Radrover 6 plus
12-01-21, 10:41 AM
#2
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Most RAD bikes, while not my cup of tea (sorry to be so banal), are good products and individuals that have commented are happy with them. Their CS, while somewhat lacking, seems better than their competitors.
12-01-21, 10:56 AM
#3
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If you are looking for an e-bike, consider an e-bike from a conventional manufacturer. So often people choose cheap up front & don't realize how expensive "cheap" is.
I do this for a living.
We charge $45 to fix flats on hub drive e-bikes. $200 labor for cassette/freewheel replacement on e-bikes that do not have a plug between the hub & the control bits. The reason is soldering leads costs a lot of shop time. From a shop perspective, it's hard to work on bikes that have no engineering or are engineered to be disposable.
Hub drive bikes are heavier because they need huge batteries that can dump lots of current rather than a smaller mid-drive that uses the multiplication abilities of a drivetrain.
Those huge batteries of a hub-drive bike also make the bike so heavy that any rack for transporting on a car will be oversized & expensive. A mid-drive bike can be used on a rack rated for 40-60 pounds. Saving potentially hundreds of dollars.
Bikes with throttles tend to have finnicky controls susceptible to water ingress &/or discontinued/unavailable replacement parts. Mid-drive bikes with out a throttle tend to use conventional bike components so suitable replacements are readily available.
Support from Bosch, Bros, etc, is readily available. Any bike shop selling the major brands have diagnostic, repair, & warrenty services. Rad, well...Rad doesn't even service their own & either can't or won't support their own product in our experience. I can't say I blame them. Often times it takes 2 mechanics to lift one into a repair stand or to remove/install the rear wheel in a competent manner.
I'm not poo-pooing any thing by Rad. We service the bike parts of a lot of their bikes every week. In fact, Rad is one of the better cheap e-bike companies. Their bikes make our shop a lot of money. Just giving some points to think on.
I do this for a living.
We charge $45 to fix flats on hub drive e-bikes. $200 labor for cassette/freewheel replacement on e-bikes that do not have a plug between the hub & the control bits. The reason is soldering leads costs a lot of shop time. From a shop perspective, it's hard to work on bikes that have no engineering or are engineered to be disposable.
Hub drive bikes are heavier because they need huge batteries that can dump lots of current rather than a smaller mid-drive that uses the multiplication abilities of a drivetrain.
Those huge batteries of a hub-drive bike also make the bike so heavy that any rack for transporting on a car will be oversized & expensive. A mid-drive bike can be used on a rack rated for 40-60 pounds. Saving potentially hundreds of dollars.
Bikes with throttles tend to have finnicky controls susceptible to water ingress &/or discontinued/unavailable replacement parts. Mid-drive bikes with out a throttle tend to use conventional bike components so suitable replacements are readily available.
Support from Bosch, Bros, etc, is readily available. Any bike shop selling the major brands have diagnostic, repair, & warrenty services. Rad, well...Rad doesn't even service their own & either can't or won't support their own product in our experience. I can't say I blame them. Often times it takes 2 mechanics to lift one into a repair stand or to remove/install the rear wheel in a competent manner.
I'm not poo-pooing any thing by Rad. We service the bike parts of a lot of their bikes every week. In fact, Rad is one of the better cheap e-bike companies. Their bikes make our shop a lot of money. Just giving some points to think on.
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Car dependency is a tax.
12-01-21, 11:40 AM
#4
Ride more, eat less
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Rad bikes are decent value for what you pay for, but whether they are well suited for your riding is up to you to decide.
I live & ride in NYC, where hub-driven, cheap ebikes are spotted for food delivery on most every city block, 24/7, 365 days a year for the last 2-3 years. When I say cheap, they are likely to be under $1k.
I also see lots of RadRunner & Radwagon in NYC these days.
For the amount of miles (30-50 miles per day) and all weather operation, these cheap, hub-driven ebikes are used, you'd imagine they would fall apart and get replaced by mid-drive ebikes; but they are not.
I've replaced rear tire/tube on a hub-driven ebike a few times, sure, it's not easy, but you don't have to lift the whole ebike onto a repair stand to complete the tire/tube replacement.
I don't transport my ebike with my car, just ride it to places where I need to be, so I don't deadlift my ebike that much.
Sure if you have the budget for a mid-drive ebike and that's what you want, go for it.
But if you're just riding around for fun, "get in shape" type riding.. cheap, hub-driven ebike may be all you need to find out whether cycling is a good activity for you before you sink $3-4k into a more serious ebike.
I live & ride in NYC, where hub-driven, cheap ebikes are spotted for food delivery on most every city block, 24/7, 365 days a year for the last 2-3 years. When I say cheap, they are likely to be under $1k.
I also see lots of RadRunner & Radwagon in NYC these days.
For the amount of miles (30-50 miles per day) and all weather operation, these cheap, hub-driven ebikes are used, you'd imagine they would fall apart and get replaced by mid-drive ebikes; but they are not.
I've replaced rear tire/tube on a hub-driven ebike a few times, sure, it's not easy, but you don't have to lift the whole ebike onto a repair stand to complete the tire/tube replacement.
I don't transport my ebike with my car, just ride it to places where I need to be, so I don't deadlift my ebike that much.
Sure if you have the budget for a mid-drive ebike and that's what you want, go for it.
But if you're just riding around for fun, "get in shape" type riding.. cheap, hub-driven ebike may be all you need to find out whether cycling is a good activity for you before you sink $3-4k into a more serious ebike.
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12-01-21, 01:40 PM
#5
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Ask the man that knows ^^^^^^^^^. Cycle Volta has a review of the RR+. Also, RAD has had more than $300 million invested in the company in the last year or so. Investment firms do their due diligence before they commit, so IMO, trust RAD if their product and cost suit you..
12-06-21, 07:44 PM
#6
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Hub drive can be lite
If you are looking for an e-bike, consider an e-bike from a conventional manufacturer. So often people choose cheap up front & don't realize how expensive "cheap" is.
I do this for a living.
We charge $45 to fix flats on hub drive e-bikes. $200 labor for cassette/freewheel replacement on e-bikes that do not have a plug between the hub & the control bits. The reason is soldering leads costs a lot of shop time. From a shop perspective, it's hard to work on bikes that have no engineering or are engineered to be disposable.
Hub drive bikes are heavier because they need huge batteries that can dump lots of current rather than a smaller mid-drive that uses the multiplication abilities of a drivetrain.
Those huge batteries of a hub-drive bike also make the bike so heavy that any rack for transporting on a car will be oversized & expensive. A mid-drive bike can be used on a rack rated for 40-60 pounds. Saving potentially hundreds of dollars.
Bikes with throttles tend to have finnicky controls susceptible to water ingress &/or discontinued/unavailable replacement parts. Mid-drive bikes with out a throttle tend to use conventional bike components so suitable replacements are readily available.
Support from Bosch, Bros, etc, is readily available. Any bike shop selling the major brands have diagnostic, repair, & warrenty services. Rad, well...Rad doesn't even service their own & either can't or won't support their own product in our experience. I can't say I blame them. Often times it takes 2 mechanics to lift one into a repair stand or to remove/install the rear wheel in a competent manner.
I'm not poo-pooing any thing by Rad. We service the bike parts of a lot of their bikes every week. In fact, Rad is one of the better cheap e-bike companies. Their bikes make our shop a lot of money. Just giving some points to think on.
I do this for a living.
We charge $45 to fix flats on hub drive e-bikes. $200 labor for cassette/freewheel replacement on e-bikes that do not have a plug between the hub & the control bits. The reason is soldering leads costs a lot of shop time. From a shop perspective, it's hard to work on bikes that have no engineering or are engineered to be disposable.
Hub drive bikes are heavier because they need huge batteries that can dump lots of current rather than a smaller mid-drive that uses the multiplication abilities of a drivetrain.
Those huge batteries of a hub-drive bike also make the bike so heavy that any rack for transporting on a car will be oversized & expensive. A mid-drive bike can be used on a rack rated for 40-60 pounds. Saving potentially hundreds of dollars.
Bikes with throttles tend to have finnicky controls susceptible to water ingress &/or discontinued/unavailable replacement parts. Mid-drive bikes with out a throttle tend to use conventional bike components so suitable replacements are readily available.
Support from Bosch, Bros, etc, is readily available. Any bike shop selling the major brands have diagnostic, repair, & warrenty services. Rad, well...Rad doesn't even service their own & either can't or won't support their own product in our experience. I can't say I blame them. Often times it takes 2 mechanics to lift one into a repair stand or to remove/install the rear wheel in a competent manner.
I'm not poo-pooing any thing by Rad. We service the bike parts of a lot of their bikes every week. In fact, Rad is one of the better cheap e-bike companies. Their bikes make our shop a lot of money. Just giving some points to think on.
12-07-21, 10:02 PM
#7
Member
I have been on the fence on this. I have been looking at the Radrovers but also considering a mid drive. And also considering converting my fat bike to mid drive or getting a mountain bike and converting it. If I get a Radrover, I think it will be the older models like the Radrover 5 fat bike or the step-thru model with more generic components. I looked at a bunch of more expensive factory mid-drives today and I did like them, but all of those and the Rad 6 plus all have proprietary (I think) components like especially the motors and batteries. Which means in a few short years, parts might be hard to get, and will be more expensive then more generic motors like Bafangs, and those built in batteries will have to be purchased from the factory brand that sells the bikes.
And this leads me to consider either the rear hub Rad 5 or build my own bike with parts that can be replaced more easily. Just my thoughts on it. I want a bike that can still be easily serviced without reliance on the brand that made it. Is my logic wrong on this? If it is, show me the way. I just don't want to give $2000 to 3,500 for a temporary bike with stupid expensive replacement parts, if you can get them at all.
And this leads me to consider either the rear hub Rad 5 or build my own bike with parts that can be replaced more easily. Just my thoughts on it. I want a bike that can still be easily serviced without reliance on the brand that made it. Is my logic wrong on this? If it is, show me the way. I just don't want to give $2000 to 3,500 for a temporary bike with stupid expensive replacement parts, if you can get them at all.
Last edited by Lastmohecken; 12-07-21 at 10:14 PM.
12-07-21, 10:49 PM
#8
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Lastmohecken, good analysis of the variables. I have a (Yahama-equipped) Haibike which died precipitously. The nearest dealer (on Haibike's site) was listed in Iceland since they had (permanently or temporarily) left the US market. Turned out to be a malfunction in the ON / OFF / PAS switch, and fortunately the local Giant dealer was familiar with the issue and had a replacement part since the system was similar to Giant's. If the problem had been with my BBS02-equipped bike, I would have been able to detect it, and change a relatively inexpensive part. It cost about $220 to have the Haibike repaired.
12-08-21, 04:27 PM
#9
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Next to last entry in the battery "stickie" mentions a company that has a RAD/XT-90 converter. This should allow other batteries to replace the RAD.
