United City Bikes Reviews 

Good at taking your money but try to get a refund. It states that we have 10 days to get a refund from the time of purchase, so before the 10 days is up, I am trying to get a refund and not responding to my emails. Come on United City bikes!!! I will escalate this.

Folks...when you buy this bike, you are assuming all risks even during the warranty period. Unless you are mechanically astute, I suggest you stay with big/established companies with good customer services. I spent $1,300 and got to enjoy this bike for one day (6km) before it became a piece of junk. Very disappointed in UCB. Here is what happened so far.

2019/9 Ordered THE ONE U2

2020/2/14 Bike Delievered to US, brought it to Japan (on board)

2020/2/17 Brought to Japan

2020/3/6 Rode the bike for the first time (6 Km)

2020/3/7 The LCD Displays show E10 Error, electric gear/motor disabled, issue reported to UCB.

2020/3/11 UCB responds,
"This means probably one of the connectors on the controller under the frame has gotten lose. You would have to fix this with a bicycle dealer who can fix this. You can send us the bill once it has been fixed."

2020/3/17 Reported back to UCB that no bike shop in Japan would take THE ONE since there is no repair manual/parts available.

2020/3/20 UCB responds via e-mail that E10 means "Communication receiving failure. Our technician said the connection between display and controller is poor. Please ask this customer to check the cables in front of the vertical tube first, the cable of display was probably broken by rough operation. If the cables are all good, then please ask him to disassemble the bottom cover plate which is connected with the kickstand and check the connecting between the connector of display and controller. If the connection is also good, then the last method is to change the controller."

2020/3/20 I wrote back to UCB:
I do need a manual or a video on how to inspect the cables as instructed, since these cables are embedded inside the tube and there is no way to open up the tube. FYI, I don't even know where/what the "controller" is. Can you send me a video on how to reach the cables inside the front vertical tube?

No response from UCB so far, and I have requested a return/refund of this product. No response again.

Cloud funding... know what you are getting into!

J'ai passé commande d'un vélo the One U2, le samedi 7 mars 2020 via la plateforme de "crowdfunding" Indiegogo.

Avant de valider mon paiement, Indiegogo indiquait que j'avais un délai de rétractation de 10 jours (jusqu'au 17 mars). Vu qu'il s'agissait du "dernier vélo disponible", j'ai validé le paiement de ma contribution.

Bizarrement, il restait toujours un dernier vélo disponible après ma commande (j'étais pourtant censé l’avoir acheté) et dès le lundi 9 mars, il m'était impossible de demander un remboursement.

C'est à ce moment que j'ai appris qu'il y existait un modèle de vélo chinois (jaunty bike) ressemblant étrangement à the One (qui se targue pourtant d’être unique et multi-breveté) et disponible à la vente à des prix bien inférieurs à ceux affichés par United City Bike (qui, soit dit-en passant, met en avant la livraison internationale mais omet de mentionner les frais des douanes, à hauteur de plusieurs centaines d’euros et à la charge de l’acheteur). C’est aussi là que j’ai découvert que de nombreux acheteurs déploraient : tromperie sur marchandise, livraison retardée, frais de douanes cachés ou censure sur les avis négatifs.

J'ai pris contact avec United City Bike pour demander le remboursement de ma contribution (mail transmis à info_at_united-city-bikes_dot_com et à support_at_united-city-bikes_dot_com), mais suis, à ce jour, resté sans réponse. J'ai essayé de les contacter par téléphone : pas de réponse. Je les contactés par Facebook et ai eu une réponse de "Anna" me disant d'envoyer un mail à support_at_united-city-bikes_dot_com (ce que j'avais déjà fait le jour précédent).

Je ne compte pas en rester là si je ne n'obtiens pas expressément le remboursement de ma commande.

Vu le nombre de personnes s’estimant escroquées (puisque c'est bien d’une escroquerie qu'il pourrait s’agir - Anna, si vous me lisez, prouvez-moi le contraire), je pense qu’une action commune en justice serait une réponse adéquate.

Je rappelle d'ailleurs que vous pouvez signaler les escroqueries internationales en ligne sur le site econsumer_dot_com

******* 
I ordered a The One U2 bike on Saturday March 7, 2020 via the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform.

Before confirming my payment, Indiegogo indicated that I had a 10 day refund time (until March 17). Since it was there was only ”1 bike left” , I validated the payment of my contribution.

To my surprise, there still was only ”1 bike left” after my order (although I was supposed to have bought the last one) and as of Monday, March 9, I was unable to click request refund through Indiegogo.

By that time I learned there was a model of Chinese bike (jaunty bike) strangely resembling the One (which nevertheless claims to be unique and multi-patented) and available for sale at far lower prices than those posted by United City Bike (which, by the way, highlights international delivery but fails to mention customs fees up to several hundred dollars and borne by the buyer). It was also there that I discovered the unfortunate experience of the many other “backers”: deception on goods, delivery delays, hidden customs fees or censorship of negative reviews among other.

I contacted United City Bike to request a full refund of my contribution (email sent to info_at_united-city-bikes_dot_com and support_at_united-city-bikes_dot_com), but haven’t received an answer to date. I tried to contact them by phone but no one would pick-up. I contacted them by Facebook and got a response from "Anna" telling me to send an email to support_at_united-city-bikes_dot_com (which I had done the day before) : ever since, nothing.

I do not intend to stop here if I do not expressly get refunded.

Judging by the number of people considering themselves to have been deceived (since this could all be a big scam – “Anna”, if you read this, please prove to me wrong), I think that a joint legal action would be just an adequate answer.

BTW, I remind you that you can report any international online scams on econsumer_dot_com

This bike is a scam; nearly everything the seller has claimed about the bike on their Indiegogo campaign has been proven to be false. For example, the bike weighs at least 14.1 kg, not the 12.5 kg claimed. There is no torque sensor, only a very cheap cadence sensor. The controller is locked in many or most cases and no adjustments can be made so, for example, you are stuck with kmh rather than mph in the USA. The range of the bike is under 20km, not what is claimed. The bike rides like a tricycle or a moped, not like a real bike. There are no Shimano hydraulic brakes as promised, rather some unheard of cheap Chinese brand of regular brakes. The list goes on on and on. The bike was not developed by these Swiss (if they are Swiss) charlatans, rather is a cheap Chinese bike from 2017 that UCB had white labeled with their name on it and which was presented to the public on Indiegogo as their invention. Check out the reddit on this bike; it's an overpriced piece of cheap Alibaba junk being perpetrated on the public as if it were a new invention. Don't be fooled like the backers on IGG (including myself). This is a scam and these people are scammers. Avoid UCB and Indiegogo like the plague; your wallet will thank you.

By the way, UCB is making every effort to have negative reviews of their scam product removed on Trustpilot and other sites. This is the second time I am posting a review because they had the first one removed.

Even worse, UCB is preventing backers who have posted negative comments on their Indiegogo campaign page once they post an initial comment (whch UCB then removes). What they are doing is reporting to Indiegogo that they have "refunded" the backer's money so that the backer is no longer entitled to post comments.

Of course, UCB is NOT refunding the contributor's money, they are just claiming to IGG that they have.

No ethical company does things like this, but again, UCB is anything but ethical. Forewarned is forearmed. Avoid this company like you would the Coronavirus.

Finally I got my THE ONE and I could not be more happy. The wait was so worth it and I get so many compliments for it. I use it everyday to go to work and I am even faster than with the train plus I already lost some pounds, which is seems super positive to me. Thanks again UCB Team and good luck in the future!

United city bike has my money but I can not communicate with them on indiegogo website because I am marked as refunded.

I have no way of communication with them because the phone number given to my on my paid invoice is disconnected.

I need help. I want everyone to know that manipulative behaviour is wrong and refund my money for a bike I purchased but no longer in production.

They want to send me a bike that has a real range of less than what they specifically claimed. I expected 60km range and ordered and paid for a spare XL battery.

They can not make that bike, refund my money, when I asked for a refund they claim they will send me a lower specification bike and asked for more money to cover the transport cost of a unrealistically high cost per bike instead of a bundle deal. Again they are manipulating me into paying more for less.

They have the money paid in full and holding ransoms my money by asking for more money on a bike I didn’t order.

UCB managed to have my original review removed! Amazing!!

Below is my original review.
************************************

They are not a bike company and the bike is simply a re-brand (you can get it branded with your own from the manufacturer if you order more than about 120 bikes). They said “they developed it” in one of their marketing videos on youtube, it is a big lie. They did nothing (apart from asking to put their logo on the bike frame). Its far from SWISS made that people have been promised, but the money they charge on each bike is "SWISS money".

They have no control on the build of the bike nor quality check. Hence when the manufacturer decided to change the kickstand, the brake, etc they had to accept it, bur rather than be transparent to the backers, they kept it low key and not told anyone, hoping that the backers will just 'except it' once they've seen it.

The manufacturer on the other hand is far more honest than those clowns from UCB and they do specify the weight correctly as 15KG at the time, which UCB knew it from the beginning but kept it as a “secret” and think they can be smart about it and weigh it “differently” by ripping off a lot of the parts and call it a “net weight” to market it more attractively, and kept what means by net weight (ie what’s left in the bike) very vaguely. hence the 12.5KG on their page. The bottom line is, you won't be able to physically ride the bike when its considered "net". I consider this as cheating - UCB you may as well just say your bike weighs 10KG, 9KG, 5KG..etc, you get my point.

Then there are other points such as the Tax, the delivery and the deleting comments which have been raised by others, I wont repeat here.

Its an ok bike, but certainly far from what UCB's marketing crap claims. If you want this "The One" bike, best is to order it from the manufacturer directly, cost on CFD-2 is less than half of what UCB charges for U2, and CFD-3 is only slightly more (That is also with shipping and tax/custom included). Same bike, just a different brand name printed on the frame. But as some backers mentioned, if you want a quality bike, look elsewhere.

I had been ordering a bike from UCB at Nov and they told delivery before Christmas , but they sent a mail delayed to the end of Jan. they kept sending mail delay again and again, don't know when is the shipping from China to Amsterdam, it is made of China not Switzerland.It is cost more double from ebay . the customer service in this company is very bad, it is very hard to get a reply and information, don't trust them. don't think they can refund my money. please don't buy anything in this company they are scum.

A very bad experience with delivery 10 months late and I did not receive what I had ordered ultimately. It's a very expensive investment for a product that does not live up to the hype that has been cleverly created by UCB, a white label for the Chinese import. Note: you will be subject to a very hard-hitting customs tax. The bike is heavier with cheaper replacement parts than what is advertised. The tyres are heavy and cheap and the bike is not very sturdy at top speed, even worse over bumps. Hands free, no chance. This is pedal-assisted with 3 levels and you have to pedal like crazy to get top speed BUT the motor also creates resistance so you will not have a natural bike experience.
I was promised a bike equal to the top manufacturers in the market, I was promised after sales service, I was promised extras that were not delivered and I was guaranteed a delivery time. None of these were delivered and after sales is virtually non-existent with no replies to emails. Sadly, all the bad reviews here are very much true in my opinion.

After paying the additional fee of shipping ( which was unexpected ) but not surprised since UCB does not do any home work.
The taxes was expected so wasn’t surprised ...was advised that bike is through customs so I paid the balance ...after few weeks and asking for update , finally got it saying will be mid March ...so to my surprise wasn’t even shipped and of course blaming the corona virus of the delays ..which everyone expected for using that ( before was Chinese New Year ) , before that was that factory doesn’t have space to put the end product ( what kinda of a factory is that ??)
So if they say March ...that means maybe May or later ..... mind you was originally June or July of 2019 !
And as everyone said only to find out it was just a rebadged existing Chinese bike !

Sadly all the of the bad stuff on here is true, don't pay any attention to the five star reviews. It's up to you to decide why there's such disparity between them. I've tried to give UCB the benefit of the doubt but now i've received my bike and ridden it a few times I can safely say it's a terrible product marketed by an untrustworthy company. It is a cheap Chinese bike with a very slick marketing campaign. Ultimately when you're travelling at 28kph (if you're lucky) you do not want to be thinking about how unsafe it is. Which is how I feel every time I ride this bike.

My bike was sent to the wrong address despite them confirming they had registered the new address
The bike was returned to their agents in Sydney who will not send it to the correct address until the receive notification from united bikes agent in China where the bikes are made. This situation has been going on for weeks with endless email to and fro. Last email from agents in Sydney was they had not heard from United bikes agent in China. I have asked for a refund as they incapable of rectifying the situation. No response or action seems to be occurring. No response to my last email. United Bikes have been sent the details about their delivery system but I still do not have my bike. I would not recommend anyone to by a bike from them.

AWFUL experience. worse of worse. They are just terrible...
They take the money and never answer any more...

I don’t trust United Concepts AG who thinks they are above the law, the law doesn’t apply to them. Poor communication, bad customer service, try and get a refund. Try getting spare parts under warranty! Good luck getting any support from United City Bike. They no longer making the bike I ordered and refuse to refund my money. What would you do if that happen to you? How would you get the refund. The phone number on invoice is fake +41 44 55 22 541, I asked them by email to call my number +61409040495 they don’t call me. I want my money back please.
My contribution number - 2587 was marked by indiegogo as refunded November 17, 2019 to date March 29, 2020 I don’t have my money.

Worth the wait! Good things are always worth waiting for. Bringing a project (invention!) to scale is a massive undertaking. United Bikes/The One did it the right way - nail the technology, the design, problem-solve the inevitable challenges of doing something new & better...and the results are SPECTACULAR. Go to a store if you want the ‘same old’ - but if you want something special - invest - then trust the process if you want to be part of something no one else has done as well. I’m glad I did - and I remind myself of that every time I hop on my The One!!!

I've supported crowdfunding projects a number of times, and I think they did decent jobs as a crowdfunding project. It is a risk-taking event with delays (I waited 5 years at the longest), changes, and development of cheaper models while waiting.

So, if you are not flexible but still demand a somewhat "cutting-edge" item, you should go for those items already in on-demand production.

So my bike finally arrived. Shockingly bad build quality. The frame has gouges, paint is uneven, the components eg Allen bolts are really cheap. The frame also flexes a lot when riding. The battery life is poor and the lcd screen showing battery charge status is very inaccurate. There is no torque sensor so the electric motor is either on or off. Very very disappointed. Buyer beware.

I would give them 0 points if I could. I have received UCB (United City Bike) branded bike and my complaint is not about the delays in the delivery of the bike, it’s about false advertising made by UCB during Indiegogo campaign and the quality of the finished product.

Firstly, the bike is not engineered by in Switzerland by UCB, this is a Chinese made bike, and the Chinese manufacturer (CHANGZHOU GOLDEN AGES VEHICLE CO.,LTD) owns the patents to the bike components (patents are displayed on manufacturers website jauntybike.com/), UCB simply put their brand on jauntybike and are falsely marketing the bike as Swiss made wonder bike on Indiegogo and youtube. I don’t mind buying Chinese made products but at least UCB should be honest about it and tell the backers upfront that this is not Swiss engineered or Swiss made bike.

Prior to UCB Indiegogo campaign the Chinese manufacturer and other distributers have already been selling same exact bike, for example on Alibaba.com you can buy this bike under the brand of Song of Youth (CFD2) for $500. On Indiegogo UCB sold me this bike for $900 + shipping + import duties, others have paid even more. Also on Alibaba.com the distributor is promising to change the branding logo if someone places large enough order and that’s exactly what UCB has done. UCB are simply using Indiegogo to market a product made by someone else.

In their campaign they said that the bike is “lightest folding electric bike in the world only 12.5Kg” - this is a total lie I have weighted the bike and it’s 14.1kg. I’ve been told by UCB that 12.5Kg is the weight without the battery, - I have never heard anything more stupid. For example if I buy Tesla car should I measure the weight of that vehicle without the battery in the car?

On Indiegogo the bike was advertised as being waterproof. After I removed the bottom plastic cover from the bike there were no rubber gaskets on the bike, some of the wires were placed in a plastic bag and others were exposed. The battery in the seat post is also not properly sealed. You can see that the manufacturer has poor quality control because fenders were installed crooked and there are spots with chipped paint.

The most egregious lie yet is that UCB claimed that the bike would have a torque sensor, I got the bike and the bike has a cadence/speed sensor which costs $14 online, while true torque sensors cost $200-$300 dollars. The whole reason why I became a backer was because I thought the bike would have a torque sensor; if I knew that it didn’t, I would have bought something else. I was never told that this part was replaced by a cheaper part. Telling backers that the bike would come with a torque sensor was an egregious lie and a pure form of false advertising. I found out about this change only after I got the bike.

Shimano brakes were replaced by some Chinese made brakes. I was notified about this change 3-4 months after I became a backer. Also kick stand that was advertised (advertised as some innovative design) was replaced with a kickstand which is plastic stick that bends so it’s not holding the bike, the replacement kickstand is pretty much useless.

What they lie about:

1) 12.5 kg --> It weights 15 kg

2) 25 km/h (EU) or 32 km/h (US) --> 20 km/h with throttle, 25 km/h when paddling like mad (the bike has small wheels and no gear).

3) Swiss product and design --> It's a crappy Chinese bike from 2017 produced in China (Jaunty CFD) and just relabelled. If you order it directly you pay less than half.

4) 8Ah battery --> They officially downgraded it to 7Ah.

5) Shimano hydraulic disc brakes --> Noname brakes, not hydraulic

6) Torque sensor --> No torque sensor, instead you get a cheap cadence sensor. It just senses IF you are paddling but not HOW strong you are paddling. This is a big one because the bike does not behave like a bike since the electric assist is so flunky and kicks in with delay.

7) Patented innovative kickstand --> Was officially downgraded to some cheap standard kickstand.

8) Touch sensor display --> You get a cheap display which is locked, so you can not even change between mph and km/h.

9) Water proof --> No seal at all. Combined with the design of this bike, it is dangerous to drive when it is wet (water gets into the seat post).

10) EU version with throttle up to 6kmh for kickstart --> I am from the US, but they canceled the feature.

11) Shipping costs --> They asked me to pay an additional 450 USD for shipping, VAT and customs even though during the campaign they said it is included already.

They try to sensor everyone on Indiegogo who reveals this and put them on status "refund" so they cannot comment without actually refunding them.

They censor every critical comment under their youtube videos.

UCB is well aware of the scam and wants to fool new customers by preventing us, warning you. Hope you have read this before your order.

I did receive the One bike from UCB United City Bikes. I ordered a U3 which was downgraded in battery size and to cheaper brakes from Shimano to Nutt.
It was only after several emails and comments to UCB support Email that I was able to receive the bike and bag.
I am still waiting for an extra travel battery as are other customers.

It came with KPH on the speedometer
I asked several times through email and also on indigogo for this to be rectified to mph since I’m in USA.
I was told that this is not changeable and that I would have to just accept it.
The bike was stated to be waterproof
There are no gaskets on the battery connectors.
It was supposed to come with UCBs patented kickstand which is still being shown on the IGG site however it came with a cheap plastic kickstand instead.

My polite comments only asking for responses were removed from Indiegogo and I was removed as a backer from IGG so that I could not comment anymore.
I am still a backer as I have not received a travel battery that was ordered yet. They removed the travel battery from their IGG site now too
The bike is just a rebrand of Jaunty CFD2 or Song of Youth CFD 2 bike that is available for cheaper on eBay. UCB even had a Christmas sale in which the price was cheaper than original backers paid on IGG.
UCB has deleted any comments on their IGG, Facebook , and YouTube pages which point out problems with the shipping , the bike options, or other customer dissatisfaction issues.
The current reviews on their web site are not objective.
Subscribe to this Reddit page for objective views :
/r/unitedcitybikes

There are now some Objective videos of the folding bike here not made by UCB
Search for user thepriceyoupay on YouTube.

I did already send several Emails to UCB support. No response. I’m still waiting for a tracking number for my Air Travel battery which has not been received yet.