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New to Electric bikes - We got a RADPower

Old 08-12-21, 05:29 PM
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Sempervee
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New to Electric bikes - We got a RADPower

Seattle area with my SO only 4ft 10 nd hard to find a full sized bike that fits her that is actually available. Did a lot of research and at the lone Seattle Store demo'ed a Rad City 3 step thru for not only a reasonable price but good customer service and came with a lot of accessories we wanted in a normal sized wheel - then took it home in a box - I put it together. Will end up buying one for me also probably very soon. Impressed with the specs so far. Strange they only make limited frame sizes. Visited 6 bike shops here and only one had a viable bike and that was a small TREK Verve for $3000 coming in. No throttle fenders or rear rack. Got all that for $1550 in a Rad bike. We'll see how long it holds up. hear WHINE from the direct drive motor and not impressed with the mechanical "Hydraulic" brakes so far but have only put 23 miles on it in a few days . We both ride nice urban Hybrid bikes but hope to go further on the electric one's now. Expensive trying to find reasonable priced hitch rack carrier even on Amazon and need Extension rods to hold them in with it! The fun has just begun! I tried to post a picture but since I am new it was not allowed yes with few posts! that'll change soon with more questions :^

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Old 08-12-21, 06:17 PM
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Looking forward to hearing more comments as you put some miles on. Rode 20 miles last week with someone that had a Rad power.
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Old 08-12-21, 10:17 PM
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Sorry but you will find Rad limitations and problems. They ARE there. Oh, and that customer service? You might get some. My experience has been awful.

Enjoy your ride.

-SP
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Old 08-13-21, 07:54 AM
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My neighbor rode my high end e fat bike and went out and bought a RAD Rover. That was three years ago. So far he loves the bike. His only complaint has been that it is not really capable off road and in steep hill climbing. I have worked on the bike a couple of times and it was pretty easy to work on them. The bike rides nice with no power and has held up reasonably well.
I don't have any really negative things to say about RAD. They are heavy. They do put the money where it counts in the battery.

You get a lot of bike for the money but not enough for me. They are built to a price point at the low end and will not hold up to off road abuse or climb really steep hills. If you stay on bike paths and roads without really steep grades you should be fine.
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Old 08-13-21, 03:15 PM
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I have had some time, more than I wanted adjusting the Faux hydraulic brakes on it so far in 23 miles. It is very comfy but need a get an extended seat post for myself should I end up with the model we just got for my GF. the City 3 step thru. Lots of due diligence and hard to find those same features and benefits on anything else under $2000. NO fat tire bikes for this city guy. We like the bike paths and unending miles of the Chehelis bike path. I not too keen on an electric used bike as who knows what gremlins exist over and above the new ebike issues. So far seems to be a nice bike. Holding on to my Cannondale Quick disc bike for now.
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Old 08-13-21, 04:44 PM
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The reviews that I've read from time to time by actual owners have been mostly positive for Rad. Not my cup of tea, but that means nothing.
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Old 08-13-21, 05:18 PM
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I've had 2 of their bikes, the Mini, and I am riding a Mission. Mine were very reliable, I got rid of the Mini because it was to "mopedish like". The Mission is just an urban type bike with larger tires, I ride similar areas to you, and maybe do 20 miles max at a time, and only charge it once a week.
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Old 08-13-21, 09:00 PM
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Thanks all for your comments. Everything it seems is a compromise when choosing which style and specifications so I think I will get the same RAD city 2 step thru as my GF has (Quick and dirty new balanced factory spec'ed bike) AND STILL try my hand at an Amazon BAFANG direct drive conversion for my Cannondale Quick 5 disc brake bike just for grins. I've watched enough youtubes and have some mechanical abilities as I have been riding MC's and working on them myself for 48 years.
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Old 08-13-21, 09:31 PM
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No faux hydraulic brakes they are just really cheap mechanical disc brakes. Not really suited for a heavy moped but will allow them to just hit the price point which is their goal.
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Old 08-14-21, 09:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Sempervee
Thanks all for your comments. Everything it seems is a compromise when choosing which style and specifications so I think I will get the same RAD city 2 step thru as my GF has (Quick and dirty new balanced factory spec'ed bike) AND STILL try my hand at an Amazon BAFANG direct drive conversion for my Cannondale Quick 5 disc brake bike just for grins. I've watched enough youtubes and have some mechanical abilities as I have been riding MC's and working on them myself for 48 years.
If you're familiar with motorcycles, bikes should be a cinch from my experience. I wasn't aware that Bafang produced direct drive motors for the US market. Could you please provide a link. In any event, DD systems are great (for road IMO) since they have basically one moving part. Individuals on endless sphere have ridden theirs 25,000+ miles.
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Old 08-14-21, 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by 2old
If you're familiar with motorcycles, bikes should be a cinch from my experience. I wasn't aware that Bafang produced direct drive motors for the US market. Could you please provide a link. In any event, DD systems are great (for road IMO) since they have basically one moving part. Individuals on endless sphere have ridden theirs 25,000+ miles.
Amazon has loads of them as well as Bafangusadirect for kits.. Good luck.
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Old 08-14-21, 02:23 PM
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Thanks, I'm familiar with their geared systems, but wasn't with DD.
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Old 08-15-21, 06:03 AM
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It's hard to argue with success!
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Old 08-15-21, 07:34 AM
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Went out yesterday me on my Cannondale Quick and her on the Rad city and she kicked my ass, literally. I could not keep up when it came to the hills.
Going to pick my rad up but came across this last night that RAD is fudging on what the true wattage is from a reputable company that is selling upgrades.

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Old 08-15-21, 08:04 AM
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I would not worry about it, go and enjoy your bike, the RAD's are a little clunky compared to high end e-bikes, but they are pretty reliable. I have not done anything to my Mission except adjust the brakes occasionally , they stop the 45 lb. bike great. Like any bike, check all the fasteners for tightness, and cable connectors to ensure they are snapped in and tight as well. These things will give you a lot of miles.
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Old 08-15-21, 08:44 AM
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Welcome, OP. May you and your SO enjoy many miles on the bikes.

I rode acoustic bikes for decades, until my doctor told me in 2011 I couldn't ride anymore because it was exacerbating my joint disease. I really missed riding, so I was very happy in 2014 when I got an ebike and could ride again.

Since then, I've had 4 ebikes and am in the process of converting an acoustic bike to electric. One ebike was $800 (about the total I hope to spend on my conversion, as well), one was over ten times that, and two somewhere in the middle. I ride almost every day, putting on over 5,000 miles a year.

What I've found is - like with much in life - there are a LOT of tradeoffs, and spending more doesn't get you away from all of them. The expensive bike was a dream to ride - but I sure didn't get anywhere near 10x the joy or utility of the cheap bike. In the end I sold them both - the expensive one was too expensive and inconvenient to maintain, and the cheap one didn't have a way to lower the output, so as soon as I'd start pedaling the motor would come on and the bike would leap forward - there was no way I could ride with my wife (who wants to stay on acoustic bikes as long as she can). My daily rider now (a Pedego Conveyor, purchased at a large discount) is comfortable, fun to ride, and doesn't have either of those issues.

I've ridden a RAD; I thought it was pretty great for the price, and can easily see how a lot of people would be happy with one. As much as I ride, though, I think it would need too many adjustments/maintenance for my lazy self, and the weight was an issue (my wife likes to load the bikes in the car and drive somewhere for a ride). Plus, after a few extremely close calls with cars, I'm a little concerned with the braking capabilities - although I haven't actually measured to compare them to other bikes, so maybe that's just in my head. Those are just my priorities though; others prioritize different things - which is great because I'd hate for us all to be trying to buy the same bike!
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Old 08-15-21, 09:33 AM
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This guy is a direct competitor to Rad, and it's disingenuous for him to compare one bike of theirs to one of his without saying anything about price or other aspect IMO. His web site (Bolton Bikes) doesn't appear to have anything comparably priced to the $1,700 - $1900 (last time I looked) "regular" Rad Rover. Also, as he knows (hopefully since he owns a company), the power curve for an electric motor can be moved as it relates to the RPM range by the size of the wire, so his concept may be different than Rad's. If DW reads this, the Rad motor is geared (obviously); is his sample DD?

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Old 08-15-21, 09:50 AM
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I would ignore Mr. Bolton. He would like to sell you a highly marked up controller and motor kit to replace the Rad fat tire motors. He is picking on Rad because they're the biggest target. Dozens of other fat tire makes use the same Bafang motor because the performance is adequate.

On the RadCity, a local ebike dealer in my town says that Rad's torque claims are also too high, but we all know this is billed as a city bike. If your partner kicks your butt with it, it's gotta be fast enough,

I used to worry about power, torque, blah blah blah when I started to convert my old bikes to electric. I built a fat tire bike using the smaller Bafang motor. and it was fast enough, running up to high 20's. My 750W bafang mid drive will do the same. But now, my favored riding is on light, low powered bikes with good brakes and smooth shifters. Probably not ebiking as most people like it, poking around at 12-14 mph in level 1 assist, working up a sweat sometimes.
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Old 08-15-21, 10:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Sempervee
NO fat tire bikes for this city guy. We like the bike paths and unending miles of the Chehelis bike path..
Okay but I am not giving up my long distance fat bike and I ride 90% pavement and rough city pavement. I do an easy 100 miles a day on this bike on and off pavement. Run off the bike path or hit a chuck hole? No worries.
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Old 08-15-21, 03:29 PM
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You guys have been a great source of info for me, especially RedConveyer, Freebird for your words of wisdom and Dr. Wui for clarifying tech stuff and wisdom also. I can stop going down the rabbit hole now! LOL I just turned off my brain and went and picked up a new Black City bike 3 step thru and will enjoy it for what it is and when the warranty is up replace what is needed only better unless I feel the need for speed to replace working on my motorcycle with a project. Gonna go put it together now. Be back shortly with a report.

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Old 08-15-21, 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Sempervee
You guys have been a great source of info for me, especially RedConveyer for your words of wisdom and Dr. Wui for clarifying tech stuff and wisdom also. I can stop going down the rabbit hole now! LOL I just turned off my brain and went and picked up a new Black City bike 3 step thru and will enjoy it for what it is and when the warranty is up replace what is needed only better unless I feel the need for speed to replace working on my motorcycle with a project. Gonna go put it together now. Be back shortly with a report.
One of the Amish favorites.
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Old 08-15-21, 10:36 PM
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Cool. The Amish have decided electric bikes are allowable in their lifestyle?.
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Old 08-16-21, 06:34 AM
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Originally Posted by Doc_Wui
Cool. The Amish have decided electric bikes are allowable in their lifestyle?.
It varies from sect to sect with the Amish. I live on the northern edge of the biggest Amish area in the US. Five years ago it was 90% buggies and 10% bicycles for commerce. Now its about 40% buggies and 60% e bikes. E bikes are the jet age for them. A horse takes and hour to hitch up and an hour to put the horse away including feedings and watering. The horse averages about 5 mph. The e bike is ready in five minutes and goes 20 mph and can be put away in 5 minutes without worry. The difference in economic value is very evident within their communities. They go and get stuff and sell stuff much faster. Most of the stores including Walmart have charging stations for e bikes. At home they use solar and small generators.
I don't think they adhere much to the 750 watt max rule. I was passed on my bike going 20 mph by an Amish bike pulling a big trailer with a goat, chickens and tools heading to a auction.
All Amish bikes are black and look very utilitarian.
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Old 08-16-21, 07:56 AM
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RAD is put together and all is well. As I weigh 70 lbs more than my S/O at 215 dressed, we both started at the bottom of the steep hill and with only 2 bars on the initial charge for me on first test ride she could throttle only easily up the hill and I could not, both in low 3 gear. Figuring it will get better for me when it breaks in and has a full charge* Speaking of battery charge - **What concerns me is how you all, especially in the snow states keep your battery alive during the duration of not riding thru winter? New technology for us both.


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Old 08-16-21, 08:19 AM
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In PA, We used to have week-long period of sub-freezing temp. in JAN or FEB; less frequent in recent years.
I keep my batteries (motorcycle & e-bike) charged between 80 & 25%, stored indoors where temperature doesn't drop below 50 degree F.
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