Electric Bicycle

[Cotton]

I've got the itch for an electric bike. Anyone have experience with Rad Power Bikes? In particular their Rad Mission Bike.

[Casita Greg]

Wife and I have two e-bikes from Rad City. Excellent build quality and reasonably priced when compared to many other brands out there. Totally satisfied with them.

I have this one:
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/produc...-commuter-bike

And my wife has the "Step-through" model.
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/produc...-commuter-bike

Great bikes.

[Maria in MD]

Casita Greg, what is the weight of the step through? Thanks for the link, I like the look of the bike. The website doesn't state the weight and I can't even get the 2500+ reviews to come up ::sigh::.

1. Is the battery removable for charging?
2. How long does it take to charge?
3. Did I understand correctly that every time you apply the brakes, it charges the battery?

TIA.

[CASITA BANANA]

I just purchased a RadRover 6 plus. Everything you want to know is on their website. My bike is a beast! Read everything you can on YouTube before you buy so you don't buy the wrong bike for you. If you don't know what you're doing you can get hurt.

Also, purchasing the bike is just the beginning. A standard bike rack with not support most ebikes. And then there's security. Ebikes are a hot commodity and the thieves will eat through normal locks and chains in literally seconds.

So, if you do your homework you can end up with a bike that's a lot of fun and will take you much farther and easier than you will on a regular bike.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by Maria in MD

Casita Greg, what is the weight of the step through? Thanks for the link, I like the look of the bike. The website doesn't state the weight and I can't even get the 2500+ reviews to come up ::sigh::.

1. Is the battery removable for charging?
2. How long does it take to charge?
3. Did I understand correctly that every time you apply the brakes, it charges the battery?

TIA.

They are 60 Lbs. each.

1. Yes, the battery is removable with the same key that turns it on, just set to a different position, or it can be recharged while attached to the bike. Either way works.

2. Charging time will be largely dependent on how depleted the battery is from use. Frankly, I've never run the battery down while riding it, but I usually put the charger, (that comes with the bike,) on at the end of the day and just leave it charging overnight.

3. Charging the battery while riding the brakes is a bit of a stretch in my thinking. True, it technically does charge when braking. But after all, how often are you "riding the brakes" when you're traveling down the road? Unless you're just going downhill the whole trip, like starting on the top of a mountain, and coasting downhill while riding the brakes, you probably won't notice much if any gain as far as charging goes. That said, I've ridden almost all day at times and never ran out of useable battery capacity.

[Huck]

I had a Rad Rover and just sold it. I found it was way too big and heavy to take camping.

[CASITA BANANA]

Regenerative braking is not available on any ebikes I have researched.

Yes, ebikes are heavier than normal bikes. That was one of the reasons I went with a step-thru rather than step over frame to reduce the chance of falling over while mounting.

My Rover probably weighs 80# with baskets and gear. Once I mastered the technique of getting it up on the rack it is relatively easy. (And I am 75.) I would not try to put it in the back of a pickup alone, for sure.

There are ebikes which are lighter, as light as 47#, but they have limited attachment points for racks and baskets.

The point is: Do your research! Know what you're getting into before you buy. Some major cities have shops that offer test rides. There are so many different kinds of ebikes fulfilling a variety of needs that no one can tell you which, if any, you should get.

[jeepers29]

My brother has am rad power and really likes it. My wife and I bought bikes from BikTrix out of Canada and love them. I will tell you. the biktrix batteries last a very long time between charges. Quality is top notch. I have put 300 miles on mine in about a month.

[ShelbyM]

A couple of friends have Cannondale ebikes. They seem well made.

[elvisslo]

I bought a Ride1Up Series 500 for $1250. It has a 500w geared hub motor and a 48v x 13AH (624 watts). This gives me a surprising range of around 35-miles using pedal assist 2-3. The Series 500 weighs 55 lbs without the rack or fenders. It has an 8-speed middle quality Shimano gear set and is pretty spritely peddling around without motor assist at all.

Before buying I went out and rented 3 e-bikes - a Radrover fat tire bike (don't know the model, a Pedigo commuter style, and a nice Trek mid-motor bike. The Trek was the most nicest and most expensive ($3000), the Pedigo was pretty nice and closely matches the Ride1Up Series 500 I bought, and the Radrover was a big, heavy, lumbering, fat-tire bike which was my least favorite and without knowing for sure, I sensed would have the shortest range because of the size and weight. I estimate the Radrover bike was over 65 lbs.

The Series 500 bike arrived almost completely assembled and it took me about an hour to put the front wheel, handlebars, seat, and pedals on. Ride1Up even sent the couple of tools you need to put it together. It came with a fully charged battery too. Once I finished putting the bike together I turned it on and went for a 10-mile ride. To my surprise everything worked perfectly and still does. I have 250 miles on my bike in 6-weeks. I was so impressed by the quality of the bike, I bought another Ride1Up e-bike (different model) for my wife. She loves it.

It's fun and relatively inexpensive to rent a couple of different e-bikes to try and see what you like. I'd recommend doing that along with some reading up on some of the differences between the bikes. I also watched a boat load of YouTube videos on the different brands and models of e-bikes. One thing is you'll also have to buy a heavy duty bike rack to carry these monsters. I got mine off of Amazon for about $350 bucks. It is rated to carry 2 x 60lb bikes. Some carriers are rated for less weight carrying capacity.

No matter what e-bike you finally choose you will have a pretty good time! Here is a link to the two e-bikes I bought. Good luck and happy riding!

https://ride1up.com/product/city/

https://ride1up.com/product/core-5/ (this is the one I got for my wife)

[Raspy]

I bought a Lectric, 20" folding bike, with fat tires, and love it. Very good on sandy ground. The frame is very solid. It folds down and will fit in a Lowes, wheeled plastic container. It has a throttle so you can ride in like a motorcycle. Has a derailer and a very nice electronic display. The battery plugs in without removing it from the bike. The key disables the bike. And it is a lot of fun. I can put it in the truck bed and close the tonneau cover, or put it in the back seat area.

[Mark J]

We purchased 2 Tern HSD's in April & have ridden them about 500 miles this summer . They cost more than entry level Ebikes but are well made Bosch mid-drive step-thru bikes. They have 20" wheels with a low center of gravity, come with folding handlebars, haul up to 375 lbs. including the rider & come with a number of add-on options. Our younger grandkids love riding on the rear with us.

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by Mark J

We purchased 2 Tern HSD's in April & have ridden them about 500 miles this summer . They cost more than entry level Ebikes but are well made Bosch mid-drive step-thru bikes. They have 20" wheels with a low center of gravity, come with folding handlebars, haul up to 375 lbs. including the rider & come with a number of add-on options.

We're serious bike riders and have no problem spending money to get what we enjoy. Terry and I both have folding Tern Vektron S10 e-bikes. A couple of items we like are the easy adjustable handlebars/seat, two level bike rack for our Ortlieb three pannier system, and 2.15 twenty-inch tires at 40 psi for a comfortable ride.

Both bikes can be folded and store behind our F150 driver's seat when traveling. This was a huge difference between Tern's folding and other cheaper folding 20" bikes that just wouldn't fold as compactly.

Once the 8 pound battery is removed the bike only weighs 39 pounds for easier lifting, especially compared to the 60-80 pound bikes we considered.

The Bosch e-system is considered top-of-the-line and we've had zero problems with it. Since there is no throttle, nor do we need or want a throttle, we can fly them to Europe where a throttle is illegal on many trails.

The Bosch system creates a Class I e-bike and can go anywhere. A throttle bike is Class III and outlawed on more and more trails. We live in Lanesboro, MN, centrally located on the Root River/Preston-Harmony trail system and are sick and tired of Class III bikes going 20+ mph down the trails, without pedaling, holding their throttle, yelling at you to get out of the way.

When you don't pedal, using a throttle, it's a moped, not an e-bike, and is illegal on the trails (I see this being enforced more and more in the future). We limit our speed to under 15 mph since on weekends the trails are full of riders, most on standard non-motorized bikes. Besides, our trails have a 15 mph speed limit, as do 90% of the trails in the US.

We also have two 750 watt e-trikes with a TSDZ2 system. Our 250 watt Bosch bikes have no problem keeping up with our 750 watt trikes, including climbing the 17% grade to our condo. Watts are extremely over-rated.

For many an e-bike is for 10 miles or less, but for others like us a 40-100 mile ride with 20-40 pounds of gear is commonplace.

In the end you get what you pay for.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Cotton]

Thank you all, I'm still reading your posts.....

[parmm]

I was really interested in the idea of e-bikes until I tried navigating the many state and local laws!!! What is legal in your home town may not be legal in the neighboring town, let alone that state a 1000 miles away!!! I've got a clean diriver's license and intend on keeping it that way.

[slowpat]

I started out with a Rad Mini. It was fun but they updated it the next year so it was obsolete quickly. It took me 24 miles to run out the battery. I felt beat up after riding it, but it is fun in the woods on old roads. They put suspension on the later models.

I wanted a bike that felt more like a bike. The fat tire Rad is an elephant. I went to a large dealer of ebikes and tried out bikes--that's what I suggest you do. I ended up with a Gazelle bike that I love.

An important note: Are you good at mechanical things? Electronics? If not, having a dealer would be important. Also, not all bike shops will work on all or any e-bikes. You'll want to check that out.

Like cars, some bikes are fairly hard to work on and unfortunately, my Gazelle is one of them. Fortunately, I've got really good tires on it and haven't had a flat....yet.

I own a longbed Tacoma pickup. I use a motorcycle ramp to wheel the bike up and then I have a rack that I made out of PVC to shove the front wheel into. I then use four tiedowns and it hauls well that way.

Your mileage will vary. I've used up half a battery on a steep climbing road that went from 2300 feet in elevation to 4500 feet in 9 miles. Then, I've used up half a battery on a 44 mile ride. I've never run it out. You can purchase extra batteries but they are very spendy---another thing for you to research. Bosch motors are more expensive, but they are very common and easy to find bike shops that can work on them, or parts. Trek uses Bosch and Trek dealers are all over the place.

Let me see, I've got 1500 miles on my Rad and 3000 on my Gazelle. I use my ebike for running errands around here and for just going on rides. It's great to go to the grocery store with.

Look for Propel on youtube. That guy has a lot of videos. Then there is Electric Bike Review and they have a forum with too much stuff on it. There are so many different brands of ebikes right now, it's crazy. Some have good support and some never answer the phone, I guess. My friend had a lemon Rad bike and spent a lot of time on the phone with them and had several tries of getting the part shipped. We'd go up to a steep road and try out the new part and 3 out of 4 times it was a failure and our trip ended early when her bike conked out. That was frustrating. Rad finally shipped the whole back wheel with a new motor and that solved the problem. But it took a couple of months. Meanwhile, we became more skilled at taking a Rad mini apart.

I can't say this enough--GO AND RIDE/DEMO EBIKES BEFORE BUYING. That's the most important advice I can give. Different body types find different bikes comfy. If it isn't a comfy bike, you won't ride it much.

[slowpat]

https://www.youtube.com/c/PropelbikesUSA

[mosquito13]

Way to fast for the brakes it has now. Was between car builds and idle hands… Added nitrous because anything worth doing is worth over doing. I built my own but for about half the cost of a electric you can get a beefy prebuilt delivered to your door with disc brakes( a must).

https://www.gasbike.net/



Z

[mosquito13]

Electric is cool but when your out of juice . Carry a metal water bottle of premix and you got a spare tank good for another 50 miles.

[colliewagon]

I just ordered a Rad Rover, supposed to be delivered next week. With the current supply chain problems, I will note that Rad seems to be the biggest US company and most of their bikes have externally mounted batteries and controllers. There are some aftermarket parts to fit them. So they are likely the easiest ones to get replacement parts for right now.