Your new e-bike: assembly, the first ride, and the first month

September 2, 2026

Rider and passenger together on a ROOTS RIDER Cougar electric bike on a campus path

Your bike arrives around 85% assembled in a crate. Most people are riding within the hour. The half hour of checks below is what separates a bike that stays tight and quiet from one that develops a rattle in week three.

Before you cut the box open

Inspect the carton before you sign for it. If the packaging is damaged, note it on the carrier's delivery record and photograph it before the driver leaves. That record is what makes a transit damage claim straightforward instead of a negotiation.

Report any transit damage to ghram.llc@gmail.com within 48 hours with photographs. Transit damage is handled at no cost to you.

Assembly, in order

The tools you need are in the box. Work on the floor rather than balancing the bike, and do not fully tighten anything until it is all aligned.

Front wheel. Seat the axle fully in the dropouts before tightening. Check the disc rotor slides into the caliper without fouling.
Handlebar. Fit it to the stem, roughly centre it, then align it square to the front wheel before final tightening. Tighten the faceplate bolts a little at a time in a cross pattern so the gap stays even top and bottom.
Pedals. The right pedal tightens clockwise, the left pedal tightens anticlockwise. They are marked L and R. Start the threads by hand: cross-threading a crank arm is the single most expensive assembly mistake.
Saddle. Set the height so your leg is almost straight at the bottom of the stroke, with a slight bend. Do not exceed the minimum insertion mark on the seat post.
Fenders, rack, accessories. Last, once everything else is aligned.
Charge the battery fully before the first ride, and check tyre pressure against the figure printed on the tyre sidewall.

Saddle and bamboo rear rack on a ROOTS RIDER Runabout 2 electric bike — Saddle set, leg almost straight at the bottom of the stroke.

Rear rack, fender and saddle on a ROOTS RIDER Cheetah 2 Pro electric bike — Fenders and rack go on last, once everything else is aligned.

The five-minute check before every ride

Mechanics call it the ABC check. It takes less time than finding your keys.

A — Air. Squeeze the tyres. Fat tyres lose pressure steadily and soft tyres cost you range and handling.
B — Brakes. Pull each lever. It should firm up well before touching the grip. Roll the bike and check each brake stops the wheel.
C — Chain and cranks. Chain on, reasonably clean, and the cranks turn without knocking.
Quick release and axle nuts. Both wheels solid in the frame.
Battery. Latched and locked, not just resting in the cradle.

Your first ride

Start in the lowest assist level, somewhere quiet, and get used to the fact that the bike moves before you have finished thinking about it. An electric bike accelerates faster than the bike you learned on, and weighs two to three times as much, so it also stops slower.

Practise braking hard once, deliberately, before you need to do it in traffic. Use both brakes, weight back. Knowing what it feels like is worth more than reading about it.

Work up through the assist levels as you get comfortable. If your bike has selectable riding modes, set it to the class that is legal where you are riding: see our guide to e-bike classes.

After the first 30 miles: retighten everything

This is the step people skip, and it is the one that prevents most rattles and creaks. New cables stretch, new bolts settle, and spokes bed in.

At around 30 miles, go round and check: handlebar and stem bolts, seat post clamp, pedals, wheel axles, rack and fender bolts, and the brake caliper mounts. Nothing needs to be forced — just brought back to firm.

Then check the spokes by squeezing pairs together around each wheel. If some feel noticeably looser than the rest, get the wheel trued before it goes further out.

The four problems new owners actually have

A rubbing noise from a wheel

Almost always the disc rotor lightly touching a brake pad. Loosen the two caliper mounting bolts a quarter turn, squeeze the brake lever hard and hold it, retighten the bolts while holding, then release. The caliper centres itself.

Hydraulic disc brake caliper and rotor on a ROOTS RIDER Runabout 2 electric bike — Loosen the caliper mounting bolts, squeeze the lever, retighten while holding — the caliper centres itself on the rotor.

The chain slips or the gears hunt

New cables stretching. Turn the barrel adjuster where the cable enters the derailleur a half turn at a time until shifting is crisp.

A creak when pedalling

Usually the pedals or the seat post. Remove the pedals, grease the threads lightly, refit and tighten properly. If it persists, the seat post clamp is the next suspect.

Less range than expected

Check tyre pressure first, then assist level, then rider weight and terrain. It is very rarely the battery. See how far an e-bike really goes.

The maintenance rhythm

Every ride: the ABC check
Fortnightly: tyre pressure, chain lubrication
Monthly: bolt check, brake pad wear, spoke tension
Seasonally: full clean, drivetrain degrease and relube, battery contacts cleaned and dry

Battery habits are their own subject: see looking after an e-bike battery.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a bike shop to assemble it?

No. Most owners do it in under an hour with the supplied tools. If you would rather not, any bike shop will do it for a modest fee, and a torque wrench in trained hands is never a bad thing.