I just watched their intro video, even though I'm happy with my MiniST and have no interest in a giant Rover; was curious to see what's new and likely to appear on other models.
My conclusion is whether hydraulic brakes are worth another $300 to a potential buyer - are there any other real improvements to consider? "Sleek" isn't worth $300, especially since there's no improvement in standard battery capacity, weight capacity or most other things. I'm thinking they have optional higher-capacity batteries in the works, at a "slight" additional cost of course - the mount location seems to have allowed for much-thicker battery packs. I was assuming the next product line refresh would include higher-capacity batteries standard, as competitors are pushing out 18-20Ah battery packs for longer range.
And that USB dongle? It's no longer built into the display and is an optional accessory at added cost? Yeah, those won't be stolen or vandalized. I'd bet those were cooked up by the design team when they switched displays and the Chinese supplier didn't include a USB outlet in their design; the dongle is a step backwards. Happy to see they've apparently improved the display and added a clock/timer function and separate headlight button; looking forward to seeing if the power timeout/cutoff is now adjustable or able to be turned off - drives me nuts when my trip odometer is cleared during a 10-minute stop that drains almost no battery power, because I log my trip distances. And I assume with the new battery design they've finally fixed the problem of one blank key being able to unlock and steal the battery from any current Rad model.
It looks nice and I'm pretty sure will be well-liked by owners, but is it enough to compete with other brands in the same sector, especially now that it's $2,000? We'll see. I'm wondering if Rad had more in mind but with supply-chain problems, the China Virus and Potato Joe's inflation maybe more wasn't possible in the planned schedule and budget.
I expect slurping reviews from the usual suspects, but looking forward to Citizen Cycle's video and those from actual owners who shelled out their own money. Yeah, I'm initially a bit skeptical and grumpy, but I've come from an environment where our products went obsolete every 9-12 months and we had to hustle and work hard to be competitive and best in our sector with constant improvements and better customer value.
Nice to see Rad moving forward, though. Now, what did I miss that makes the new model exciting and desirable?