Ride1Up Prodigy V2 Review: A Brose Mid-Drive That Climbs for $1,795
A German Brose mid-drive gives this $1,795 commuter strong climbing that works through its gears, though the 504Wh battery keeps range midpack.
The Ride1Up Prodigy V2 earns a Genius Score of 68 out of 100, and it's built for one job in particular: a commute with real hills. Its German motor puts through the chain, so climbs and standing starts take far less out of your legs than a shove from a hub motor would.
The catch is range. The battery is on the smaller side, so its covers most daily rides but leaves long-haul commuters charging more often. What you get in exchange is a genuine German mid-drive at a price where most rivals still use hub motors, and that's where its value really shows.
Pros & cons
What we like
- fed through the gears from the motor makes steep hills and dead-stop starts far easier than the modest 250W rating suggests.
- As a bike it gives up to 28 mph, quick enough to keep pace with city traffic on a longer commute.
- (Tektro HD-M745, 180mm) give you strong, low-effort stopping in traffic and in the wet.
- At 58 lb it's reasonably light for a mid-drive commuter, and the capacity leaves headroom for a heavier rider carrying gear.
- A German Brose mid-drive at $1,795 is real value in a class where mid-drives usually cost well over $2,000.
Worth weighing
- The battery keeps midpack at a claimed 30 to 50 miles, so long or hilly commutes mean charging more often than a bigger-battery bike.
- Getting the most out of the means shifting like you would on a regular bike, so if you don't like managing gears, some of that climbing advantage slips away.
Key specs
The motor & power
This is where the Prodigy V2 makes its case. Its Brose TF Sprinter puts down , which is a lot of pulling power for a commuter, and it's the reason a steep street or a long bridge climb stops feeling like a workout.
Don't let the rating scare you off. A mid-drive works through the gears, so it climbs like a much bigger hub motor while drawing less from the battery. Ride1Up doesn't publish a output, so judge this motor by how it handles your hills, not by a headline watt number.
It's a bike, so runs up to 28 mph, fast enough to hold your own in city traffic.
Range & battery
Ride1Up claims on a charge from the battery. A mid-drive uses less energy for the same work, so that 504Wh goes a bit further than the raw number implies.
Range is still this bike's soft spot. The real distance comes down to how you ride: if you lean on high assist up hills, expect the low end, closer to 30 miles, and on flatter ground in a lower assist level you'll reach the top. Anyone covering 40-plus miles between charges will be plugging in regularly.
Ride1Up's spec page lists several battery sizes (360, 504, 520, 530 and 625Wh) because it covers the whole Prodigy family. The V2 configuration reviewed here ships with the 504Wh pack, so that's the number to plan your range around.
Ride & components
The 27.5 x 2.25-inch Maxxis Rekon Race tires are a sensible middle ground, wide enough to soften rough pavement but skinny enough to roll fast on a smooth street.
Braking is a real strength here. Tektro HD-M745 on 180mm rotors haul you down with a light pull at the lever, wet or dry, which matters on a bike quick enough to hit 28 mph.
The drivetrain is a 9-speed setup, a Shimano Alivio 11-34T cassette paired with a microSHIFT Advent derailleur. That spread gives you a low gear for grinding up hills and enough at the top to keep pedaling at speed.
The frame's rating means a fully loaded rack won't faze it, so hauling a week's shopping or a heavy bag home is no trouble.
Price & value
At $1,795 the Prodigy V2 sits mid-pack on price for a commuter, and the drivetrain is what you're really paying for. A usually pushes a bike past $2,000, so a German Brose unit at this price is genuinely unusual.
You're getting more capability per dollar than most bikes nearby, with range being the main thing you give up. If strong climbing matters more to you than squeezing out every last mile, it's an easy bike to recommend.
Who it's for
The hilly-commute climber
If your ride home includes a bridge, a long grade, or a wall of a street, the Prodigy V2 earns its keep, because a low gear plus of pull gets you up without standing on the pedals.
The keep-up-with-traffic commuter
If your commute puts you on faster roads, the assist up to 28 mph lets you move with the flow instead of getting squeezed to the curb. That extra speed pays off once you're out of the stop-and-go and onto open stretches.
The long-distance wanderer
If your round trip runs past 40 miles, or you like to roam all weekend without hunting for an outlet, the battery will have you charging sooner than you'd like. A bike with a bigger pack fits that life better.
The spec-sheet shopper
If you compare e-bikes by motor wattage, the 250W figure looks thin next to the 500W and 750W hub motors nearby, and there's no published number to line up against them. This motor climbs better than that suggests, so you'll have to trust the mid-drive design over the number on the page.
Frequently asked
How far does the Ride1Up Prodigy V2 go on a charge?
Ride1Up claims 30 to 50 miles from the 504Wh battery. Real-world range lands nearer 30 miles on hilly rides at high assist, and closer to 50 on flat ground at a lower assist level.
How fast does the Ride1Up Prodigy V2 go?
It's a e-bike with pedal assist up to 28 mph, quick enough to keep pace with city traffic.
What kind of motor does the Ride1Up Prodigy V2 have?
A German Brose TF Sprinter , rated at 250W nominal with a strong 90Nm of torque for climbing.
How much does the Ride1Up Prodigy V2 weigh?
About 58 lb for the standard frame (61 lb for the XR/ST version), which is reasonable for a mid-drive commuter.
How much weight can the Ride1Up Prodigy V2 carry?
Its payload capacity is 300 lb, covering the rider plus whatever gear you're hauling on the rack.
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Read the reviewHow we score: the Genius Score blends a bike's capability against same-price peers with its value for the money, weighted for what this commuter buyer prioritises. Specs are pulled from the manufacturer's live page and normalised (nominal vs peak watts, true weight with battery). Ratings are our estimate from specs, not a lab test.