Ride1Up CF Racer1
A total sleeper. 28.6 lbs of full carbon, a SRAM Apex 12-speed groupset, and a silent 250W motor with the battery hidden inside the down tube.
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Full Video Review
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From the Review
Out on Vancouver Island
Measured, Not Quoted
What I Actually Got Out Of It
See every test in the video →
Flat pavement, pedal assist five, 5'9" rider on the small frame. “Let's go to pedal assist number five. See if we can hit 28 mph. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. Easy.”
Mixed gravel and light trail, held in power level three almost the whole way. “I just turned to 7 miles and we are at 84% battery. That's not bad. That's better than I thought.” By 14 miles it still read 57%.
A 100 km road ride with the guys from work, dual-battery kit fitted, zero mode on the flats. 4h23m moving, 15 mph average, 3,242 calories. “That 40 mile range they advertised for the battery is definitely accurate. And that's not the best case scenario here.”
Up to speed, then hard on the levers. “Very, very nice. Controlled, and locked up easily. On a road bike you never really want to lock up the brakes — you want to come to a controlled stop, and this is exactly what these SRAM brakes will do.”
Green-rated singletrack, river rock and loose sand, tyres at 40 PSI, motor left in level three. “It's very agile. The frame is stiff. You're not worried about bending an aluminum rim. The bike is just stiff and goes exactly where you want it to go.”
Ride1Up went with a current-based cadence sensor instead of the usual speed-based one. “With normal cadence sensors it takes at least 45, maybe even a full rotation. With this one it's 10 degrees. I hopped on and I thought for sure it was a torque sensor.”
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The Engineering
Why It Works As A Sleeper
Hidden Power
36V 250W · 42 Nm · 252Wh internal
You Can't See It
Ride1Up built a custom slim 252Wh battery that fits entirely inside the down tube. The hub motor is small enough that from ten feet away this reads as a normal high-end gravel bike.
You Can't Hear It
A 36V geared hub paired to a 15A sine-wave controller. “I can't even hear the motor — I can hear the tyres on the pavement more than I can the motor.”
Zero Drag With It Off
Turned down to zero mode the display stays on but the motor freewheels completely. I rode it unpowered all week on the camping trip and it just feels like a slightly heavy road bike.
Carbon & SRAM Apex
frame · fork · wheels · bars · stem
Carbon Everywhere
Carbon frame, carbon fork, carbon wheels, carbon flare bars and an integrated carbon stem — the whole bike lands at 28.6 lbs with the motor and battery in it.
12-Speed 1x, Dialled From The Box
SRAM Apex double-tap shifting, 170mm cranks, one 42T narrow-wide ring and an 11–44T cassette. “I put the front wheel on and that was it. I shifted through the gears and it was just crisp.”
Road Or Gravel
700×40c Schwalbe G-One tubeless with clearance in the fork and chainstays for a bit more. Pump them hard for road, or swap to slicks — there's room either way.
Assist That Feels Human
current-based cadence · colour display
10° And You've Got Power
A current-based cadence sensor rather than the usual speed-based one. Power arrives after ten degrees of crank rotation instead of half a revolution, and ramps in a straight line — no surge.
A Display You Can Actually Read
Colour, tilt-adjustable, readable in bright sun and through polarized glasses. It shows live wattage and even breaks down what percentage of the ride you spent in each power level.
Controls You Won't Spot
Two hidden buttons tucked in on either side of the bars run the whole system — nothing bolted to the outside of the cockpit to give the game away.
Find Your Fit
Size & Fittings
Ride1Up CF Racer1 700c · Carbon · Small & Large
Will It Fit You?
- Small5'3" – 5'8"
- Large5'8" – 6'3"
- What I rodeSmall, at 5'9"
- Wheel size700c carbon, tubeless
- Weight28.6 lbs
- Max payload225 lbs
- ClassClass 3, 28 mph
I'm 5'9" with fairly short legs and I went with the small so my wife (5'7") and I could share it — and I'm happy I did. Large would have put me right at the bottom of its range. If you're taller than me or have long legs, size up. Note the 225 lb payload that comes with a lightweight performance frame: this is a drop-bar bike for cyclists, not a utility commuter.
The Numbers
Full Specifications
Source: ride1up.com →⚡ E-System
🚦 Performance
🔧 Chassis & Brakes
⚙️ Drivetrain & Options
The Bike Cave Verdict
Ben's Take
I am just blown away at the level of quality Ride1Up is able to cram into a bike that's a little over two grand. Carbon wheels, carbon frame, carbon fork, carbon bars, SRAM components, SRAM brakes, Schwalbe tyres — these are all high-end name-brand parts. It would be impressive on its own if this were just a regular bike. But then Ride1Up put a battery, a motor, a screen and a controller in it that makes every ride that much more enjoyable. You can go faster, you can go longer. And the best part about the ride today is that no one realized it was an e-bike. This bike is a total sleeper.
👍 What I loved
- Completely silent motor and a battery you genuinely cannot see
- Current-based cadence sensor — feels like a torque sensor
- Carbon frame, fork, wheels and bars for a little over two grand
- SRAM Apex 12-speed and hydraulic discs, crisp out of the box
- 64 miles and 2,100 ft with 21% left on the dual-battery kit
- Zero drag with the motor off — ride it as a normal bike
👎 What to know
- 16–40 mi on the single battery; the $265 add-on is close to essential for big days
- Ships on basic flat pedals — budget for clipless
- Road saddle is a road saddle; you may already have a favourite
- 225 lb payload is low compared to most e-bikes
- Two frame sizes only
Kit it out
Accessories made for the Ride1Up CF Racer1
All Ride1Up accessories (2 matched) →Ride1Up builds these for this bike. Fitment comes from Ride1Up's own product listings, not our guesswork.
