a hair dryer to heat up the tab on the base and then raised it up a bit. It works great now. You also have the on/off switch on there so you really can't take it off.
bikelec
10-30-09, 07:55 AM
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R10 Battery Problem
Bikelec:
I am having a problem with my battery life. Maybe you can help me, offer some insight.
yesterday I went riding. I had a full charge on the battery. (4 lights on the meter). I am assuming this means the battery is fully charged. Well ,I was cruising along . I had gone 5-8 miles when the battery died. I checked the battery connection and it was tight. I had been using mainly pedal assist for most of my ride.
I pressed the button on the light that turns on the battery and it came on, showed 2 lights (50% power), but when I started to pedal, the lights immediately went out and battery wouldn't come on.
I am at a loss. I emailed a guy at R Martin (Dustin) whom I had been dealing with, no response as of yet.
I know in one of your posts, you mentioned you had a problem with a connector and RMartin took care of it. Who did you deal with to get the problem fixed? Thanks for any help you may provide me.
Curt
I am having a problem with my battery life. Maybe you can help me, offer some insight.
yesterday I went riding. I had a full charge on the battery. (4 lights on the meter). I am assuming this means the battery is fully charged. Well ,I was cruising along . I had gone 5-8 miles when the battery died. I checked the battery connection and it was tight. I had been using mainly pedal assist for most of my ride.
I pressed the button on the light that turns on the battery and it came on, showed 2 lights (50% power), but when I started to pedal, the lights immediately went out and battery wouldn't come on.
I am at a loss. I emailed a guy at R Martin (Dustin) whom I had been dealing with, no response as of yet.
I know in one of your posts, you mentioned you had a problem with a connector and RMartin took care of it. Who did you deal with to get the problem fixed? Thanks for any help you may provide me.
Curt
10-30-09, 08:26 AM
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Curt,
Most of the time (especially on Li-Ion bikes) the battery meters aren't very accurate. I have an EG Barcelona, and it will only drop one light (out of 4) before it dies. Because Li-Ion's have such an equalized discharge rate, the bike will just suddenly run out of power with no real warning. The bike doesn't slow down or get weaker - it just dies. So that part sounds normal...
The bigger issue, is why did you only get 5-8 miles in pedal assist??? You should have got much more range! Either it's another issue (ie: bad connection, screwed up controller, etc.), or you have a bad battery. Did you try recharging the battery? Is the bike working again? What type of range on your second ride? If it's working again, I would guess there's a problem with the battery if the range doesn't improve.
As for more accurate battery monitoring, the easiest (and cheapest) way is to buy a $25 bicycle odometer and monitor your distance. After a few rides, you'll know how far you can go before the battery dies...
Most of the time (especially on Li-Ion bikes) the battery meters aren't very accurate. I have an EG Barcelona, and it will only drop one light (out of 4) before it dies. Because Li-Ion's have such an equalized discharge rate, the bike will just suddenly run out of power with no real warning. The bike doesn't slow down or get weaker - it just dies. So that part sounds normal...
The bigger issue, is why did you only get 5-8 miles in pedal assist??? You should have got much more range! Either it's another issue (ie: bad connection, screwed up controller, etc.), or you have a bad battery. Did you try recharging the battery? Is the bike working again? What type of range on your second ride? If it's working again, I would guess there's a problem with the battery if the range doesn't improve.
As for more accurate battery monitoring, the easiest (and cheapest) way is to buy a $25 bicycle odometer and monitor your distance. After a few rides, you'll know how far you can go before the battery dies...
10-30-09, 08:58 AM
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R10 Battery Problem
Jeremy,
Thanks for your information.
I do not know why I only got 5-8 miles in pedal assist. I am puzzled.
I recharged the battery yesterday and it charged fine, ie the battery charger light went from red to green after 3-4 hrs. I assume that means the battery is fully charged. I put the battery on the bike and all 4 lights came on, went for a ride and the same thing happened after 5-8 miles, the battery died.
Maybe the battery is no good. The connection seems tight and plugs right into where its supposed to on the frame.
I don't know what else to do right now.
Curt
Thanks for your information.
I do not know why I only got 5-8 miles in pedal assist. I am puzzled.
I recharged the battery yesterday and it charged fine, ie the battery charger light went from red to green after 3-4 hrs. I assume that means the battery is fully charged. I put the battery on the bike and all 4 lights came on, went for a ride and the same thing happened after 5-8 miles, the battery died.
Maybe the battery is no good. The connection seems tight and plugs right into where its supposed to on the frame.
I don't know what else to do right now.
Curt
Curt,
Most of the time (especially on Li-Ion bikes) the battery meters aren't very accurate. I have an EG Barcelona, and it will only drop one light (out of 4) before it dies. Because Li-Ion's have such an equalized discharge rate, the bike will just suddenly run out of power with no real warning. The bike doesn't slow down or get weaker - it just dies. So that part sounds normal...
The bigger issue, is why did you only get 5-8 miles in pedal assist??? You should have got much more range! Either it's another issue (ie: bad connection, screwed up controller, etc.), or you have a bad battery. Did you try recharging the battery? Is the bike working again? What type of range on your second ride? If it's working again, I would guess there's a problem with the battery if the range doesn't improve.
As for more accurate battery monitoring, the easiest (and cheapest) way is to buy a $25 bicycle odometer and monitor your distance. After a few rides, you'll know how far you can go before the battery dies...
Most of the time (especially on Li-Ion bikes) the battery meters aren't very accurate. I have an EG Barcelona, and it will only drop one light (out of 4) before it dies. Because Li-Ion's have such an equalized discharge rate, the bike will just suddenly run out of power with no real warning. The bike doesn't slow down or get weaker - it just dies. So that part sounds normal...
The bigger issue, is why did you only get 5-8 miles in pedal assist??? You should have got much more range! Either it's another issue (ie: bad connection, screwed up controller, etc.), or you have a bad battery. Did you try recharging the battery? Is the bike working again? What type of range on your second ride? If it's working again, I would guess there's a problem with the battery if the range doesn't improve.
As for more accurate battery monitoring, the easiest (and cheapest) way is to buy a $25 bicycle odometer and monitor your distance. After a few rides, you'll know how far you can go before the battery dies...
10-30-09, 10:32 AM
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Sounds like a bad battery to me...
There's no reason you should only be getting 5-8 miles - especially if you're using 'pedal-assist' and helping the motor. Not sure about the details of that battery, but it's possible a cell - or a string of cells - aren't up-to-par. Hence, the bike is working but you're not getting the full capacity of the battery.
I would contact the seller right away. Depending on how long ago you bought the bike, it should be covered by warranty...
There's no reason you should only be getting 5-8 miles - especially if you're using 'pedal-assist' and helping the motor. Not sure about the details of that battery, but it's possible a cell - or a string of cells - aren't up-to-par. Hence, the bike is working but you're not getting the full capacity of the battery.
I would contact the seller right away. Depending on how long ago you bought the bike, it should be covered by warranty...
10-30-09, 10:39 AM
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Ahh... just noticed this bike has a 36V/8AH battery. An 8AH battery isn't very high capacity. Using a throttle (with no pedaling), normally you get an equivalent range to the AH. So for an 8AH battery, 8 miles should be expected using just the throttle.
But the ratings for this bike state +25 miles. Apparently one of the advantages to the bracket mount motor on this bike is increased efficiency. And you said you're using pedal assist - so you should definitely be getting more miles. Contact the seller and see what's up!
But the ratings for this bike state +25 miles. Apparently one of the advantages to the bracket mount motor on this bike is increased efficiency. And you said you're using pedal assist - so you should definitely be getting more miles. Contact the seller and see what's up!
10-30-09, 10:46 AM
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R11 Battery Problem
Jeremey,
I contacted R10 and they told to charge the battery for 48 hrs. If this does not fix the problem , then send the battery back to them for a replacement b/c It is still under warranty. They said the battery might have a bad cell in it. Using mainly pedal assist should get me more than 5-8 miles.
again, thanks for your help.
Curtis
I contacted R10 and they told to charge the battery for 48 hrs. If this does not fix the problem , then send the battery back to them for a replacement b/c It is still under warranty. They said the battery might have a bad cell in it. Using mainly pedal assist should get me more than 5-8 miles.
again, thanks for your help.
Curtis
10-30-09, 10:56 AM
#17
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8AH? Not sure how much more you expect but in my years of experience across several different eBikes and small EV's 5-8 miles is about right for 8AH battery.
The "range claims" retailers advertise are very skewered - 1 mile per AH is the best rough estimate to use. Sure, pedaling will help but wind resistance, load and grades hurt as much, if not more than the pedaling will help. The whole range estimate thing is very WIDE - sometimes more, sometimes less - there's so many variables that it's nearly impossible to narrow down battery pack range to less than 30-50% margin of error.
True, you may have a bad battery but if you're going to ride these things you should learn enough about test meters to figure out pack voltages on your own.
The "range claims" retailers advertise are very skewered - 1 mile per AH is the best rough estimate to use. Sure, pedaling will help but wind resistance, load and grades hurt as much, if not more than the pedaling will help. The whole range estimate thing is very WIDE - sometimes more, sometimes less - there's so many variables that it's nearly impossible to narrow down battery pack range to less than 30-50% margin of error.
True, you may have a bad battery but if you're going to ride these things you should learn enough about test meters to figure out pack voltages on your own.
