DaveQ24

So - I bought one of these because I thought it would help with my recovery from a broken patella and fractured tibia. I thought that the lower step-through height and smaller overall size would be easier to handle, and the fact it folds and fits nicely in my rear cargo hold or back seat means I can do some light riding on my lunch hour.

Mainly, I was looking for something that has pedal assist and full throttle, so if I get myself in trouble with pain or fatigue I can get home without putting any more stress on the broken leg.

Ordered late PM Friday the 8th. Shipped UPS ground, arrived Monday 09/18 early in the day. Box is pretty standard size for a bike box, had nice plastic-rimmed hand carry cutouts in several places. Bike was very well wrapped and protected and took about 15 minutes to unbox and remove the packaging.

I'm not very mechanically inclined, but I watched the assembly video on their website - very little to it - so I saw no reason to pay extra for assembly and a safety check - that much I can handle.

Assembly consisted of:

1) mounting the front wheel - standard quick release skewer and dropout forks - 30 second job.

2) Installing the pedals. It took me about 3 minutes and a lot of gazing without then with a magnifier app to ascertain the tiny little L's and R's on the end of the threads. I've installed a lot of pedals on my other bikes and the markings on these are particularly difficult to see vs name brands like Shimano or Crank Bros - these pedals are folding platform, seem fine, but making the markings a little easier to see and/or putting L and R stickers would be appreciated. Actual installation - again maybe a minute.

3) Headlight and optional front rack. I decided to throw the rack on there. What the heck, otherwise it would be one more thing getting dusty on a shelf in my garage. Not much to this - basic rack install, mount to tube and install the 2 struts/support arms - 5 bolt/nut sets. Light install consists of hooking up the two terminals and screwing the light plus reflector onto the extension off the rack designed to hold it. If you don't install the rack, the light mounts to a plastic stem that then gets bolted on to the tube.

That was it. Quick and easy. Other things that you might normally have to do install or adjust on a "regular" bike - seat post, stem height - are designed with quick-release levers so it's an on-the-go thing. Since the bike folds, you can put the seat and handlebars to their minimum height after each ride, to take up the least cargo space/storage space. I think once I get the fit how I find is most comfortable, I'm going to make a mark on the seat post and stem with black auto touch up paint so I don't have to guess each time. And add air to the tires, which were at about 10-12 PSI for shipping Everything else is ready to go out of the box. A quick safety inspection showed no loose spokes, misaligned brakes, etc. Oh, this - battery took about 3 hours to charge to full capacity.

So -- I ordered this, But I was nervous. The online sales data and videos, plus outside reviews all sounded good. However, once you buy, you are stuck with it. The return policy is one strike against Rad Power IMHO - it's a 25% restocking fee plus you pay shipping, and if you assembled and ride the bike it's entirely at their discretion whether they will accept the return at all. My issue with that is - it obligates the customer to pay a lot even if they return it. If I could walk into a retail store and test ride, I could see that. When it's direct to consumer and it's buy without seeing the product in person - takes a leap of faith. But I did it.

I was worried that it would be more like a toy than a "real" bike. I'm 5'11" and about 170. This bike is rated 275 lbs, so weight isn't the issue. I was afraid frame size would be too small and I would look like a clown riding atop a miniature car at the circus. 20" wheels look really small to me - Everything I ride is a 29er. My personal out here - my nephew is a small guy, about 5' 5" and 130 lbs, and at 22 he's not getting any bigger. I figured that if it was too small for me, "Hey kid, want a free e-bike" would be a no-brained for him.

So - my take on it. This is NOT a toy. I'm impressed. This seems likely me a beefy, solid, and very well made e-bike, considering its price of $1500 is at the lower end of the e-bike market, save for the really low end, Chinese stuff that is the E-bike big box store BSO equivalent. The Shimano shifter is lower-end but certainly not the worst. The 20" wheels with 4 inch tires look dramatically bigger than the 20" wheels on a traditional folding bike like a basic Dahon or the Fuji Origami

The proprietary leather grips do bug me a little, both stylistically and because I'm used to good, ergonomic grips on my other bikes - usually stock grips and saddles go away on day 1 on any bike I purchase. However - I'm not sure if the bars can take a standard grip - I took off the end cap but only gave a cursory glance, it was about 1 am and I was pretty spent. The saddle is "meh" as well, IMHO - for my taste, a little too wide, a little too padded, and a brown, faux leather material I suspect would trap heat and moisture and be uncomfortable in warm weather. It's pretty "generic 1 size fits all". I would prefer and will swap out for a trusted known entity of some kind. Depends on the grip situation. Brown leather. Not my favorite look. If I can"t change them, I will probably get a leather dye kit for about $12 and dye them black, then put on some form of Brooks black leather saddle. Or just live with brown and get a brown leather Brooks.

Electronics, motor, battery features all seem as good as on my Haibike which was literally 3 times the price. 750 watt motor with a setting to restrict to 500 watts if necessitated by state or local law. Weight at about 65lbs IIRC was manageable even with 3 of my 4 limbs compromised by injuries.

The ride. OK, took it out at dawn and rode about 1.5 miles, very cautiously and really slow, about 6 mph average, on throttle only Would like to do more but 1) I need to get a moped sticker and alas pay 6% use tax to be legal; 2) 5 weeks out from a broken leg in a brace, broken hand with reconstructive surgery of my thumb and in a cast, rotator cuff injury and slight after effects of a concussion makes me believe my doctors and physical therapist would NOT approve. Nor would my family - hence the early early AM ride so I didn't get caught - I've gotten enough grief just for doing things like negotiating the stairs to get to my laundry room. . Nice power, smooth ride, overall NOT the toy I feared it might be. Well - from what I could tell from 1.5 miles - and I shouldn't have done that even. This seems like, IMHO, a serious bike that would work well for a lot of people - students, bike commuters who are afraid to have a bike stolen of parked outside, people living in small spaces, 52 year old guys with a broken leg - from crashing on my Specialized Sirrus on the local MUP no less - who are now crying in their beer every time they see another cyclist because summer has slipped away and they can't be out there right now, too.

Here are a couple of bad pics of the bike already folded and stowed in my SUV.

Edited to add - just noticed, I just hoisted the bike in there best I could, then left it laying on its side. Not a good position. Going out right now to set it upright as was meant - it has a support leg for the frame built in, so when folded the bike will be stable in an upright position.

Rick Imby

Great write up.

In response to the refund policy. If you buy it and get it then return it, it is a Used bike. He can't sell as new. His margin is probably around $200 so used he is going to sell the used bike for below cost. If you want to buy items that are nearly at cost that have to be shipped if you want to return them you are going to have to take the risk and cover shipping both ways.

My guess is if he raised the price $200 he could offer full refunds with you paying the return shipping.---The extra $200 is probably going to hurt sales significantly...

I have no connection to Rad---I do sell a lot of stuff on ebay (zbikenut) and have virtually the same return policy.--

Enjoy your new ebike.

awm72

Optical illusion? Those tires look great, 60 tpi will get you down the road.
What size are discs? 160mm?

65 pounds seems heavy. Is that with battery on it?

you have to mount basket when you arrive at destination? or does it fold too?

I think you made a great buy for your use.

DaveQ24

Hi guys. Thanks for the comments. Yup, that is a valid perspective from the business end. As a consumer, I don't try to abuse any business or take advantage. It just isn't typical of return policies from mail order companies I usually deal with, like Amazon where it costs me nothing to "try it out" for most products, no charge for shipping either way for Prime members. As a "direct to consumer company" one of their main selling points is that the buyer gets a lot more bike for the money vs a more traditional model of manufacturer to wholesaler to dealer to consumer. Even just looking at the specs and reviews ahead of time I could see that was true.

I think that I would NOT have had that concern at all if I had gone with their regular style Rad Rover. Good reviews, known product class. For me, it was just because a folding bike is so specialized and out of the mainstream of my experience. It sounded like the solution to the current challenges I face - I was just anxious about what this machine would be like in real life - since there was no going back. Would it measure up?

My reason for pointing out the refund policy was not to quibble or run them down, but mainly to illustrate the factor that lead into a week of anxiety I had after taking that "leap of faith" and was committed financially. I was just concerned it wouldn't work for me. So I kept going back to the online video reviews, etc - all were quite positive. And I am glad to say my anxiety while I waited made me all the happier when I unboxed and inspected it. It's a lot of bike for the money and definitely an adult's bike that a serious cyclist would enjoy, not a child's toy or a novelty that looks good on paper but doesn't measure up. Actually when I brought it inside to assemble it, I was really surprised how big this bike looks and how solid it feels. 20 inch wheels and folding frame gave me the preconception that any folding bike of that size would be sort of fragile and would need to be ridden carefully and treated gently. So to see this heavy, beefy looking brute emerge from that box really shattered my preconceptions. I'm really looking forward to putting it through its paces once I am greenlighted to ride without any restrictions by all 3 of the treating MD's, knee ortho, shoulder ortho, and hand surgeon.

The technical specs say 60 lbs with battery, but I also saw 62 lbs quoted as the weight on several websites - I suspect the 2 lb differential is the weight of the "optional" front rack. The battery weighs 7 pounds, and locks into the battey holder behind the seat post by means of the same key that turns on the power to the motor and controls.

Technically the rear rack is optional too - not their terminology but easy to remove if you don't want it - 5 or 6 bolts and it's off. But the rear rack comes pre-installed. The front rack isn't preinstalled but comes standard - up to you as the buyer to use or not. No, it doesn't fold up in any way, and it doesn't have any kind of quick release to remove it easily, although it would only require unbolting the led headlight and then removing the 3 small bolts through the frame to remove it. If you were carrying a lighter load on it (rated 20 lbs), a 20 minute trip to Home Depot or Lowes would probably let you find some kind of cotter pin or similar hardware to make this rack become quick release (you would also
need to either remove or reposition the led light that mounts on the front rack).

Discs are 180 mm mechanical.

csrpenfab

I've got a pair of 2017 Mini's and quite happy with them at the price point. It's not my "go to" bike, but definitely fills a void in the quiver!

Doc_Wui

Did you mean that your state requires moped registration for a rad mini? Strange.

I've seen one radmini on Chicago's lakefront trial. It didn't look out of place. I wouldn't ride my fatbike there though. Too crowded when I'm down there on weekends, and that is a big bike.

2old

Thanks; excellent review. Some day I'm going to build a 20" wheel "fat" bike (4" wide tires), but not a folder since I can carry it on my bike rack.
Your state needs to have People for Bikes work on developing new laws for ebikes like several others have done.

LanghamP

I'm actually in the midst of a dispute with a different eBike seller concerning a return of a moderately damaged refurbished eBike. However, we can expect that with refurbished bicycles; more of a concern is a major design flaw.

Do not buy a 20 inch mini-bike using a Nexus 3 because the gearing is as follows:
6.5 mph at a 60 rpm cadence in 1st gear.
12.1 mph at a 60 rpm cadence in 3rd gear.

I thought it was fair to offer to pay for shipping both ways, pay for depreciation ($500 out of a $1200 bike seem reasonable?), not file for the damages of the shipped bike, and just let them have the money from the warranty, but evidently that wasn't enough; they charmingly suggested I sell the bike on Craigslist.

I ended up cancelling another order for a brand-new bike from them (with bigger wheels), and filling a dispute with my credit card company to the seller (minus the shipping, let's be fair), so we'll see how that goes.

Still, don't you think it's fair for the buyer to pay for
1. shipping
2. depreciation

That makes me think the eBike seller is having tremendous problems selling this particular model of eBike; it's actually a good bike except for the Nexus 3...that tiny flaw makes the bike virtually unusable for anything except as an assistive device for overweight people in Walmart it is that slow.

DaveQ24

Hi, this thread is a year old. Yes, a year ago in October 2017, I had to register my rad mini as a moped. Up until 01/01/2018, Michigan was one of a number of states that hadn't changed its laws at the pace technology changes. In fact, the governing law that lumped e-bikes in with mopeds was enacted in 1947!

And, let me tell you, showing up at the Michigan Secretary of State office to register an e-bike as a Moped was an experience in and of itself - staff there had that "deer in the headlights" look - they didn't know what to do, since an e-bike doesn't come with a manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, which is THE main document they want (other than personal information and $15), or any other type of documentation that a moped comes with, such as a manual showing the built-in safety equipment required by US law. Since the mandatory moped safety equipment wasn't pre-installed. I showed them photos of the safety equipment I put on the bike to make it road-legal (front and rear lights, brake light ( bought a bike rear light that automatically lights when an internal accelerometer shows the bike is slowing/stopping**, permanently mounted seat, and horn).

I also had to prove to them that an e-bike needed to be registered as a moped. Fortunately, I was able to access the MI SOS technical administrative and procedural manual online, and a number of e-bike websites that talked about Michigan e-bike law as it existed a year ago, and I was able to show them what that law said, what precedent said, and, after two employees placed a couple of phone calls to supervisors and to the main HQ in Lansing, they gave me my little sticker!

And then, it all went away 2 1/2 months later - oh well, c'est la vie. It only cost $15 and some time and effort. At least I was legal from October -12/31/2018 - had I gotten in another accident, it would have been bad if I had been illegally riding an "unregistered moped" on public roadways. I actually knew that the law was in the legislature, up for a final vote in late October last year, but I went ahead with the moped registration just in case it didn't pass or it wasn't signed by Gov. Snyder. That way, I was covered either way.

Our new e-bike law went into effect 01/01/2018, which is great - ebikes are now bicycles, not mopeds, are exempt from the safety (which isn't a good thing, IMHO, all bikes should have lights at a minimum, brake lights and horn aren't a bad idea either) and use laws applicable to mopeds, and no longer need registration. Another big plus, e-bikes are allowed on most bike trails unless specifically excluded by local ordinance, and there is also a handicapped exemption provision that allows disabled riders to use an e-bike on many trails where they are otherwise banned.

I still like the bike. In fact, I also bought a Rad Rover, the 26" wheel, non-folding fat bike they sell. Don't get me wrong, they aren't high-end ebikes like Haibike or a Specialized Turbo, but for the money, I still think they're a pretty good value, especially for day to day riding in tough conditions that take a toll on a bike. I'm planning to commute to work a couple days a week on the Rover, starting any time now - didn't do it during the summer because it was just too hot and humid here this year, starting in early May and going right into October, and I don't have shower facilities where I work, just a public restroom. But I can do it now - it finally turned from summer here (it was 85 degrees a week ago today) to autumn (48 today), soon to be winter (hard freeze tonight, snow flurries possibly Sunday/Monday mornings!), so I can ride now without worrying about getting hot and sweaty (I want to ride for exercise, so I want enough assist to stay clean for work, but not 100% assist the entire ride).

Between the bumpy roads, the salt, the slush, and the general "blech" of fall/winter road conditions, I'd rather trash a $1500 bike than a $5500 bike!

radroad

I'm surprised that people love their radpower ebikes as much as they do. Surprised because whenever I look at spec sheets, they seem so.....average. Unremarkable.

I wonder what their special sauce is. Because whenever I see a review, either written or vlogged, the reviewer is always so effusive with their praise. And yeah, I can see how a folder could be ridiculously convenient. Will have to give this model serious consideration, even if it's as a second, or third ebike.

Doc_Wui

The Rad guys, when they started, picked the better components from the local chinese market. You can't sell a Yamaha or a Haibike over there, not when the staple ebike is under $500USD. They picked brake levers that don't wobble, went beyond the entry level Shimano parts, use a Bafang motor, and avoided the cheapo battery guys. A unremarkable bike that gets you riding again like you were 20 years old again. What's wrong with that.

csrpenfab

Agreed! At the price point, my Rad Mini was a good deal. A couple of simple upgrades like better tires, bigger front chainring, new pedals/grips/seat, and it's a pretty solid cruiser for fun rides!

Nightdiver

Is there something specific to the bike model you purchased that prevents using different chainring/cog sizes? Because there is nothing limiting the Nexus 3 to higher speeds on a 20" wheel bike. Putting a 15t cog on the rear and using a 55t chainring puts the top gear speed @60rpm at 16.7mph, and there are larger chainrings available as well. Also depends on the exact tire size. A fat tire bike would have even higher speeds.

MikeyMK

Yeah my old folder uses a Sturmey so I was able to go down to 13t on the back, but it's still only 46 on the front and that thing flies.

LanghamP

It's possible to put a 14t on the rear if the dust cover is removed from the Nexus 3; the biggest front I could find was a 48 tooth because the chain is a 1/8 incher (single speed chain).

Nightdiver

You can use a 1/8" chain on a 3/32" chainring, just not the other way round. Also, for using a 1/8" chain, some report that the smallest sprocket that works for the Nexus is the 16t. But chains are cheap, so if using 3/32" gets you where you need to be, then it's an easy and affordable option. Can we restore the good name of the Nexus 3 now?